National September 11 Memorial & Museum

About

In Lower Manhattan, on the ground where the World Trade Center once stood, two square pools mark the footprints of the fallen towers. The design, called Reflecting Absence, comes from Michael Arad and Peter Walker, chosen in a 2004 competition; each pool spans roughly an acre, with water falling continuously along its edges. Bronze parapets ringing the pools carry the names of 2,983 people: 2,977 killed in the September 11 attacks and six killed in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The memorial is dedicated to victims' families on September 11, 2011, the tenth anniversary of the attacks, and opens to the public the next day. The museum follows in 2014 — its aboveground pavilion designed by Snøhetta, its underground galleries by Davis Brody Bond — dedicated on May 15 and opened to visitors on May 21.