Twelve Facts About the 9/11 Memorial

The twelve facts

1. The memorial carries 2,983 names: 2,977 killed on 11 September 2001 and six killed on 26 February 1993.
2. “Reflecting Absence” by Michael Arad with Peter Walker was chosen in January 2004 from 5,201 entries.
3. Each pool is nearly an acre; water falls 30 feet, then another 20 feet into a central void. The memorial calls them the largest man-made waterfalls in North America.
4. About 400 swamp white oaks stand on the plaza.
5. The Survivor Tree is a Callery pear found alive in the rubble in October 2001 and returned in December 2010; it is now about 30 feet tall.
6. The museum holds 110,000 square feet of exhibition space about 70 feet below the plaza.
7. The collection holds more than 10,000 artefacts.
8. Two tridents in the pavilion, 80 feet tall, were salvaged from the North Tower.
9. The museum welcomed 23 million visitors in its first ten years, from all 50 states and more than 175 countries.
10. The North Tower stood 1,368 feet and the South Tower 1,362 feet; One World Trade Center is 1,776 feet to its spire.
11. The Tribute in Light uses 88 searchlights and is visible up to 60 miles away, once a year.
12. The Oculus skylight opens each 11 September for 102 minutes, from 8:46 am to 10:28 am.

The site in figures

Sixteen acres, bounded by West, Vesey, Church and Liberty Streets, with the memorial plaza on about half. The plaza is open daily 8 am to 8 pm and the museum Wednesday to Monday 9 am to 7 pm, as published; check the museum’s own page on 911memorial.org before travelling. The memorial-vs-museum page sets the two side by side.

Numbers that are often mixed up

2,977 is the number killed on 11 September 2001; 2,983 is the number of names, because the six killed in 1993 are included. 1,368 and 1,362 feet are the original towers; 1,776 feet is the new one. The names page and the height page take each in turn.

Seeing the facts in person

Facts 1 to 5 are on the free plaza. Facts 6 to 9 are in the museum, on a timed ticket. Fact 10 is visible from the plaza, and facts 11 and 12 happen once a year. The one-day itinerary covers all of the first ten.

Frequently asked questions