Survivors' Staircase

The Survivors' Staircase is the last visible structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site. It was originally two outdoor flights of granite-clad stairs and an escalator that connected Vesey Street to the World Trade Center's Austin J. Tobin Plaza. During the September 11, 2001, attacks, the stairs served as an escape route for hundreds of evacuees from 5 World Trade Center, a 7 floor building adjacent to the 110-story towers.

Preservation efforts

The preservation of the staircase became a matter of dispute since May 11,2006, when it was listed as one of the most endangered historical places in America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. [cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W.|title=Ground Zero Staircase Is Put on List of Most Endangered Sites|publisher=The New York Times|date=2006-05-11|accessdate=2007-03-25|page=B2]

The stairs occupy part of the site of a new office building which the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is contractually obligated to clear before the site is turned over to developer Larry Silverstein of Silverstein Properties who in turn has a contractual obligation to develop as the 200 Greenwich Street office building which is also referenced as Tower 2 in the master plan.

The World Trade Center Survivors' Network has urged the Port Authority and Silverstein to make a commitment to preserve the stairs, but neither have made a public decision on the issue. Meanwhile, the already heavily-damaged stairs continue to deteriorate due to the heavy vibrations caused by construction of the permanent PATH station, the World Trade Center Memorial, and Freedom Tower on the site.

In January 2007, the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) according to "Real Estate Weekly" rejected a plan proposed by structural engineer, Robert Stillman, who functioned as an independent consultant, to move the staircase in its entirety. Stillman estimated the move would cost somewhere between $500,000 and $700,000 to complete. Those supporting dismantling the staircase claimed such a procedure would cost over $2 million. [cite news|last=Wolffe|first=Danielle|title=WTC staircase plan slammed|publisher=Real Estate Weekly|date=2007-01-24|accessdate=2007-03-25]

In early August 2007, Avi Schick, Governor Eliot Spitzer's redevelopment chief, outlined plans to remove the stairs from their concrete structure for eventual use in the World Trade Center Memorial museum. All 38 steps would be inlaid into the side of the staircase leading from the visitor's center to the underground museum. [cite news|last=Dunlap|first=David W|title=Stairs to Remain Intact in Ground Zero Plan|publisher=New York Times|date=2007-08-06|accessdate=2007-09-22]

Confirming earlier plans, the LMDC announced on October 31, 2007 that the stairs would be removed and preserved, and would be restored in the future at a location inside the World Trade Center Memorial museum with a display explaining their significance. [cite web |url=http://www.renewnyc.com/displaynews.aspx?newsid=1fb4949b-2794-43af-90eb-aaefbfae458b|publisher= Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (Renew New York) |title=FINAL MITIGATION PLAN FOR ADVERSE EFFECTS ON THE VESEY STREET STAIR REMNANT PURSUANT TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL AND REDEVELOPMENT PLAN PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT]

On March 9, 2008 The Staircase was moved by crane about 200 feet on Vesey Street.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.savethestairway.org Save the Stairway.org]
* [http://www.nationaltrust.org/11most/world_trade_center.html National Trust for Historic Preservation listing]