World Trade Center blueprints are being sold for $250,000 after they were found in TRASH of dead architect who designed them
- James Cummins Bookseller, a dealer of rare books based in Manhattan, is selling the documents at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
- The event is running through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory
- Set of blueprints were taken to Denver in the 1970s by architect Joseph Solomon when he moved from New York City
- The World Trade Center opened in 1973
- They include more than 500 plans of the Twin Towers and other site components
- Smaller sets have been sold but those were connected to the reconstruction of the World Trade Center following the 1993 bombing
- Denver resident Jake Haas found the blueprints as Solomon's daughter was throwing them out
Rare blueprints for the original World Trade Center have been saved from the trash and are now on sale for $250,000 at a New York book show.
James Cummins Bookseller, a dealer of rare books based in Manhattan, is selling the documents at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair.
The event is running through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory.
James Cummins Bookseller, a dealer of rare books based in Manhattan, is selling the documents at the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair
The event is running through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory
The set includes more than 500 plans of the Twin Towers and other site components and are the largest collection of blueprints for WTC ever offered for sale, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Smaller sets have been sold but those were connected to the reconstruction of the World Trade Center following the 1993 bombing.
'I think you do get a sense of what a massive undertaking this was,' Brian Kalkbrenner, a seller with James Cummins, said of the Solomon set of designs.
The set of blueprints were taken to Denver in the 1970s by architect Joseph Solomon when he moved from New York City. The World Trade Center opened in 1973 (WTC in 1971)
The blueprints include more than 500 plans of the Twin Towers and other site components
Solomon's daughter, Amy Lee Solomon, shared that her father decided to leave New York City as the construction industry struggled. The blueprints were 'one of the things he took with him,' she shared.
Solomon died in November 2017 at the age of 89, after having continued doing architecture work in Colorado.
In May 2018, Amy Lee began going through her father's belongings and tossed out the blueprints - which had been stored in the garage on the top of old cabinets.
They are the largest collection of blueprints for WTC ever offered for sale
Solomon's daughter, Amy Lee Solomon, shared that her father decided to leave New York City as the construction industry struggled. The blueprints were 'one of the things he took with him,' she shared
Smaller sets have been sold but those were connected to the reconstruction of the World Trade Center following the 1993 bombing (WTC in 1998)
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Jake Haas, a Denver-area resident who sells antiques and collectibles, happened to be driving by the Solomon home at the time Amy Lee was ditching the items.
Haas stopped once he spotted what he believed were antique maps and 'stuff that could be worth $40 or $50 apiece.'
He purchased the blueprints, realizing what they were later. Haas then sold them to Angelo Arguello, an owner of three pawnshops in the Denver Area.
It was Arguello who then connected the blueprints with James Cummins, letting the dealer sell them on a consignment basis.
Denver resident Jake Haas found the blueprints as Solomon's daughter was throwing them out
Haas then sold them to Angelo Arguello, an owner of three pawnshops in the Denver Area
The blueprints could be worth even more as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum said that it only has some of the site's development.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the owners of the original site, can't say whether they have a complete set either. They lost many documents during the September 11 attacks.
Solomon's daughter doesn't hold a grudge for what has become of the blueprints.
'This was the quintessential project of his life,' she said.
It was Arguello who then connected the blueprints with James Cummins, letting the dealer sell them on a consignment basis
The blueprints could be worth even more as the 9/11 Memorial & Museum said that it only has some of the site's development
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is also unsure whether it has a full set
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