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: Workers take a break from constructing the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in February 2011. At this time five years ago, workers labored relentlessly to finish construction of the 9/11 Memorial in time for its Sept. 11, 2011, dedication.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Fall programs at the 9/11 Memorial Museum have been extremely well received thus far, with appearances from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. In November, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will host two programs, “The Heart of the Matter: ISIS Online” and “War of the Encyclopaedists.”

On November 4, the program “ISIS Online” hosts The Atlantic contributing editor Graeme Wood who wrote the widespread article, “What ISIS Really Wants,” and Princeton University scholar Cole Bunzel who will discuss how ISIS uses social media to instill fear and recruit supporters.

On November 17, poet Christopher Robinson and Army lawyer and veteran Gavin Kovite will discuss their debut novel set during the military occupation of Iraq, “War of the Encyclopaedists.” The discussion will examine the relationship between soldiers and civilians and a book signing will follow the program.

Program admission is free to museum visitors, but reservations are required prior to the event. Click here for more information and to reserve tickets.

 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: An intersecting steel column and crossbeam known as the Cross at Ground Zero on display in the historical exhibition at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.  Volunteer Local 331 construction worker Frank Silecchia found the 17-foot-tall column in the debris at ground zero on September 13, 2001.The cross served as a unifying inspirational symbol to workers at the site during the rescue and recovery period. On July 23, 2011 the cross returned to the World Trade Center site to be lowered into the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

By Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist 

On Sept.11, New Yorkers demonstrated extraordinary courage and risked their lives to save others. One of these heroes was the man in the red bandana, Welles Crowther.  

When hijacked Flight 175 hit the World Trade Center’s South Tower, people on the 78th floor sky lobby huddled together, frightened and confused. There was no escape as far as they could tell. Then, a man with a red bandana covering his nose and mouth suddenly appeared from the wreckage and smoke. He spoke in a calm voice and guided them to a stairway, leading them to safety. The man in the red bandana made three trips to the sky lobby, saving as many people as he could, until the burning building collapsed.

A few months after 9/11, stories from survivors surfaced about the mysterious man wearing the red bandana. When Alison Crowther read an article about the hero in the New York Times, she knew that man was her son, 24-year-old Welles Crowther. He had carried a red handkerchief since he was a boy. Welles Crowther worked as an equities trader and was also a volunteer firefighter.

Welles Crowther’s bravery and heroism on 9/11 will never be forgotten. As survivor Judy Wein, who was rescued by Crowther notes, “People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did.”

Welles Crowther’s red bandana is currently on display in the Museum. A special Stories & Art program tied to his heroic story will take place on Saturday, Sept.5, 2015 at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Honor Crowther Fagan, sister of Welles Crowther, will read her book inspired by her brother’s courageous story, “The Man in the Red Bandana”. The program is free to Museum visitors with children. Children will have the opportunity to participate in an art activity after the reading and will receive a free copy of the book. Reservations are recommended, but not required.

By 9/11 Memorial Staff

Although Richard Eichen and Lucy Gonzalez both worked on the 90th floor of the North Tower, they were strangers before September 11, 2001. On that day, the pair evacuated the building together, escaping its collapse by seconds. Ten years later, on September 12, 2011, the two, along with other 9/11 survivors, reunited for the first time under the Survivor Tree at the 9/11 Memorial.

Eichen, a consultant at Pass Consulting Group, had started working at the World Trade Center in early September 2001 and didn’t yet have a key to the office suite. On the morning of 9/11, he was waiting near the 90th floor elevator for his colleague to arrive when he heard a loud bang and was hurled to the ground as the office erupted in flames.

Despite sustaining a severe head wound, Eichen found his way to an adjacent office where he connected with four others, including Lucy Gonzalez. They decided to evacuate as the smoke billowed and they saw large severed pieces of the building falling outside. However, Gonzalez was reluctant and wanted to wait for first responders.

“I told her, ‘Lucy, we’re not leaving anybody behind. We got to get out of here, we’re starting to burn,’ Eichen remembers. "I took her hands, and put them on my shoulders, and I held them so she wouldn’t let go.”  

Overcome with anxiety, Gonzalez fainted near the 25th floor on their decent down the stairs. After FDNY firefighters revived her with oxygen, Eichen grabbed Gonzalez and yelled, “wounded coming through!” and descended the final flights of stairs. The building collapsed minutes after they exited.   

Leaving Gonzalez with paramedics, Eichen walked to Downtown Beekman Hospital to seek treatment for his head wound. In the waiting room, he first learned of the terrorist attacks from the news. Still bloody, wearing his hospital gown and a bandage wrapped around his head, Eichen discharged himself and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge toward his parents’ home in Rockaway, Queens. After he crossed the bridge, a stranger offered him a ride and he soon was reunited with his parents.

Weeks later, he tried to locate Gonzalez. Finally able to connect through email, he confirmed that she was okay. It was not until 10 years later that the two decided to reunite and confront their memories together.

They met at the then-newly-dedicated 9/11 Memorial under the Survivor Tree at a special event for survivors. “I really believe the beauty and peace of the memorial affected everyone there,” Eichen said.  

 By Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist 

Since I was a teenager, I’ve worked in museums doing everything from caring for  animals to working as an educator. Through the years I have developed a passion for museums and the roles they serve in each community.

This summer, I interned at the 9/11 Memorial Museum with the exhibition media team, which oversees museum exhibitions containing audio and video.

I worked with nearly 100 individual media installations. Three of those that stand out to me are designed to collect and display memories, emotions, and opinions from voluntary museum visitors.

One of the most popular interactive exhibitions in the Museum is the beam signing in Foundation Hall. It’s a digital guestbook of sorts, where visitors use touchscreens to sign their names or leave messages. In every signature, there is a unique story: A Japanese firefighter expresses solidarity with the FDNY. A Syrian refugee sends a message of peace. A child who just learned about 9/11 promises to remember. I loved reading these messages.

A soundscape called We Remember is one of the first exhibitions visitors encounter in the Museum. This piece reminds us that everyone has a 9/11 story. It features the voices of people from all over the world recounting where they were and how they felt on the morning of September 11, 2001. Visitors are encouraged to record their 9/11 experience in one of the museum’s recording booths.

Visitors are also invited to respond to questions about current events that vary from “How has your life been affected by 9/11?” to “What do you think politicians should learn from 9/11?” Museum staff reviews the recordings and incorporates selections into a video program called Reflecting on 9/11.

Working with these media exhibitions has been an incredible experience. This institution is truly unique. I gained a new understanding of the history of 9/11 and its global impact. My work at the 9/11 Memorial Museum will help me with my master’s degree in the Museum Professions program at Seton Hall University and in my career as a museum professional.  

By Chelsea Levine, 9/11 Memorial Exhibitions Media Intern

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 Last Column being lowered into the 9/11 Memorial Museum on August 24, 2009, six years ago today. The 58-ton beam is so large that the 9/11 Memorial Museum was constructed around it. It was removed from Ground Zero on May 30, 2002 in a ceremony marking the end of the nine-month recovery effort and transported to an airline hangar at John F. Kennedy Airport for conservation before Museum construction began.

By Jenny Pachucki, 9/11 Memorial Content Strategist