Of course the Statue of Liberty & Empire State Building were the undisputed 1/2 (in either order) NYC landmarks for many decades before the WTC arrived.
The Empire State Building had been the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years, from 1931-1970.
It was arrival of the taller WTC twin towers in 1970, & to a lesser extent the proliferation of other midtown skyscrapers, that gradually chipped away at the Empire State Building's literal & figurative prominence.
Sorry, should have been clearer - the ESB absolutely held the #2 spot pre-WTC, but the WTC overtook the ESB in attention and recognition mostly due to its prominent featuring in mass media which really ramped up and has been the top cultural export from NY and the US since the 70's.
There wasn't a movie made about NYC that didn't at some point feature the WTC in it either as part of the background shot.
The Empire State Building had been the tallest building in the world for almost 40 years, from 1931-1970.
It was arrival of the taller WTC twin towers in 1970, & to a lesser extent the proliferation of other midtown skyscrapers, that gradually chipped away at the Empire State Building's literal & figurative prominence.