Solemnity Graces Memorials At Ground Zero

The World Trade Center dominated lower Manhattan for three decades until airplanes crashed into its twin towers on September 11, 2001.

Nearly 2,900 people lost their lives that day, and in their honor, state and local officials dedicated a Wall of Heroes near the World Trade Center. The wall on the Church Street side Center provides a place for people to grieve and remember the victims.

The wall contains the names of those who lost their lives that day and a history of the site, including photos of the construction of the World Trade Center in the late 1960s. The text also notes that the center was a major contributor to the world-famous profile of the New York skyline and the look of downtown.

By walking south one block to Liberty Street, pedestrians can get a close view of the excavated site.

From the corner of Liberty and Church streets, visitors can walk north three blocks to Fulton Street to visit St. Paul’s Chapel (enter on Broadway). Because of its proximity to Ground Zero, the chapel served as a place of rest and refuge for rescue and recovery workers in the year following the attacks, according to the chapel’s Web site.

An interactive exhibit at St. Paul’s Chapel highlights the chapel’s service to the workers and others affected by the September 11 disaster. There are also online photos and videos.

More information about unofficial September 11 memorials is available by calling (212) 484-1222 or visiting the following Internet sites: www.nycvisit.com, www.southstseaport.org, and www.saintpaulschapel.org. ▪