As the 9/11 Memorial nears the start of its third successful year of operation at the World Trade Center site, nearly 10 million people have paid tribute to those who were killed in the terrorist attacks.
Construction is progressing on the 9/11 Memorial Museum with the completed installation of large artifacts in the historical exhibition.
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced the construction milestone as New York City and the world recognize the 12th anniversary of 9/11.
“The progress inside the Museum has been remarkable. As we move toward the Museum opening in spring 2014, it is rewarding and deeply moving to see this historic institution taking shape,” 9/11 Memorial president Joe Daniels said.
Construction is progressing at the 9/11 museum. Photo by Joe Woolhead
“From iconic pieces of steel carrying messages of the recovery effort to rescue vehicles representing the bravery and courage of our first responders, these artifacts will preserve the powerful story of 9/11 for generations to come.”
“Every artifact in the Museum has a story to tell,” 9/11 Memorial Museum director Alice Greenwald said.
“Whether monumental pieces of steel structure from the Twin Towers that convey both the scale of the site before 9/11 and the scale of the disaster on that day, or intimate objects like a watch worn by a passenger aboard one of the hijacked planes that was recovered at the crash site, artifacts have the power to connect us to history with an unmatched immediacy. Seeing the large artifacts in place in the Museum signals the promise of what is to come: an experience of profound encounter with history and the associated human narratives of loss and remembrance, courage and compassion, resilience and renewal.”
To date, 24 large artifacts have been permanently installed inside the Museum. Of those, 19 are located within the historical exhibition, which will chronicle the history of 9/11 and explore its continued impacts.
The large artifacts in the exhibition include the head of a grappler exhibited grabbing a pile of twisted steel and rebar. Operating engineers used grappler claws to lift debris from the pile at Ground Zero.
The Cross at Ground Zero is also part of the exhibition. Made from intersecting steel beams, was discovered in the rubble of 6 World Trade Center on Sept 13, 2001.
Over the course of the nine-month recovery period, workers at the site of many faiths and belief systems saw the cross as a symbol of hope, faith and healing.
The FDNY Engine Company 21 truck that was dispatched to the World Trade Center after hijacked Flight 175 struck the South Tower is on display. Engine 21 was parked beneath an elevated walkway on 9/11. When the towers collapsed, the exposed cab of the fire engine was destroyed while the rest of it was virtually untouched.
The Museum’s pavilion features two tridents from the Twin Towers facade within its glass atrium.
