The Final Piece Of One World Trade Center Was Just Lifted Into Place

Construction crews just placed the final part of the spire on top of Manhattan's One World Trade Center.

The pieces are being lifted to a temporary work platform now, and will be installed upright at a later date.

Once the spire tops the lower Manhattan building, it will measure a symbolic 1,776 feet—a patriotic reference to the year the Declaration of Independence was signed—making it the new tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere.

The first part of the spire was lifted into place in December.

NBC New York had live video capturing the occassion.

Here's a GIF of the event:

And here are some shots of the spire being lifted: