The World Trade Center, also known as WTC Colombo, (Sinhala: කොළඹ ලෝක වෙළෙඳ මධ්යස්ථානය; Tamil: உலக வர்த்தக மையம்) is a 152 m tall twin building situated in Echelon Square in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The two towers, 39 storeys each, provide facilities for business activities and are unified by a central 4-storey retail podium. The World Trade Center Colombo is the Sri Lankan license holder of the iconic global trademarks “World Trade Center” and “WTC” owned by the World Trade Centers Association (WTCA).
History
The construction works of the WTC Colombo were begun in 1992 by a Singaporean company in Sri Lanka and was topped out in 1996 at a cost of US$ 130 million. However, some parts of the buildings were damaged as a result of the Colombo Central Bank bombing which was carried out by the terrorist organization LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) on 31 January 1996. The completed twin towers were declared open on 12 October 1997 with the presence of dignitaries including the then Sri Lankan President Chandika Bandaranayake (1994-2005). On 15 October 1997, just three days after the opening, the LTTE detonated a truck laden with explosives in the adjoining Galadari Hotel car park, causing significant damage to the side of the western tower. The towers were re-commissioned in June 1998 after carrying out a full restoration.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 11 July 2023
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Colombo District
