NYC 9/11 Memorial Museum Opens on 13th Anniversary of Terrorist Attacks

By Wendy Ann Mitchell (Patch Staff)

The National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum opens to the public on Thursday, Sept. 11, on the 13th anniversary of the worst terrorist attacks on our nation, the Daily News reports.

First responders and relatives of those who lost their lives in the 2001 and 1993 World Trade Center attacks were permitted to enter the Memorial & Museum for the first time on Wednesday, as twin beams of blue light illuminated the New York City skyline where the Twin Towers once stood.

On Thursday, the Memorial & Museum will open to the public after a remembrance ceremony. The service will begin with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the time the first plane struck the North Tower. The reading of the names will follow.

Additional pauses will take place at:

• 9:03 a.m., the time the second plane hit the South Tower
• 9:37 a.m., when Flight 77 struck the Pentagon
• 9:59 a.m., when the South Tower fell
• 10:03 a.m., when Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania
• 10:28 a.m., when the North Tower fell

The Memorial will be open exclusively to families of the 2,983 victims and first responders immediately following the ceremony. The plaza will reopen from 6 p.m. until midnight to allow the public to enter the Memorial & Museum and view the Tribute in Light.

Once called “Ground Zero,” the 16-acre site is now known as The National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum. Outside are twin pools that sit within the footprints where the Twin Towers once stood. The pools are each nearly an acre in size and are the largest manmade waterfalls in North America,according to the Memorial website.

While peaceful, they now serve as a somber reminder of the lives and dreams that were stolen that sunny Tuesday morning. Plaques surrounding the pools hold the names of victims that are arranged in a thoughtful way “that reflects the lives of the individuals they represent: their relationships with other victims, the companies they worked for, and where they were on 9/11,” according to the 9/11 Museum’s website.

Inside, families and mourners can browse exhibitions including the “Survivors’ Stairs” which led hundreds to escape to safety. Also on display is a historical timeline that tells the story of the events on 9/11 at the World Trade Center, at the Pentagon and on Flight 93.

While thousands will gather at The National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum, hundreds of thousands across the nation will also take time to reflect and remember the victims, brave heroes and first responders. From the first name, Gordon M. Aamoth, Jr. to the last, Igor Zukelman, and all of the names in between, each life is precious and will be remembered.

To read more about The National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum, visit the website.

Photo credit: Dillon Geyselaers