Ground Zero Memorial and Rebuilding Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Updated 9:50 AM EDT, Mon September 12, 2022
9/11 memorial and museum —
Artifacts from ground zero get a preview at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York. Among them is a cross made out of steel from the World Trade Center in the 2001 attacks. The museum opened in 2014.
A destroyed New York City Fire Department ambulance from ground zero is on display.
Cards, patches and mementos of those killed at ground zero -- single objects convey the tragedy of that day, the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.
An American flag was recovered from the World Trade Center site.
Pieces of American Airlines Flight 11 are on display. The plane plowed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images
The remains of a New York City Fire Department Ladder Company 3 truck are on display outside the historical exhibition area. Eleven members of Ladder 3 died when the North Tower crumbled.
Helmets worn by firefighters on September 11, including those of Christian Waugh, were donated by families.
A photograph at the memorial shows one of the World Trade Center towers collapsing after the attack.
The symbolic "Last Column," right, a steel beam from one of the towers, stands near the "slurry wall," left, which holds back the Hudson River waters.
A firefighter shirt from ground zero is on view.
The wedge-shaped pavilion entrance of the museum, center, is located between the square outlines of the memorial waterfalls at the World Trade Center.
A visitor to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum takes in the sight.
A rose is placed next to the name of a victim of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center at the North Pool of the memorial.
Mary Altaffer/AP
Part of the World Trade Center's original foundation, left, and the last column removed from the WTC site, center, are covered in a protective wrap during construction of the museum.
Mary Altaffe/AP
The "Cross," made of intersecting steel beams found in the rubble of 6 World Trade Center, and a fragment of a trident column, center, one of 84 that formed the exterior structure of each tower, are prepared for display.
The original stairway from the World Trade Center Plaza to Vesey Street, left, is seen at the museum.
Contractors work to finish construction of the memorial and museum.
One World Trade Center rises above the lower Manhattan skyline in New York.
Here's a look at the rebuilding of Ground Zero in lower Manhattan and the memorial to the victims of the September 11 attacks.
September 11 Memorial
The memorial honors those killed on September 11, 2001, in all locations of the attack, as well as those killed on February 26, 1993, when terrorists set off a truck bomb in the basement of the World Trade Center.
April 28, 2003 - The World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition launches.
June 2003 - The Memorial Competition submission period closes. 5,201 submissions are received from 63 nations.
November 19, 2003 - Eight prospective plans chosen from the submissions are displayed for the public in the World Financial Center in New York.
January 6, 2004 - The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation announces its choice of "Reflecting Absence" by Israeli-born architect Michael Arad.
September 10, 2005 - Supporters of the Take Back the Memorial campaign protest the inclusion of an International Freedom Center in plans for the memorial.
September 28, 2005 - In a written statement, Governor George Pataki announces that plans for the International Freedom Center adjacent to the planned memorial at the World Trade Center site have been abandoned.
July 12, 2011 - More than 42,000 passes to the memorial are reserved in the first 24 hours they are made available.
September 11, 2011 - The 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks and the dedication of the memorial.
September 12, 2011 - The memorial opens to the public.
2012 - A dispute between the Port of Authority of New York and New Jersey delays construction of the 9/11 museum planned for the memorial site. The museum was originally supposed to open on the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
September 10, 2012 - The budgetary dispute delaying the opening of the museum is resolved when all parties enter into a "memorandum of understanding," an agreement that allows them to restart construction.
May 15, 2014 - The National September 11 Memorial & Museum opens its doors for the 9/11 community – survivors, families and rescuers. Within it are 12,500 objects, 1,995 oral histories and 580 hours of film and video.
May 21, 2014 - The museum opens to the public.
Redevelopment of Lower Manhattan
Fall 2001 - Pataki and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani create the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC). The mission of the LMDC is to "help plan and coordinate the rebuilding and revitalization of Lower Manhattan."
The LMDC also administers the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition, a separate process from that of rebuilding the World Trade Center area.
A 15-member board of directors governs the LMDC. The governor of New York and the mayor of New York City each appoint half of the members. The LMDC is also assisted by nine advisory councils.
According to an audit conducted by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the rebuilding cost grew from approximately $11 billion in 2008 to $14.8 billion in 2012.
August 12, 2002 - FEMA and the Federal Transit Administration announce $4.55 billion in federal aid for transportation improvements in Lower Manhattan.
September 26, 2002 - Six design teams are hired, out of 407 submissions, to create land use plans for the 16-acre site.
December 18, 2002 - An exhibit of nine possible designs opens at the World Financial Center.
February 27, 2003 - Daniel Libeskind's "Memory Foundations" is selected as the new design for the site.
September 17, 2003 - The LMDC releases a revised Master Plan for the site.
November 23 2003 - PATH train service is restored, linking Lower Manhattan and New Jersey. Trains operate out of a temporary station in the area.
December 19, 2003 - Plans for the Freedom Tower to be built at Ground Zero are revealed.
January 22, 2004 - Architect Santiago Calatrava unveils his plans for the area transportation hub.
July 4, 2004 - Construction at Freedom Tower begins. A 20-ton slab of granite, inscribed "the enduring spirit of freedom," is laid as the cornerstone of one of the new skyscrapers that will stand on the site.
May 4, 2005 - Pataki calls for a redesign of the new tower for safety reasons.
June 29, 2005 - New York officials release the latest design for the signature building at the site after revising it to make the tower more secure.
September 6, 2005 - Architect Santiago Calatrava and public officials dedicate the first steel rail for the future transportation station.
December 15, 2005 - Architect Lord Norman Foster agrees to design the next major building planned for the site. Foster will design a 65-story tower for the northeast corner of the 16-acre site.
April 26, 2006 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Larry Silverstein reach an agreement about the financing of Freedom Tower, resolving problems that had delayed construction.
April 27, 2006 - The formal groundbreaking of Freedom Tower takes place.
March 26, 2009 - The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announces dropping the name "Freedom Tower," and that the first commercial lease in the building has been signed. Upon completion, the building will be named One World Trade Center.
May 10, 2013 - Construction workers bolt the last pieces of a 408-foot spire into place atop One World Trade Center, bringing the building to a height of 1,776 feet. This height references the year the United States declared its independence.
November 3, 2014 - One World Trade Center opens for business, when the first tenant, Condé Nast, moves in.
May 29, 2015 - The observatory opens in the top three floors of One World Trade Center.
March 3, 2016 - The first phase of the World Trade Center transportation hub opens.
June 29, 2016 - Liberty Park opens to the public.