Yamasaki, from Japan, was asked to design the tallest building in the world. However, he felt that it could easily be surpassed and lose its prominence. He decided on two towers, side by side.
“He wanted these buildings to be famous for a long time,” Vaccaro said. “And make them so massive, even if they did it larger or smaller, they would be famous forever.”
Yamasaki made his proposal to a committee, which included David Rockefeller.
The inspiration for the design came from towers in the medieval town of San Gimignano in the Tuscany region of Italy, according to Vaccaro. “This small town is known for its beautiful towers that are actually medieval skyscrapers!” read the description under a photo of two towers. The description continued, “Upon setting eyes on these towers, Yamasaki immediately found his inspiration for the shape of the Twin Towers.”
Vaccaro spent days at Yamasaki’s studio in Troy, Mich., “meticulously preparing these tiny people and rice lights so he [Vaccaro] could photograph a simulated scene of the piazza at the base of the Twin Towers,” read a description under a photo that depicted a lifelike simulated piazza scene.
The two enjoyed a cordial relationship; Vaccaro told of how he went out to dinner with the Japanese architect and his wife and three kids the first night they met.
Another photo was a blending of two photos: one of the towers as they were being built juxtaposed against a rendering of the finished product. The description said you could see “how the profile of Southern Manhattan would be altered by their presence.”
“I took this photo to show how immense they would be,” Vaccaro said. “And how they would change the skyline of New York City.”
Vaccaro held a book signing at the Borders at the Twin Towers the night before the attacks. “I missed being the victim by 12 to 14 hours,” he said solemnly.
Vaccaro, who is almost 90, is known for his images from TIME magazine and Look magazine. He is particularly well-known for his portrait shots, including Eleanor Roosevelt, Bertrand Russell, and the Shah of Iran, and is also famous for his shots in Europe during World War II.
Another photo showing an ocean liner on the river in front of the towers “symbolizes the dramatic change in the popular mode of transportation from transport by ocean liners to transport by airplane,” according to the description. Vaccaro said he used to take an ocean liner to Milano. “For $300, you could put your car on one of these and take it across the Atlantic.”
He would take his Alfa Romeo over to Italy to get it fixed because he couldn’t trust anyone in the United States to fix it.
About 20 people listened intently to Vaccaro’s stories and enjoyed wine and cheese afterward at the Buzzeo Building Gallery in Long Island City, Queens.
