New York Port Authority Ditches "Freedom Tower" Name

It is the skyscraper meant to be the crown jewel of the rebuilding effort in Lower Manhattan. Designed at a symbolic 1,776-feet tall, then-New York Governor George Pataki coined it the Freedom Tower. But on Thursday, came a sudden change.

Port Authority officials say going forward, they will only refer to the building by its legal name.

"As we market the building we will ensure that the building is presented in the best possible way," said Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia. "One World Trade Center is its address, it's the one that we are using, it's the one that's easiest with people to identify with, and frankly we've gotten a very interested and warm reception to it."

But the man at the state's helm during the attacks says it leaves him cold.

"The Freedom Tower isn't going to be One World Trade Center, it's going to be the Freedom Tower," said Pataki.

Pataki was the first to trumpet the name, suggesting it evoked America's strength, rising above where the towers stood while paying homage to those who were lost.