9/11 Memorial (National September 11 Memorial)
Two square voids in the footprints of the Twin Towers, edged with the names of the dead and the sound of falling water.
At a glance
The National September 11 Memorial occupies the site of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan. Where the Twin Towers once stood, two great pools now sink into the ground, each ringed by the names of the people killed there.
History
On 11 September 2001, hijacked aircraft destroyed the Twin Towers, killing nearly three thousand people. After years of planning, the memorial — Reflecting Absence, designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker — opened on the tenth anniversary in 2011, with its underground museum following in 2014.
What you see
Each pool sits within the footprint of a tower, about an acre across, with water falling down all four sides into a square void at the centre — among the largest man-made waterfalls in the country. Bronze parapets carry the 2,983 names of those killed in the 2001 attacks and the 1993 bombing, grouped by where they were and whom they were with. Above the plaza, One World Trade Center rises to a symbolic 1,776 feet, and the white ribs of Santiago Calatrava’s Oculus mark the transit hall nearby.
Significance
The design turns absence into form. Rather than build upward, it hollows the ground out — two squares of falling water that can be read and touched, but never filled.
Practical information
- The outdoor memorial is free and open daily; the museum charges admission
- It is a place of mourning — quiet is asked of visitors
- Allow an hour for the plaza, longer with the museum
Getting there
The memorial is in Lower Manhattan, reached by many subway lines at the World Trade Center, Fulton Street and Cortlandt Street stations, and by the PATH train from New Jersey.
Gallery
The 9/11 Memorial, photographed by Luigi De Marchi.
Sources
- National September 11 Memorial & Museum (911memorial.org)
- NYC Tourism (nyctourism.com)
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