Vesey Street Stairway

The historic Vesey Street Stair remnant has been transferred to temporary storage at the World Trade Center site in order to be protected until it is placed in the National September 11 Memorial Museum. This artifact, known as the “Survivor’s Stairway,” remains as an authentic “silent witness” to the events of 9/11.

During the attacks of September 11, 2001, this stairway served as a vital route to safety for many people. The stairs were mostly intact immediately after 9/11 but they were significantly damaged during the nine-month recovery period. The stairway provides a powerful reference to the survivors’ story as well as a commemoration of the recovery period. It is also the sole vestige above ground of the World Trade Center, a major 20th-century architectural complex and engineering achievement.

The full run of stairs will eventually be installed in the Memorial Museum within the final pathway of descent leading all visitors to the very heart of the Museum experience at bedrock.

The stair remnant originally weighed 175 tons and stood 22 feet tall. To prepare the remnant for transfer, work crews created steel bracing beneath the stairs, extracted the connector plate and transferred it to temporary storage. Rising 21 feet high and 64 feet long and weighing approximately 58 tons, the full run of stairs, along with its supportive bracing, was lifted and moved to an interim location along Vesey Street at Greenwich Street.

Click here for Construction images

Click here for photos of the Suvivor's Stairway move