A look inside the September 11 Memorial Museum

Post Staff Report

featured

May 16, 2014

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It looks like an abstract sculpture, a disquieting artistic piece reminding museum visitors of the carnage. But this “impact steel” was part of the facade of the north tower, and was located at the point of impact where hijacked Flight 11 pierced the building between floors 93 and 99. The jet was carrying 10,000 gallons of fuel and was traveling at about 465 mph when it hit the tower. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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An elevator motor from the north tower, the largest model in the world when installed, powered one of the express or service cars. For many World Trade Center workers, the decision to take the elevator meant the difference between life and death, as they became trapped when the power failed. Jin Lee

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A piece of one of the hijacked airplanes brings to life the horror of the attacks. In all, 76 passengers and 11 crew members aboard American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767, perished when the jet crashed into the north tower at 8:46 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. And 51 passengers and nine crew members died when United Airlines Flight 175, also a 767, slammed into the south tower at 9:03 a.m. Both flights had departed that morning from Logan International Airport in Boston and were on their way to Los Angeles when they were hijacked by al Qaeda terrorists. Jin Lee

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The “Survivors’ Staircase” Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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The symbolic “Last Column,” a steel beam from one of the World Trade Center towers, stands near the slurry wall that held back the Hudson River from the site. The slurry walls formed “the bathtub,” a skewed rectangle with sides about 980 by 520 feet and as deep as seven stories. The wall withstood the forces of tons of collapsing debris and held in place, preventing the waters of the Hudson from flooding lower Manhattan and the PATH train tunnels after the attacks. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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This American flag, like several others found in the rubble, gives testament to New Yorkers’ patriotic spirit. AFP/Getty Images

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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 14: An American Flag recovered from the World Trade Center site is viewed during a preview of the National September 11 Memorial Museum on May… Getty Images

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epa04205931 A display of an American flag that was raised at Ground Zero during a press preview of the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, New York, USA,… EPA

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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This 20-foot section of twisted metal was once part of the 360-foot transmission tower that stood atop the north tower. The tower supported 10 main television antennas, numerous auxiliary antennas and a master FM antenna. Transmission began in June 1980. Ten TV stations, including all major networks, broadcast from the mast. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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Firefighter Christian Waugh was among the rescue workers who recovered the body of Fire Department Chaplain Father Mychal Judge. The helmet Waugh wore that day is on display at the museum. AFP/Getty Images

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NEW YORK, NY – MAY 14: Surviving firefighter Dan Potter’s fire helmet, which he used at Ground Zero on September 11, is viewed during a tour the National September 11… Getty Images

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On display is a standard-issue FDNY shirt that had been worn by Lt. Mickey Kross, one of 16 people who survived the north-tower collapse in a small air pocket under Stairwell B. Getty Images

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Prayer cards, patches and mementos of would-be rescuers who gave their lives at Ground Zero fill a glass display case at the museum. Getty Images

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epa04205842 A man looks over a display of destroyed police cars and fire trucks during a press preview of the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, New York,… EPA

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A display of missing-persons fliers recalls the anguished days and weeks after all the 9/11 attacks. The signs became part of the urban landscape near Ground Zero and were a heartbreaking reminder of the thousands of metropolitan-area residents who perished. Getty Images

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Injured survivors struggled for years after the attack. One, a burn victim, donated a recovery mask. Getty Images

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A simple pair of eyeglasses and its case are reminders of how lives were changed that day. Getty Images

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These were simple objects on someone’s desk before a jet crashed into the tower: a phone, a Rolodex and a pair of scissors. Getty Images

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Victim Glenn J. Winuk’s ID was found amid the rubble in the days after 9/11. Winuk, 40, a volunteer firefighter in Jericho, LI, was a partner at the law firm Holland & Knight on the corner of Broadway and Dey Street. His partial remains were found near the south tower. Getty Images

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Curators preserved the interior of Chelsea Jeans, including the ash-covered merchandise that owner David Cohen left undisturbed. The clothing store, which was located a block from the towers on Broadway near Fulton Street, became a makeshift shrine and a place of pilgrimage after the Sept. 11 attacks. Jin Lee

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Dust, ash and debris from the collapsed Twin Towers cover the clothes from the Chelsea Jeans store. Getty Images

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epaselect epa04205869 A display of artifacts from the area of the World Trade Center during a press preview of the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York, New York,… EPA

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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An American Airlines slipper recovered from the hijacked planes. AP

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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Architectural firm Minoru Yamasaki Associates built three large-scale models of the WTC for the Port Authority. This one, built from 1969 to 1971, is the largest and most detailed of the original series of presentation models that survive. Jin Lee

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A photograph of one of the World Trade Center towers collapsing after the September 11, 2001 attack, seen during a press preview of the National September 11 Memorial Museum at… Getty Images

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Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani looks over a display. EPA

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The countdown to Osama bin Laden’s capture finally ended in May 2011, when Navy SEAL Team 6 killed him in Pakistan. Getty Images

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The hijackers of the four jets are on display, putting faces to the evil that brought death and destruction. Getty Images

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Osama bin Laden is finally dead. But the plot he masterminded will haunt victims’ families forever. Getty Images

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“I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people — and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” President George W. Bush used this bullhorn to reassure rescuers — and America. Getty Images

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A display tracks the path of the planes. Jin Lee

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The exterior of the museum. Handout

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National September 11 Memorial & Museum ((HANDOUTS)) Handout

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Photo captured: At the World Trade Center, Manhattan, inside the National September 11 Memorial and Museum where the media is previewing artifacts, images, and other items housed at the museum…. G.N. Miller

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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9/11 Memorial Museum. Jin Lee

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