9/11 Tribute Center

The 9/11 Tribute Center, formerly known as the Tribute WTC Visitor Center, is a project of the September 11th Families’ Association located in the World Trade Center section of Manhattan, New York City, which brings together those who want to learn about the September 11 attacks of 2001 with those who experienced them. The 9/11 Tribute Center opened on September 6, 2006, across the street from the World Trade Center site and next to the Engine 10/Ladder 10 Firehouse of the New York City Fire Department. The 9/11 Tribute Center provides educational experiences for visitors and a central place for the local community and victims' families and friends to gather and share their personal experiences with the public. It was co-founded by Lee Ielpi, Board President; and by Jennifer Adams, Chief Executive Officer. Through walking tours, exhibitions, programs, and online resources, the 9/11 Tribute Center connects visitors with people who directly experienced the events of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001, and also with people who lost family or friends in these events. The Tribute Center is frequented by visitors from all over, and over 3 million visitors have been personally welcomed and introduced to a collection of stories that reveal diverse, personal perspectives.^[1]

It is located on the location of the former Liberty Deli, where meals and supplies were given to rescue workers in the attacks' aftermath. The Association renovated the space to create an educational center, and the 9/11 Tribute Center was created with photos, artifacts, and stories shared by the community. Artifacts were loaned by the downtown community and the New York State Museum.

Organization

The September 11th Families’ Association (also the September 11th Widows’ and Victims’ Families’ Association is a registered 501(c)3 non profit corporation) created by the families of the New York City Fire Department. The Association supports victims of terrorism through communication, representation, and peer support, with their stated mission being to unite the community, present evolving issues, and share resources for long-term recovery.^[2] The 9/11 Tribute Center was created by the Families' Association and is a museum of small galleries that serves as a place for Association members to share their stories with the public. Their mission is to:

...[invite] visitors to share personal stories of the 9/11 community — family members who lost loved ones, survivors, first responders and rescue workers, civilian volunteers, and community residents whose healing is a testament to the perseverance of the human spirit. We provide an understanding of the loss and impact of 9/11 while inspiring the power of resilience and recovery.^[3]

The 9/11 Tribute Center Tax Identification Number (EIN) is 06-1635444.

Description

The 9/11 Tribute Center has trained guides who have personal 9/11 experiences to tell their stories. The 9/11 Tribute Center is open to the public, and organizes 40 tours a week.

The Education Department also offers learning programming.

Exhibits

The museum has two floors: Galleries 1-4 on the first floor, and Gallery 5 in the basement level. All galleries are Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant.

• Gallery One, World Trade Center Community Visitors watch a 5 minute video to learn about what it was like to work at, visit, or live around the original World Trade Center. A scale model of the WTC, map of the city on the floor, and a life-sized mural help the visitor to visualize the original WTC whether or not they had ever visited. Another panel describes the February 26, 1993 bombing.
• Gallery Two, The Attacks A timeline of the events of the day of September 11th, 2001 walk a visitor through the experiences of many survivors and victims. Many objects recovered from the Ground Zero site can be viewed.
• Gallery Three, Recovery Another five-minute video depicts the rescue and recovery for the 9 month duration after 9/11. The number of victim remains recovered and yet to be identified is addressed. A piece of WTC steel and the turnout coat of a fallen FDNY firefighter demonstrate the impact of the collapse.
• Gallery Four, Those Lost A collection of portraits of victims of 9/11 and 1993 as shared by their families. Signage describes the humanitarian efforts of selected Family Foundations created in victims' names. Another wall lists in full the victims of both February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001.
• Hall of Healing Memorials and tributes created by people across the world are shown here, including one of Sadako Sasaki’s famous origami peace cranes, and over 10,000 more cranes created by students who continue to wish for world peace.
• Gallery Five, Changing Exhibits

As of 2014, 9/11 Tribute Center's collection includes over 400 oral histories.

Other 9/11 memorials

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum is a partner of the 9/11 Tribute Center and serves as the primary memorial to the events September 11, 2001. Aside from the memorial constructed at Ground Zero, there are many other memorials built by various communities and municipalities throughout the United States. Many of these memorials are built around a remnant of steel from the destroyed towers. These remnants have been donated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey through a program that has distributed more than 1,000 pieces of World Trade Center steel.^[4]

See also

• Construction of the World Trade Center
• World Trade Center
• September 11 attacks
• National September 11 Memorial & Museum

References

External links

• Official website, 9/11 Tribute Center
• Official website, September 11 Families Association