First Steel Beam Erected for September 11 Memorial

NEW YORK—After seven long years, the first steel rod was installed at ground zero for the construction of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.

On Sept. 2, a crane slowly lifted the 7,700 pound steel column while construction workers below directed it into place. A total of 9,100 tons of jumbo and structural steel will be used in the Memorial which is set to honor the 3,000 people who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack in 2001 as well as the terrorist attack on Feb. 26, 1993.

“The erection of steel is a key part of setting and achieving aggressive yet realistic milestones, and it’s a milestone we will biild on as we work with all stakeholders to rebuild the World Trade Center site,” said Port Authority Chairman, Anthony Coscia in a press release.

Once completed, the Memorial & Museum will encompass approximately eight acres with a plaza containing close to 400 trees and two pools in the places of the towers. The pools will each contain a 30 foot waterfall and will have the names of the victims of the terrorist attacks inscribed around them.

The Museum, which will be accessed through an above ground pavilion, will sit between the two pools and will display artifacts associated with the September 11 attacks, presenting a message of loss, compassion, reckoning, and recovery.

National September 11 Memorial & Museum President Joseph Daniels commented on the construction of the Memorial.

“Last year, I saw these steel beams being fabricated in a plant in South Carolina. Seeing this steel installed on the site reminds me of the scores of dedicated workers involved in making this Memorial a reality,” said Daniels in a press release.

“Working with the Port, we are moving forward with construction of the structure that will hold the Memorial & Museum. This progress helps give us the opportunity to see this Memorial open in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks.”