9/11 Memorial
The Memorial
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.
The pools are set within a plaza where roughly 400 swamp white oak trees grow.
The Survivor Tree
A Callery pear tree became known as the “Survivor Tree” after enduring the September 11, 2001 terror attacks at the World Trade Center. In October 2001, a severely damaged tree was discovered at Ground Zero, with snapped roots and burned and broken branches. The tree was removed from the rubble and placed in the care of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.
After its recovery and rehabilitation, the tree was returned to the Memorial in 2010. New, smooth limbs extended from the gnarled stumps, creating a visible demarcation between the tree’s past and present.
Visitors to the 9/11 Memorial may take a free weather-resistant tag and write a message to take as a memento or leave behind. The messages are kept as long as possible around the tree before being removed and preserved by Museum staff.
4 Things I learned at the 9/11 Memorial
1. White roses mean it is that person’s birthday. They change out the flowers every single day. The most popular birthday is Valentine’s Day.
2. 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.
3. The organizing of the names is intentional. They researched and interviewed survivors and relatives to find out which people were coworkers (and if they actually liked one another) and they put those people near one another.
4. The bronze plates where the names are inscribed is heated in the winter – so the names will never be covered with snow.
