This might also be a totally academic connection, because while after my elevator discovery it seems clear these buildings were built with the very real intentions of providing work space for "50,000 people"; I suspect even before they were finished, the practicalities meant they were white elephants, and the floors that were actually finished and used where the ones situated around the skylobbies, further connected with escalators and local stairs.
So the point of this thread is for historic articles relating to businesses in the towers, really to see if there are any clues. I'll start with a Wall Street Journal article, well the part it lets me preview, it's for solicitors, Harris Beach & Wilcox, LLP. And this claims to be an image of just outside their office on floor 85 of 2 WTC.
https://web.archive.org/web/20210726142 ... 1179105640
Harris Beach & Wilcox LLP
Sept. 14, 2001 11:59 pm ET
Harris Beach & Wilcox LLP, a law firm based in Rochester, N.Y., had 113 employees on the 85th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center. Dozens were in the tower when the first plane hit. So far, 108 members of the New York office have reported they are safe, with no serious injuries.
The firm has started to use space at 1 Penn Plaza, the site of another company that recently merged with Harris Beach.
Through a large client, the firm has also found fully furnished space at 500 Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. It is to be occupied Saturday and the firm plans to be fully operational at that location by Monday. A mailing has been sent to all clients, and most received telephone calls advising them of the new address and telephone number.
Managing partner Gunther Buerman described a harrowing week for the firm that was to have been punctuated Friday by a "group hug meeting" of the entire firm at the new Fifth Avenue location. Plans for the reunion were on hold Thursday afternoon, however, because both New York buildings had been evacuated due to bomb threats. In addition, firm members were uncertain whether they would be able to get flights to New York from locations in upstate New York and Canada.
The ordeal for Mr. Buerman began Tuesday as it did for many Americans. He was hoping to catch the financial headlines on television at his home outside Rochester before leaving for work...
Is it realistic they would be able to sort their shit so fast? Everything, all their records, case files, etc, get destroyed on Tuesday, and they are back up and running the following Monday. I'm guessing they were already in their new offices, and they were just using 2 WTC as a postal address.
