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World Trade Center Staircase Endangered!
World Trade Center Vesey Street Staircase
New York, N.Y.
The Vesey Street Staircase, the only surviving above-ground remnant of the original World Trade Center, is a vivid and haunting reminder of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The staircase played a significant role in saving the lives of hundreds of individuals who used it as a means of escape from their offices in the doomed Twin Towers. As a result, it has been dubbed the “Survivors’ Staircase.” Remarkably, the staircase survived both the collapse of the Twin Towers and subsequent recovery and cleanup efforts, but it is now threatened with destruction because it occupies part of the site of a new tower being developed by Silverstein Properties. Equally threatening to its survival is the cumulative impact of vibrations from numerous other construction projects taking place on the World Trade Center site. Without a commitment from Silverstein Properties, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the “Survivors’ Staircase” may not survive much longer.
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“The September 11 terrorist attacks are a tragic but significant chapter in American history,” said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “In the same way that the USS Arizona reminds us of Pearl Harbor, we need the “Survivors’ Staircase” as a reminder of the day America lost her innocence, as well as a symbol of America”s strength, resilience and determination to survive.”
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Source: http://www.nationaltrust.org/11most/world_trade_center.html
The listing of the WTC staircase comes as a surprise; only time will tell what prospects this monument has.
Footnote: The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education and advocacy to save America’s diverse historic places and revitalize our communities.
Photo Courtesy: Nationaltrust.org
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Posted by Moderator on May 10th, 2006 filed in 9/11, National Trust, News, Urban 2 Comments »
May 18th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
I vote to not only keep the staircase but also to protect its structure at any cost.
The other structures must not damage this that miraculously survived 9/11 and aided in the safe escape of many people. It will serve as a historical monument and one we can show our children; a reminder of gruesome terrorism and of survival against it.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:34 pm
Say we save it, where should it sit, in its original site? Or should it be moved to a museum?