9/11 Memorial Museum Opens

A powerful tribute to a tragic moment in history, the National September 11 Memorial Museum opens its doors to the public in New York City on Wednesday, May 21. Nearly 13 years in the making, the project comprises two complementary designs: the subterranean exhibition halls and the entry pavilion, conceived by architecture firms Davis Brody Bond and Snøhetta, respectively. The latter structure is a crystalline gem, clad in glass and striped stainless steel, with a light-filled atrium that ushers visitors underground from the surrounding plaza. (Outside is the memorial itself, architect Michael Arad’s pair of somber, stunning reflecting pools.)

The museum’s interiors descend some 70 feet to bedrock, reaching the foundations of the original World Trade Center. Here, the primary displays are divided between the footprints of the twin towers. Vestiges of these fallen skyscrapers are among the gathered artifacts and records, which range from audiotape of last phone calls to some of the charred documents that clouded lower Manhattan.

It is challenging content, emotionally, to experience, but also important to see. For as pronounced as the sense of sadness and loss may be, a resilient spirit courses through these spaces, testaments all to our nation’s ability to rebuild. For information, go to 911memorialrg