The WTC Memorial opening is approximately a month away

The National September 11th Memorial will be dedicated on September 11, 2011 -- marking 10 years since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The City of New York will host the annual commemoration ceremony, which is open to all family members of the victims of the September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993 attacks.

The ceremony will be attended by President Barack Obama, Governor Andrew Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who will be joined by other past and present leaders, including former President George W. Bush. It will be held along the west side of the site, with only family members allowed inside the newly completed Memorial Plaza. The names of the nearly 3,000 victims, including for the first time those who died at the Pentagon and aboard United Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, will be read aloud.

The Memorial Plaza opens to the public on September 12, 2011, with visitors required to reserve a pass for according to dates and times. (Click here to access the reservation system.)

By the 10th anniversary, 225 out of 400 trees will be planted on the Plaza, and all of the bronze name panels will be revealed around the twin reflecting pools. Currently, the pools’ waterfalls are being tested, plaza pavers are being laid, and the west vent structures are being clad.

With interior fit-out ongoing, the Museum Pavilion (at the northeast corner of the Plaza) is now completely clad in its stainless steel and glass façade. The pavilion will serve as the entry point to the underground Museum when it opens on September 11, 2012, with crews continuing to install artifacts and build out the expansive subterranean site.

Related Links