Tribute WTC Visitor Center (World Trade Center)

120 Liberty Street
Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers visitors to the World Trade Center site a place where they can connect with people from the September 11th community. Through walking tours, exhibits and programs, the Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers "Person t... more
Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers visitors to the World Trade Center site a place where they can connect with people from the September 11th community. Through walking tours, exhibits and programs, the Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers "Person to Person History," linking visitors who want to understand and appreciate these historic events with those who experienced them. Tribute WTC Visitor Center is a project of the September 11th Families' Association, a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. The organization was created by Marian Fontana, Fire Department families and others in the immediate aftermath of September 11th. The mission was to establish a viable communications network for families of victims of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001. Respected and trusted, the Association grew, providing information resources. The Association publishes newsletters devoted to important issues of interest to the entire 9/11 community, (survivors, residents, recovery workers, volunteers and family members). In 2004 the Association broadened its mission to create Tribute, a place where members of the September 11th community could connect with each other and with the thousands of vis... more

Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers visitors to the World Trade Center site a place where they can connect with people from the September 11th community. Through walking tours, exhibits and programs, the Tribute WTC Visitor Center offers "Person to Person History," linking visitors who want to understand and appreciate these historic events with those who experienced them.

Tribute WTC Visitor Center is a project of the September 11th Families' Association, a 501(C)3 non-profit corporation. The organization was created by Marian Fontana, Fire Department families and others in the immediate aftermath of September 11th. The mission was to establish a viable communications network for families of victims of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001. Respected and trusted, the Association grew, providing information resources. The Association publishes newsletters devoted to important issues of interest to the entire 9/11 community, (survivors, residents, recovery workers, volunteers and family members). In 2004 the Association broadened its mission to create Tribute, a place where members of the September 11th community could connect with each other and with the thousands of visitors who come daily to the World Trade Center site (often called Ground Zero).

The Tribute Center is located in the former Liberty Deli at 120 Liberty Street, directly across from Ground Zero. In the aftermath of 9/11, the deli became a station where meals were served to rescuers often by celebrities who came to volunteer and give the tired workers a boost. Later, the deli became a distribution point for equipment like gloves, socks, respirators, eye drops and tools.

From the start, Tribute aimed to present many diverse points of view in order to give visitors a sense of the broad impact of the tragedy. In addition to describing the terrible human toll, it was important to tell the story of residents displaced for months, businesses shut down and the extraordinarily powerful stories of people's resilience and the generosity of spirit that filled the city after 9/11.

The telling of these stories began with the development of the Walking Tour program. Now, more than 150 volunteers, all from the 9/11 community, guide visitors around the site, each sharing his or her own unique experience. The stories told inside Tribute Center are also based on personal experiences. Exhibit film and text are based on over 300 oral histories collected over two years. All of the information is transmitted in first-person voice, by those who experienced 9/11.

Thousands of photographs were collected from professional photographers, neighborhood residents, recovery workers and families of victims, to create the feeling of a "family album". Artifacts were loaned by 9/11 community members and the New York State Museum.


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Financial District Description

Tribute WTC Visitor Center (World Trade Center) is located in the Financial District neighborhood of Manhattan. The financial hub of the United States, the seat of New York City government, and home to some of New York's oldest buildings, the Financial District has an illustrious history. 17th century settlers began building here, and given the many seafarers of the time, boats could be conveniently docked at one of the slips right near the settlements of wooden homes. Right nearby, in the heart of the district is Federal Hall, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States in 1789, also the meeting site for the First Congress. New York City was both the capital of the United States and New York State at the time. The street names reflect the district's fascinating history: Fulton Street, named after Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; Maiden Lane, originally called Magde Platje in Dutch; Beaver Street, recalling the once-significant beaver pelt trade, etc. The area today houses some great economic powerhouses, including the headquarters of major banks, the New York Stock Exchange, in addition to the World Financial Center. Contrasts are extraordinary, from old two- and three-story old brick buildings near South Street Seaport to the nearby modern mega-skyscrapers. Some of the numerous other attractions include Fraunces Tavern, where George Washington bid farewell to his troops (also, they have a museum!); the newly-landscaped City Hall Park; the Museum of the American Indian and the US Custom House at Bowling Green; Trinity Church, the first parish church in New York City and the resting place of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton, among others; War Of 1812 strong hold Castle Clinton; the Staten Island-bound South Ferry; Battery Park; and the Federal Reserve Bank. Sadly, the biggest attraction since 9/11 has been the former World Trade Center site, although, thankfully, construction has finally filled the long-standing gouge in Lower Manhattan's face, and the stunning 9/11 Memorial and its attendant museum are welcome signs of a healing city. And, of course, soaring a symbolic 1,776 feet over the memorial is the new 1 World Trade Center!

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Info

120 Liberty Street
New York, NY 10006
(866) 737-1184
Website

Editorial Rating

Admission And Tickets

$10.00

This Week's Hours

Mon 10am-6pm
Tue noon-6pm
Wed-Sat 10am-6pm
Sun noon-5pm

Nearby Subway

  • to Fulton Street
  • to World Trade Center
  • to Cortlandt Street
  • to Rector Street

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