Distance Between WTC North Tower and Building 7

The horizontal distance between the World Trade Center North Tower (1 WTC) and 7 World Trade Center (Building 7) was approximately:

• 417 feet (127 meters) — measured from North Tower's west face to Building 7's east face
• ~350 feet (107 m) — from North Tower's core to Building 7's core

Context

• Building 7 (47 stories, 186 m) stood on Vesey Street, north of the main WTC plaza
• North Tower collapse (10:28 AM, 9/11) sent debris across Vesey Street, igniting fires in Building 7
• Building 7 collapsed at 5:20 PM — first tall building to collapse primarily from fire
• Distance allowed debris impact but not direct structural contact

Significance

The 417-foot gap is central to NIST's investigation (NCSTAR 1-9): debris damage + uncontrolled fires (7+ hrs, no water) → thermal expansion of floor beams → girder walk-off → Column 79 failure → progressive collapse.

Conspiracy theories cite the distance as "too far for damage" — NIST modeling confirms debris + fire sufficed.