September 11 Memorial and Museum
In memory of those who lost their lives on September 11th 2001. May your stars shine forever as a beacon of hope for the future.
Construction workers arrived at the site of ground zero on March 16, 2006 to begin building what would become the memorial site for the events that took place on September 11, 2001. An unfinished site was opened to the public on September 12, 2011 but on May 25, 2014, the entire construction site was complete.
Located in the footprints of the twin towers are two reflecting pools, roughly 1 acre in size each and made of solid granite. An engineering feat within the pools themselves are the two largest man-made waterfalls in North America. Mounted on the outside of the granite pools are bronze panels inscribed with the victims names from not only the World Trade Center but also the victims on each of the four hijacked planes, those who perished in the Pentagon and even those who died in the previous 1993 bombings of the World Trade Center.
Surrounding the pools are another 6 acres of land known as the World Trade Center memorial
site. Close to 400 swamp white oak trees were arranged and planted within the 8 acres of land to represent rebirth and create an atmosphere of calm reflection beyond the noise of the city. One lone Callery pear tree stands apart from all the others, known as the “survivor tree”. This tree was found at ground zero in October of 2001 with extensive burning and broken branches and roots. The survivor tree was brought to a nursery after its discovery and after years of recovery the tree was returned to the World Trade Center memorial site in 2010.
On May 21, 2014 the National September 11 Museum opened its doors to the public after a dedication ceremony that was held on May 15. The museum itself is located underground housing the last standing column of the twin towers as the center of the building. Inside, visitors are able to view 23,000 images and 10,300 artifacts from the site, as well as multimedia displays and narratives. The museum focus does not solely reflect the victims but also celebrates the survivors of the attacks in the archaeological heart of the World Trade Center site.
Charlotte
