By Joe Daniels
Over the past year, significant advances have been made towards the completion of the memorial and museum at the World Trade Center. With the leadership of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who became chairman of our organization in the fall of 2006, and the support of our board members, we have made major progress in fundraising, program planning, and construction of the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
In one year, we raised $190 million in private donations, bringing our fundraising total as of September 2007 to $325 million. Support continues to grow every day and we have received over 50,000 individual donations from a base that represents people in all 50 states, and 30 foreign countries. Our $350 million goal is now well within our reach.
Last summer we made an important decision to change our name to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, in order to reflect the true national scope of this undertaking. In conjunction with this, we launched a national awareness tour that will have visited 25 cities in 25 states by the end of this year. The national tour includes an exhibition of photographs, artifacts, and a short film with first-hand accounts from people who experienced that day directly. Tour visitors also have the opportunity to be a part of history by signing a steel beam that will be used in the construction of the memorial. In every city, we have been met with heart-felt support for our efforts to build America’s national 9/11 memorial. Thousands have come out to do something to remember 9/11, and we have also had the opportunity to thank these cities and towns we are visiting for all that they did for New York in the aftermath of the attacks. It’s clear that emotions still run deep for many people, regardless of their proximity to New York City. We look forward to bringing the steel beams back to New York and inviting the downtown community to sign them.
Under the direction of Memorial Museum director Alice Greenwald, planning for the Memorial Museum continues to move forward. Two New York-based firms — Thinc Design, in partnership with Local Projects, L.L.C. — were named the lead exhibition design team for the museum. This team is at the forefront of design for public spaces that combine extensive visitor engagement, multifaceted storytelling, diverse communities and evolving narratives utilizing artifacts, digital media, broad visitor participation, and the Internet. As 9/11 was the most digitally-recorded event in history, the team’s experience integrating technology and media will be a central element of the project.
We are working with the Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta to finalize the design for the entry pavilion to the museum. This low building will be a graceful and elegant structure on the Memorial Plaza. Two of the original tridents from the Twin Towers will be enclosed within the pavilion, standing as reverent symbols of the past while signaling hope for the future.
A resolution involving another artifact from the World Trade Center, the Vesey Street Stairway (the “Survivors staircase”), was reached this summer. Remnants of the stairway will have a home within the Memorial Museum. Our intention is to enable all visitors to the site to have access to the power and meaning of the artifact. This plan is the result of collaboration amongst government agencies, preservationists, survivors, and the Downtown community.
It has been exciting to see the design plans begin to take physical shape at the site. This winter, all the footings to hold up the structures of the memorial, museum, and plaza will be complete. All of our major steel packages have been awarded and steel erection will begin following the completion of the footings. Meanwhile, hundreds of trees for the plaza have been selected and transferred to a holding site in New Jersey. The trees were moved in order to acclimate the trees in conditions that resemble those they will be planted in at the World Trade Center site. When completed, the Memorial Plaza will be one of the most sustainable, green plazas ever built. The irrigation, storm water harvesting, and integrated pest management system will ensure sustainable treatment of the site and conserve energy, water, and material resources. This large urban forest will link to adjacent green spaces in Lower Manhattan, providing a beautiful new public space.
As our work continues, we recognize the importance of engaging and informing the Downtown community. The mayor’s office has convened an inter-departmental task force to address traffic planning around the site, which is a priority issue for the surrounding residents and businesses. We look forward to keeping the community apprised of all our progress – whether it be pedestrian planning, construction, or planning for the Memorial Museum. We welcome your comments and encourage your participation. Please don’t hesitate to contact our office with any questions at 212-312-8800 or visit our Web site, www.national911memorial.org.
We have been grateful to the Downtown community for their continued support of our efforts. When the Memorial & Museum are completed, we can all be proud to have played a part in making this national tribute a reality.
Joe Daniels is president and C.E.O. of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
