ThyssenKrupp has a hand in the One World Trade Center

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Though the One World Trade Center observatory maybe hundreds of miles away, here in Memphis a local company celebrated its opening on Friday with a smile. That’s because ThyssenKrupp had a major hand in its creation. The local company installed the elevators which take visitors up to floor 102 in 60 seconds flat. That’s 23 miles per hour. At that speed, ThyssenKrupp said putting it into perspective, you could nearly outpace Usain Bolt’s world-record 100-meter sprint. If that doesn’t impress you, they’re officially known as the fastest elevators in North and South America and a “significant engineering feat.” According to ThyssenKrupp, they even implemented a new Destination Dispatch technology, “which uses intelligent software and kiosks to group people on to elevators to move them to their destination the fastest.” In all, the company installed 71 elevators and 12 escalators into One World Trade Center. “This assignment was very special for us,” Joseph Gurney, Vice President Stainless in ThyssenKrupp Materials North America said. “We are proud that our know-how and technique was put into action for the OWTC.” The opening of the One World Trade Center was special for a lot of visitors on opening day. Hundreds of people lined the streets Friday morning in order to be among the first to pay a visit to the observatory, reported CBS New York. “I’ve been to New York several times now and I’ve watched the construction of this new building in the times I’ve visited,” Rob Fenton, of England, who was first in line, told the station. “I always knew I wanted to be here for the opening, if possible.” The observatory, we were told, was on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors. The building was also named the nation’s tallest, at 1,776 feet. “You’re high enough up that you can start to see the curvature of the earth,” David Checketts, the CEO of Legends – the company that operates One World Observatory, told “CBS This Morning.” Along with a spectacular view, visitors were met with a video called “Voices,” about those who built One World Trade Center. There was also a virtual time lapse that recreated the development of the New York City skyline and beyond from the 1600s to present day. At the Sky Portal, embedded in the floor, you could look down at the streets below. The view came from a live high-definition feed from a camera affixed to the spire at the top of the tower. Guides pointed out the city’s attractions, or if smaller screens were more your size, you could pick up the One World Explorer iPad with a virtual helicopter tour of the city. CBS News reported the ride down on the elevators felt more like a flight simulation as passengers were sent on an aerial tour around the building. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the building “a rebirth.” “What a message to the world. We said we were going to build it back and build better than ever, and it’s true. You can see it,” de Blasio said. Officials said they expected about 4 million visitors a year.