September 11, 2001
The World Trade Center was destroyed in a terrorist attack. Two hijacked jets crashed into the twin towers, causing them to collapse. An estimated 2,752 people were killed in the attack.

November 30, 2001
Governor Pataki and Mayor Giuliani created the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) to oversee the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and the revitalization of Manhattan below Houston Street. Citizen advisory councils were soon created to provide input on transportation and infrastructure, residential and commuter concerns, economic development, tourism and the arts, and memorial planning.

December 17, 2001
Work crews pulled down the last standing piece of the Twin Towers -- four stories of steel known as "the shroud."

December 30, 2001
A viewing platform overlooking the World Trade Center site (Ground Zero) opened to the public at Church Street and Fulton Street. Hundreds of people lined up in the freezing cold to view the site. The platform, accessed by a long wooden ramp, was designed to hold 300 to 400 people. At the front of the platform, a dozen people at a time could stand side by side to observe the clean-up and recovery effort.