Sky lobby

One World Trade Center is the tallest skyscraper in New York City. Like the original World Trade Center buildings it replaced, the new building has a sky lobby to balance the loads and convenience of individuals ascending via the elevators. The sky lobby is located on the 64th floor, and serves all passengers wishing to travel from the ground floor lobby to higher floors. Each set of approximately 5-6 stories is served by one bank of elevators. The elevators from the ground floor to the 64th floor sky lobby are the fastest in the Western Hemisphere, traveling at the same speed as the elevators used for the nonstop One World Observatory service, which transports guests to the 100th floor in under one minute.[2]

The John Hancock Center's sky lobby on the 44th floor serves only the residential portion of the building that occupies floors 45–92. Three express elevators run from the residential lobby on the ground floor to the 44th floor, with all three of the elevators stopping at one of the parking garage levels.[3] At floor 44, residents transfer to two banks of three elevators. One bank serves floors 45–65 and the other serves 65–92. Although all six elevators stop at floor 65, this floor is roughly the same layout as the residential floors immediately above and below it. It is not a sky lobby because residents can also board elevators to higher floors at floor 44.[4]

The tower's 44th floor sky lobby includes a pool, gym, dry cleaner, convenience store, about 700 mailboxes, two "party" rooms, a sitting area overlooking Lake Michigan, a small library, a refuse room (with trash chutes emptying here), offices for the managers of the residential condominium,[5] and a polling station for residents during elections.

Floors above 92 are serviced by direct passenger elevators from the ground floor, and by two freight elevators that run from floors 44 to 98.[6]