# What is your town's "WTC?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114 "2001-09-12T18:02:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crankyasanoldman/32/11670_2.png) [@CrankyAsAnOldMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrankyAsAnOldMan)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/1 "2001-09-12T18:02:39Z")
I was pondering this today: What building or target, if catastrophically destroyed, would have the biggest psychological effect on your town’s inhabitants? I think here in Ann Arbor one candidate would be the University. I can’t really name a specific building, although perversely I think the stadium would upset a lot of people. Otherwise, I think the Borders bookstore downtown. The company was started right here, and while the current store is not the original location, it’s a big landmark and a point of pride in this town of bibliophiles. Even people who “hate corporate” have a grudging respect, I think, for Borders. If they blew up the recently-opened Starbucks, there’d be a parade, but that’s a different question. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/2 "2001-09-12T18:20:04Z")
Here in the Twin Cities, it’d be a close race between the IDS Tower, the Mall of America, or the Metrodome as to which one would cause the greatest trauma. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/3 "2001-09-12T18:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CrankyAsAnOldMan \* > **I was pondering this today: What building or target, if catastrophically destroyed, would have the biggest psychological effect on your town’s inhabitants?** Toronto, of course, is possessed of the CN Tower, the tallent structure of any kind and the world’s biggest phallic symbol. Even the huge bank skyscrapers next to it are dwarfed by comparison. It’s the pride of the city and defines the skyline. You couldn’t pick a better target. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/4 "2001-09-12T18:43:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ethilrist \* > \*\*Here in the Twin Cities, it’d be a close race between the IDS Tower, the Mall of America, or the Metrodome as to which one would cause the greatest trauma. \*\* All those building are closed though, right? Anyway, I live in Mora, MN. I suppose the biggest target would probably be the, uhhh… Grocery store? Maybe the liquor store, I’m not sure. ---
**Author:** ![Arden\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b487fb/32.png) [@Arden\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arden_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/5 "2001-09-12T18:53:56Z")
Hm. Tough one for here. I think it would have to be OSU. Specificly the Student Union or the Edmon Low Library. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/6 "2001-09-12T18:58:54Z")
I’m on the 17th floor of the James Monroe State Office Building, the tallest building in Richmond at 25 storeys. We’re also located within spitting distance (literally) of I-95 - if we fell over we’d block north/sough traffic on one of the busiest interstate highways in the country. There’s also a Federal Reserve Bank here in town that would be a prime target. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/7 "2001-09-12T18:59:51Z")
Yep, they closed the IDS tower and the Mall, and cancelled sports events. I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and there it’d be the Golden Gate Bridge. Guess they don’t place much stock in 110-story skyscrapers in a town that gets the occasional earthquake… they had building height caps for a long time based on elevation, so all the tall buildings were built in the lower parts of town, and the shorter buildings went up on the hills. As a result, the skyline got evened out at the rooftop level. ---
**Author:** ![TheNerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/858c86/32.png) [@TheNerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheNerd)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/8 "2001-09-12T19:27:28Z")
Here in Austin, it would probably be the state Capitol building. But other targets could be a UT building, or Dell corporate headquarters. ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/9 "2001-09-12T19:27:47Z")
I live in a rural redneck town. I guess it would be the Town Hall here, but it wouldn’t be major news beyond the regional TV stations. The building itself is relatively young though, being built on the spot where the previous Town Hall was burnt to the ground. It serves as the local court, DMV and auditorium for local events. The closest semi-large city is Plattburgh, NY on Lake Champlain. I guess it would be a big deal if the former Air Force base were destroyed. It used to store American nuclear warheads and it was actually one of the top locations the Soviet’s aimed their missiles during the Cold War. What a tragedy that would have been! ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/10 "2001-09-12T19:28:30Z")
I live in a rural redneck town. I guess it would be the Town Hall here, but it wouldn’t be major news beyond the regional TV stations. The building itself is relatively young though, being built on the spot where the previous Town Hall was burnt to the ground. It serves as the local court, DMV and auditorium for local events. The closest semi-large city is Plattburgh, NY on Lake Champlain. I guess it would be a big deal if the former Air Force base there were destroyed. It used to store American nuclear warheads and it was actually one of the top locations the Soviet’s aimed their missiles during the Cold War. What a tragedy that would have been! ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/11 "2001-09-12T19:32:32Z")
Considering the places where I’ve lived … **Buffalo, New York** - definitely [City Hall](http://bfn.org/preservationworks/bam/deco/city/extcity/source/10.html). It’s not the tallest or largest building in the city. Considering its prominence on the city’s skyline and architectural uniqueness, though, a blow to City Hall would probably be the last nail in the coffin of a struggling yet beloved city. **Orlando, Florida** - A strike on the Magic Kingdom would be an attack on the very thing that turned the city from a backwater town into a booming postmodern metropolis. It’s also an attack on “the world’s happiest place,” and would deliver a psychological blow to the nation, and probably world, would be just as hard as the attack on the WTC, IMHO. **Denver, Colorado** - Unless something lops off the Rocky Mountains, I can’t think of a structure or place that plays a massively prominent symbolic role in the city’s citizens. That’s not to underplay the city’s wonderful architecture, but there’s just nothing I can think of that the city would miss _that_ much, nothing that folks can’t imagine the city without. Maybe the Tattered Cover bookstore? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/12 "2001-09-12T19:35:36Z")
Pittsburgh, let’s see, USX Building Heinz Stadium PNC Park The Point/the Golden Triangle (Point State Park-the place where the Three Rivers meet-gorgeous view from Mount Washington) Fort Pitt Duquense University, Pitt Campus, etc etc… Pittsburgh International Airport Who knows? ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/13 "2001-09-12T19:43:27Z")
In order, probably Bell South building (AKA the Batman building because the roof looks like batman’s head) - commerce State Capital - government Grand Ole Opry - to piss off the locals ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/14 "2001-09-12T19:53:34Z")
In Houston it’d be the old Transco Tower, now known as the Williams Tower. It’s a beautiful building proximal to the trendy Galleria and is quite a landmark. Now, if they wanted to hit something with more strategic impact, Texas City and the Port of Houston’s chemical industrial complex includes a frightening abundance of targets. ---
**Author:** ![Schadenfreude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@Schadenfreude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schadenfreude)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/15 "2001-09-12T20:00:02Z")
Seattle: I would say the Space Needle, except going on the apparent motives of the terrorists for causing massive casualties, I would have to choose the Columbia Center–at one time the tallest building west of the Mississippi. It is a major commerce hub, like the WTC. The Space Needle, while a highly visible symbol of the city, would probably be safe, like the Statue of Liberty. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/16 "2001-09-12T20:09:01Z")
**Atlanta…** The Bank of America Building? Turner Stadium? Coca-Cola? The GA Power building? I really don’t know. Heck, just sending one into downtown would take out a huge amount of buildings. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGrenze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@KarlGrenze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGrenze)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/17 "2001-09-12T20:11:59Z")
Gainesville: My first thought would be some place of the University, maybe the Century Tower. But that´s just a tower, there are not so many people inside it(only students walking aroung him). So maybe the Reitz Union or the Turlington Hall. Reitz is the student center, and contains an hotel, offices, lecture rooms, ballroom, various stores, and a food court. Turlington Hall is the College of Liberal Arts and Science, a monument to mazes. But then I think Gainesville is Alachua county capital, so maybe one of the federal buildings downtown might be a good target. San Juan: I suppose it could be the main offices of the biggest bank of the island. Come to think about it, that building is located in an avenue called “Milla de Oro”, Golden Mile, because all the financial offices and some government ones are located there. ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/18 "2001-09-12T21:06:18Z")
**Louisville** : Depending on the time of year, the _Kentucky Derby_, otherwise, one of the “sky scrapers” downtown like the _PNC_ (I think) building. **Columbus** : Again dending on the time of year, the _Ohio State University stadium (the Horseshoe.)_ 102,000+ students, alumni and various fans in one place. Downtwon, there are a few tall buildings, but none really strike me as prime targets. **Dayton** : _Mead_ or\* Renolds and Renolds\* among a few other major companies have their headquarters in Dayton. _Lexus-Nexus_ is just south of Dayton, too. ---
**Author:** ![Southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@Southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southpaw)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/19 "2001-09-12T21:23:48Z")
Chicago **Sears Tower** - which will always be the World’s Tallest Building to me. **Wrigley Field** - but probably not Comsikey Park The old **Water Tower** - one of the few structures to survive the Great Fire. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2001, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114/20 "2001-09-12T21:36:02Z")
At this point, I guess it would be the Empire State Building ☹ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-towns-wtc/81114.md?page=2)