Construction to build the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center -- intended as a solemn space where visitors can remember and honor the thousands of lives lost during the 2001 and 1993 terrorist attacks -- is well underway. Initial foundation work, which began in March 2006, was completed in winter 2007/08, and the first phased of structural framework installation has begun.
Steel erection began in September 2008. The Port Authority, which is building the Memorial, plans to open the plaza by September 11, 2011, with the entire structure complete by mid-2013.
Summary
Designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, the Reflecting Absence memorial will consist of two voids on the sites of the twin towers' footprints. Surrounded by a forest of oak trees, each void will feature rings of cascading water falling into illuminated reflecting pools.
Adjacent to the two pools, a memorial museum will extend 100,000 square feet underground and will use artifacts and exhibits to tell the story of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993. Visitors also will be able to view a section of the massive slurry wall that held back the Hudson River during the attacks.
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation established to raise funds as well as build and operate the Memorial and Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center site.
Donations can be made at www.buildthememorial.org. The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is a registered nonprofit organization, so any contribution is tax deductible.
On January 6, 2004, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) announced its selection of a design for a memorial at the World Trade Center site.
The Memorial Foundation, in cooperation with the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a construction manager in December 2005. Three proposals were reviewed based on staffing plans, performance history, technical and managerial capabilities, and other qualifications to assure the delivery of the project on schedule and within budget. The contractors were asked to demonstrate expertise in providing pre-construction and construction phase services for large-scale projects in major metropolitan areas such as New York City.
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