1. The Twin Towers and the Memorial
World Trade Center
The Twin Towers and the Memorial

2. The original architectural model of the World Trade Center, now located at the September 11 Memorial and Museum.
7 feet

4. Twin Towers Facts Both towers were 110 stories tall.
1 WTC (North Tower)
2 WTC (South Tower)
Provided office space for about 35,000 people and 430 companies.
Attracting around 70,000 tourists and commuters every day, they were the tallest buildings in New York City.
For a short time after being built, they were the tallest buildings in the world.
On a clear day, views extended 45 miles from the top of the towers in every direction – far enough to see all five New York City boroughs, New Jersey and Connecticut.

5. Twin Towers Facts
Each weighed more than 250,000 tons, contained 99 elevators and had 21,800 windows.
Each floor was an acre in size and there was enough concrete in the towers to build a sidewalk from New York City to Washington, D.C.
The complex even had its own zip code:
The Twin Towers were completed in 1973.

6. Twin Towers Facts February 1993 September 11, 2001
Terrorists with links to an Islamist extremist group detonated explosives in a van parked underneath the WTC.
Six people were killed and thousands were injured.
September 11, 2001
A series of coordinated suicide attacks, two planes struck both towers .
2, 753 victims were killed in the attack on the WTC.

7. Pre 9/11

8. 9/11
The Pentagon
World Trade Center

9. Post 9/11

10. The Memorial
An international design competition was held in 2003 for selecting the design for a national memorial to remember and honor the people killed in terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993.
Submissions totaled 5,201 and were received from 63 nations.
Winner of contest: "Reflecting Absence" by Michael Arad

11. “Reflecting Absence”
Two reflecting pools with the largest man-made waterfalls in the United States.
Deciduous trees bordering open spaces.
The names of each person who died on both 9/11 and the 1993 bombing on bronze panels along the sides of the pool.
Memorial pavilion

12. “Reflecting Absence”

14. Questions to Consider:
What do you think is significant about the number and placement of the pools?
What is symbolic about deciduous trees?
Why did the designer include wide open spaces?
Its design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal, and creates a contemplative space separate from the usual sights and sounds of a bustling metropolis.
Swamp white oak trees create a rustling canopy of leaves over the plaza. This grove of trees bring green rebirth in the spring, provide cooling shade in the summer and show seasonal color in fall. A small clearing in the grove, known as the Memorial Glade, designates a space for gatherings and special ceremonies.
Crews selected and harvested trees from within a 500-mile radius of the World Trade Center site, with additional ones coming from locations in Pennsylvania and near Washington, D.C. (Maryland), areas impacted on September 11, 2001.
Swamp white oaks (Quercus bicolor) were picked because of their durability and leaf color. In fall, the leaf color ranges from amber to a golden brown – and sometimes pink. The trees can grow to reach heights as tall as 60 feet in conditions similar to those on the plaza. The trees will never be identical, growing at different heights and changing leaves at different times, a physical reminder that they are living individuals.

15. The 9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on September 11, 2011.
The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in a ceremony for victims’ families.
The 9/11 Museum is still under construction, but is set to open in 2013.