Ironworkers James Brady, left, and Billy Geoghan release the cables from the steel beam after connecting it on the 104th floor of 1 World Trade Center on Thursday in New York. (Mark Lennihan, The Associated Press)
NEW YORK — A steel beam signed by President Barack Obama was lifted into place Thursday at the top of the 104-story One World Trade Center.A crane atop the building raised the beam from the ground after dozens of people, including construction workers and police officers, added their own signatures near those of the president and first lady Michelle Obama."It feels really good to be a part of it," said iron worker James Brady, part of the crew that lifted the beam. "I feel very proud to be here. I feel very lucky to be here."
On June 14, the Obamas visited the skyscraper that's being built to replace the twin towers destroyed by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. Obama wrote in marker on the beam: "We remember," "We rebuild" and "We come back stronger!"The signatures will no longer be visible as the beam, which is 35 feet long and weighs 11,000 pounds, is enveloped by the structure.The skyscraper, formerly known as the Freedom Tower, is expected to be completed in early 2014.