Reflecting Absence - World Trade Center Site Memorial

Description

The Memorial site is a public space for meditation and contemplation, centered around two reflecting pools that sit in the footprints of the original World Trade Center Towers. Lining the perimeter of each fountain is a parapet of victims’ names, arranged and inscribed according to a system of “meaningful adjacencies.” The pools are clad in Jet Mist granite, and the names panels are made of bronze that has been treated with a ferric based patina. At night, the names are illuminated from within. The fountains rest within a new plaza that acts as a sacred ground for those coming to honor the victims, while also integrating the Memorial into the surrounding city.

Competition, 2003

The World Trade Center Memorial design competition drew 5,201 entries from 63 nations. In 2004, architect Michael Arad, with landscape architect Peter Walker, won with Reflecting Absence. Arad became a partner at Handel Architects shortly after.

Constructed, 2012

The 9/11 Memorial is a tribute of remembrance, honoring the 2,977 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, as well as the six people killed in the World Trade Center bombing on February 26, 1993.

The 9/11 Memorial is located at the site of the former World Trade Center complex and occupies approximately half of the 16-acre site. The Memorial’s twin reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man-made waterfalls in North America.

Factoids

Sept 12, 2011-9/11 Memorial was dedicated in a ceremony commemorating the tenth anniversary of the attacks; 3 months after its opening, Michael Arad and Peter Walker's memorial had been visited by over a million people.

Sept 11, 2020-9/11 Memorial 19th Anniversary,Scaled-down but nationally observed commemoration due to COVID-19 restrictions; families gathered at the memorial

Honors the many Irish and Irish-American victims, featuring artifacts like a Gaelic football medal and reflecting the deep Irish ties to NYC's emergency services. The Irish pub - O'Hara's Restaurant & Pub, located near Ground Zero, became a vital gathering spot for first responders and rescue workers after 9/11, filled with their patches and memorabilia, symbolizing resilience and community.

Related People & Organizations

Barack Obama,Barack and Michelle Obama gathered at the site of the National September 11 Memorial in 2021 at the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

Joe Biden,Joe and Jill Biden gathered at the site of the National September 11 Memorial in 2021 at the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

Bill Clinton,Bill and Hillary Clinton gathered at the site of the National September 11 Memorial in 2021 at the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks

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The granite slabs, installed in 2019, recognize an initially unseen toll of the 2001 terrorist attacks: firefighters, police and others who died or fell ill after exposure to toxins unleashed in the wreckage.

9/11 Memorial

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