Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
WTC Wreckage, Survivors' Stairs: Photos Inside The 9/11 Memorial Museum
By
Jen Chung
Published May 14, 2014
Modified May 14, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Jin Lee for 9/11 Memorial Museum
View all 27
By
Jen Chung
Published May 14, 2014
Modified May 14, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The National 9/11 Memorial Museum will officially open next week, on May 21, but President Obama will ceremonially open the museum tomorrow. Ahead of the opening, the museum released some images and videos of the museum, as well as videos used in parts of the exhibits.
Remainders of the old World Trade Center, like mangled pieces of steel facade, an elevator motor, part of a broadcast antenna and the slurry wall, are on display, as are wrecked fire engines and pieces of plane. There are also things like a display from Chelsea Jeans and a salvaged bike rack from Vesey Street, showing the everyday life around the area.
Audio recordings and videos also play a big role in re-telling the stories of that day. Here's one from John Napolitano, recalling his search for his son Lt. John P. Napolitano, FDNY Rescue 2, who had responded to the attacks:
There are also remembrances from people inside:
There's also a look at what happened to Flight 93, which was bound for the U.S. Capitol but was diverted to Shanksville, Pennsylvania by passengers, instead:
The NY Times' art critic Holland Cotter got an exclusive first look inside the museum; he writes, "It delivers a gut-punch experience... The first thing to say about it, and maybe the last, is that it’s emotionally overwhelming, particularly, I expect, for New Yorkers who were in the city on that apocalyptic September day and the paranoia-fraught weeks that followed, but almost as certainly for the estimated two billion people around the globe who followed the horror unfolding on television, radio and the Internet." Furthermore:
Certain material, like video stills of people leaping from the towers, are set in alcoves with advisory notices, but even things not usually considered shocking can leave you dumbstruck. For some reason, the largest objects — an intact fire truck with carefully folded hoses but a burned-out cab; a steel column plastered with prayer cards; a storefront jeans display still covered with World Trade Center ashes — are the easiest to take, maybe because of their public identity, or even their resemblance to contemporary sculpture. The hundreds of small, battered personal items, many donated by families of the victims, are another story. Their natural realm is the purse, the pocket, the bedside drawer at home; they feel too ordinary and intimate to have ended up under plexiglass. Infused with lost life, they make the experience of moving through this museum at once theatrical, voyeuristic and devotional.
Here's some footage from inside the museum, which will be charging $24 for admission:
Tagged
9/11
9/11 Memorial Museum
9/11 museum
world trade center
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law
Repeat offenders are a big talking point in the governor's race.
By
Gino Fanelli
Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
News
Man shot and killed on Midtown subway platform Saturday afternoon, NYPD says
Police said they're searching for a person of interest.
By
Ryan Kost
and
Elizabeth Kim
Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home
By
Ryan Kost
Being reigning champions is weird for Knicks fans, but we could get used to this.
By
Catalina Gonella
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
By
Willow Higgins
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .