This fall, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum launched a new app to introduce Memorial visitors and those at home to the events of 9/11, the lives of the victims of the attacks, and the design of the Memorial through a comprehensive and accessible audio guide tour.

The 40-minute tour is narrated by Anthoula Katsimatides, a New Yorker whose brother, John, was killed on 9/11. We talked to Katsimatides about the audio guide, her ongoing work with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the importance of commemorating the lives lost.

What’s was your experience like recording the 9/11 Memorial audio guide?

Recording the 911 Memorial audio guide was truly a moving experience. Because so much attention was paid to getting things right, an excessive amount of detail and nuances of the Memorial need to be explained in such a way to make listeners understand the intricacies and significance behind all that they come across. As a family member, I took that task very seriously. My only hope is that visitors come away with a coherent and truly loving interpretation of this wonderful place with peace in their hearts. And that they never forget. 

Why do you think now is an important time to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum?

Now more than ever, during this unprecedented time, when human connection is lacking, it’s so important to visit the 911 Memorial & Museum. It reminds us of our strength and resilience and ability to get through anything. If we could overcome the events of 911, then we can conquer anything that comes our way.

Tell us about your experience working with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Are there any standout highlights from your involvement with the institution over the years?

I have been involved with the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site and the creation of the Memorial and the Museum almost immediately following 9/11. It has been an honor to work with people through the years who are steadfastly committed to educating the world about the events of 9/11 and its aftermath, to preserving the memory of all those lost, and to ensuring that we never forget.

My fondest memory was the opening of the Memorial. The sun was out, the sky was blue, the canopy of trees provided shade for children playing in the grass, the sound of the rushing water was calming. These were all life-affirming elements that contributed to the majestic presence of this Memorial. I could feel the souls of all those beautiful people dancing in the wind. Rubbing my fingers across my brother’s name brought peace into my heart knowing that he would be forever memorialized, even after I’m long gone. 

Learn more about the design and history of the 9/11 Memorial, and download the audio guide app from the Apple App Store.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

More than 5,000 people joined together on Sunday, April 22, for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s sixth annual 5K Run/Walk and Community Day to raise awareness about the organization’s mission and to honor and remember the nearly 3,000 men, women and children who died on 9/11.

Thousands ran and walked to remember loved ones and to raise funds that help sustain the 9/11 Memorial & Museum as a lasting place for remembrance, reflection, and learning. After the race, the streets surrounding the 9/11 Memorial were packed with people of all ages for Community Day, which featured food, live music and activities for kids.

See below for scenes from this year’s race and Community Day, and join us in 2019 to run or walk for a good cause.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Although I don’t have a personal tie to the September 11 attacks, they have had a major effect on my life as a New Yorker. The events were undoubtedly horrific, but the 9/11 Memorial & Museum commemorate it in such a magical way. It is not recognized as a place of sadness, but as a special place of remembrance.

The Memorial staff makes each and every visitor feel comfortable and educated as they tour the museum, and these are skills that have been passed on to me from day one. When I began volunteering a little less than a year ago, I was greeted with a warm “welcome to the family.” My experiences have been just as pleasant ever since, and the lessons I’ve learned while volunteering will stick with me for a lifetime.

I was just a junior in high school when I began as a summer volunteer and now I am preparing to graduate and move on to college. The interactions I’ve had and the communication skills I’ve picked up have not only helped me in school, but have bettered me as a person. It is a spectacular feeling to know that the work I do has inspired and comforted so many people.

I would definitely recommend this volunteer opportunity to any high school student looking for something fulfilling to occupy their time. Through this position, I’ve met people from all over the world and heard irreplaceable stories about visitors’ experiences. You don’t have to be a history expert to volunteer, either. If you’re willing to learn and understand what happened on 9/11, you’ll be more than successful in your position.

I’ve met some amazing people at the Museum, and I can’t wait to see what other experiences await. Volunteering has changed my life, and I am extremely grateful to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for providing me with this opportunity.

Learn more about volunteering with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum here.

By Britney Perez, 9/11 Memorial Volunteer

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum kicked off National Volunteer Week on Monday evening with a special reception honoring the institution’s many volunteers.

All week long, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum will be hosting special activities for its volunteers. Additionally, live talks given by Museum docents are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday at noon.  During these “Our Service, Our Story” talks, Museum docent volunteers will discuss their 9/11 experience and their reasons for giving back.

You can learn more about volunteering at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum here.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum’s board of directors today voted to name Alice Greenwald as president and CEO. As director of the museum since 2006, Greenwald has spent the past decade envisioning and helping build the museum experience to commemorate and honor the victims and survivors of the 9/11 attacks and the Feb. 26, 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center.

She will continue her functions as museum director in her new role, which begins Jan. 1. She succeeds outgoing president and CEO Joe Daniels.

“Alice has been instrumental to every detail in the design, inspiration, and operation of the museum, and she is uniquely qualified to sustain the memorial and museum’s profound role in telling the story of 9/11,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, chairman of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. “I join the entire board in congratulating Alice and lending her our full support as she builds on Joe Daniels’ exceptional work. I am confident the institution will flourish under Alice’s capable stewardship.”

During her tenure as director, Greenwald and her team led the creation of the 9/11 Memorial Museum experience. She planned and developed the museum’s exhibitions, facilitated its 2014 opening, and launched programs that reach millions of people around the world. Under her leadership, a record 7.4 million visitors have come to the museum. In just the past year, the Museum welcomed Pope Francis and unveiled its first major special exhibition, “Rendering the Unthinkable: Artists Respond to 9/11.”

“I’m deeply humbled to have been selected by the Board to succeed Joe Daniels as the next President of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum,” Alice Greenwald said. “In today’s world, the need to help New Yorkers and Americans reckon with the tragedy of such immense loss has only grown. Even as the September, 11, 2001 attacks recede further into memory, the nearly 30 million people who have visited the Memorial in recent years are a testament to its enduring importance. I’m honored to have been chosen to be the keeper of that mission.”

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Having survived the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, Rick Rescorla, head of security at Morgan Stanley, the largest tenant at the WTC occupying over 20 floors, had insisted, even the face of staff opposition, on regular safety drills for Morgan Stanley staff. His insistence and persistence in the face of danger saved 3,687 lives on September 11, 2001. Only 13 Morgan Stanley employees, including Rick Rescorla, didn’t make it out.

Today the 9/11 Memorial & Museum launched a new tour sharing the stories of first responders and those who acted as responders like Rescorla and the significant role they played on 9/11. The 60-minute guided tour entitled “Uncommon Courage: First Responders on 9/11” takes visitors through the Memorial and Museum and explores exceptional accounts of heroism and survival.

In the largest mobilization of emergency personnel in American history, thousands responded from city, state and federal agencies to the three attack sites on 9/11. More than 400 responders from the New York City Fire Department, New York City Police Department and the Port Authority Police Department sacrificed their lives to save others.

The tour offers an additional perspective to the official 9/11 Memorial Tour and Understanding 9/11 Museum Tour.

It is offered Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 p.m. Learn more and reserve a spot here.

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The View: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum hosted special events and programs for veterans and their families last week during an annual five-day Salute to Service. This year the tribute included a military reenlistment and promotion ceremony on the 9/11 Memorial officiated by Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy.

Salute to Service also included a visit by the grand marshals of the 2016 Veterans Day Parade, all three veterans and 9/11 first responders, who laid a wreath at the Survivor Tree, and a performance by the U.S. Navy Academy Women’s Glee Club.

In remembrance of 9/11 first responders and veterans, American flags were placed on the Memorial. Yellow roses were placed on the Memorial on Veterans Day.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Set within the footprints of the Twin Towers, the 9/11 Memorial reflecting pools are each nearly an acre in size and feature the largest man-made waterfalls in North America. The large voids are visible reminders of the loss and absence felt by New Yorkers and around the world. On the 9/11 Memorial plaza, there are over 400 swamp white oak trees which were selected because of their durability and unique leaf colors. The canopy of trees along with the sound of cascading water creates a reflective space, separate from the bustling sounds of New York City.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Tomorrow evening, the architect of the 9/11 Memorial, Michael Arad, joins a panel to discuss the relationship between architecture and remembrance. Arad will be joined by the architects of the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa., memorials, respectively Paul Murdoch and Julie Beckman. The talk, titled “The Architecture of Remembrance,” is part of the fall programming schedule at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It is also a feature program of Archtober, a month-long festival of architecture activities, programs and more held this month. To attend the free program tomorrow, please RSVP.

In Feb. 8, 2010, Arad sat down for an oral history and talked about what led him to formulate his design for a 9/11 memorial he called “Reflecting Absence” before there was an official design competition. Here is an excerpt from that recording given by 9/11 Memorial Museum oral historian Amy Weinstein.

Arad: I had this idea for a memorial that kept eating away at me and I just had to explore it further. For some reason I thought about a memorial actually out in the Hudson River. . . I had this idea of these two voids that would be carved or cut or break the surface of the river, and water would spill into them and these voids would never fill up. This sense of something being torn apart and not mending. That despite all this water that flows into these voids they would never disappear and that sense of absence that I felt was persistent and made visibly persistent.

I ended up figuring out a way to design this fountain that I imagined out in the Hudson River. I thought it is one thing to imagine it and sketch it and draw it, I really had to build a little model to see what it would look like in physical form…

I remember the very first moment when we sort of plugged it in and filled it up and all of a sudden I could see that image of the surface of the water broken by those two voids. It was a very gratifying and exciting moment for me. But I set it aside. Actually, I took it home, brought it back up to my rooftop. Took a few pictures of it with the skyline of the city beyond, reflected on the surface of the fountain and these voids in the surface of the fountain. It was very much as I imagined the view might be from New Jersey looking across toward New York, with these voids in the river and the skyline beyond, and the absence in the skyline being made manifest in some way in the surface of the river.

I had this model and I had those pictures and I really didn’t know what to do with it. I set it aside and came back to it maybe a year later, or a few months later, when the competition for the actual memorial site was announced.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

The Lens: Capturing Life and Events at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum is a photography series devoted to documenting moments big and small that unfold at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

The View: The New York Rangers visited the 9/11 Memorial Museum as a part of team-building activities ahead of their opening game against the New York Islanders on Oct. 13. Read more about their visit here.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff