The federal government should provide continued funding to the 9/11 Memorial “to help keep it maintained and operating in the years ahead,” according to an editorial published in today’s “The New York Times.”

Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation that would help cover a third of the operating costs. The article opined the bill a “sound solution.”

“In making a plea for Congressional aid for the 9/11 Memorial, Senator Inouye restates an important reality: Sept. 11 brought ‘the most horrific attack on America since the bombings of Pearl Harbor,’” the editorial said, adding “as a national memorial, this deserves continuing federal support.”

By Sarah Lippman, Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial

In 27 days, the 9/11 Memorial will open at the World Trade Center site. 

Yesterday evening, architect Michael Arad took this picture of the illuminated waterfalls of the 9/11 Memorial's north pool. He was joined by 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels, 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice Greenwald and other memorial staff members.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Since construction began on the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, there’s been one man who’s seen every angle, view and development.

Joe Woolhead, the photographer capturing the World Trade Center site and memorial and museum’s construction, is working together with Silverstein Properties to document the progress.

Woolhead’s photos have been featured in The New York Times, Time, Town & Country, Esquire, Gotham, New York Post, Daily News, and Wall Street Journal, along with many other national and international publications.

To access more information about Woolhead and his photography, click here.   

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Section by section, panels of smooth dark granite is being installed in the north pool of the 9/11 Memorial.  Nearly 4,000 of these panels - each weighing about 420 pounds - will fill the memorial pool.  The two memorial pools, roughly about an acre in size,  will be lined with the granite. Work to install the stone in the south pool is to begin soon. The pools feature 30-foot waterfalls and are set within the original footprints of the World Trade Center's twin towers. Read more about the memorial pools here.

The design for the twin waterfalls for the 9/11 Memorial is an engineering marvel. There will be ten large pumps creating about 40 pounds of pressure to circulate about 52,000 gallons of water per minute.  The pipework that will carry the recycled water for the falls and the reflecting pools started, said Lou Mendes, the vice president of design and construction for the 9/11 Memorial. Special sensors are being installed that will help regulate water flow, added Mendes, an ex-top city official who ran clean-up operations after 9/11.

Architect Michael Arad designed the “Reflecting Absence” memorial at the World Trade Center site, formerly known as Ground Zero. The 9/11 Memorial opens next year for the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks.

Update: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released these photos of the continued labor of installing the memorial pool granite.  The Gothamist updated a recent report on a tour of the 9/11 Memorial with a brief post about the ongoing granite installation, which was first reported on the MEMO blog.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial