First Artifact Placed Within the Foundations of the Memorial Museum

National September 11 Memorial & Museum News 7/31/2008

A milestone moment in the creation of the National September 11 Memorial Museum occurred this month as the first non-in situ historic artifact was delivered to the Museum site: the monumental Vesey Street Stairs. The artifact is commonly referred to as the “Survivor’s Stairway” because it served as a vital route to safety for thousands fleeing the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 

Beginning in the middle of the night on Friday, July 18, and continuing throughout the heat of the following day, dedicated crews at the World Trade Center site labored to transport and position this 21 foot high, 64 foot long concrete remnant.   As 25 construction professionals, conservators, structural engineers, and Memorial & Museum staff kept careful watch, the Stairs, securely set within a flatbed transporter truck, passed under a nearby pedestrian overpass crossing the West Side Highway with a mere four inches of clearance.  Weighing some 116,000 pounds, the Stairs were then lifted by the single cable of a 500-ton crane, pivoted, and lowered more than 70 feet to bedrock.  Now safely placed within the foundations of the Memorial & Museum, the Stairs will be repositioned in the coming months for their final installation.

The Stairs provide a powerful reference to the survivors’ story and reinforce a fundamental message: every one of us lives in a post-9/11 world, and, in that sense, every one of us is a survivor of September 11.

Click Here for Construction Images

Click Here for Photos of the Survivor's Stairway Move