WTC Staircase near Vesey Street

One of the last existing pieces of the original World Trade Center (WTC) sits at the northeast quadrant of the site, near Vesey Street. It is a 21-foot-tall concrete, granite, and marble staircase and escalator slab that originally stood on the north side of 2 WTC. The structure was used as an emergency exit on September 11, 2001, as well as a means for Metropolitan Transportation Authority crews to access the 1 train line during the recovery.

Now, the Port Authority is determining how best to deal with the staircase, which has become a sort of monument at the site despite its rough shape. Speaking to Community Board 1 (CB1) on July 19^th, WTC site General Manager Peter Rinaldi explained that the there are three options for the staircase's fate. One is to preserve it in its original location -- a tack that would require its incorporation into the future Tower Two and probably delay both excavation and construction.

The second option is to move the entire 175-ton structure, which Rinaldi explained would be a complex and costly maneuver. The third option is to disassemble the staircase, likely into six sections, and relocate it elsewhere.

The Port Authority is beginning feasibility studies for all options to assess their costs, timing, and effects on other WTC projects. Its team asserted that findings will be presented to CB1 as studies conclude.