An elevator motor from the World Trade Center that was destroyed on 9/11. The motor is modeled after ones used in diamond minds.

Port Authority Hopes to Unload Last Remaining Artifacts from Ground Zero

By
Stephen Nessen
WNYC News | Jun 6, 2016

There's a hangar at JFK airport that has stored artifacts from Ground Zero since 2002. At one point, some 2,500 items were on hand, including 1,900 pieces of steel. Most have been sent to 50 states and 10 countries for memorials. Now, the Port Authority is seeking to pass along what's left.

Amy Passiak is the archivist in charge of cataloging and distributing the pieces. She said the artifacts help people across the country commemorate the losses of that day.

"By receiving a piece or requesting a piece they were able to then connect themselves to this larger fabric of what it is to be American, to all be affected together, to come together," Passiak said.

The Port Authority vets organizations that wish to obtain 9/11 artifacts. They must be a nonprofit or government entity, and the pieces must go on display in a site with public access.
 

A Port Authority Police car that was damaged on 9/11. It was recovered from the parking garage.
A Port Authority Police car that was damaged on 9/11. It was recovered from the parking garage at the World Trade Center.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

A piece of wall from the parking garage in the north tower of the World Trade Center. It weighs about 20 tons.
A piece of wall from the parking garage in the north tower of the World Trade Center. It weighs about 20 tons.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

Beams recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed.
Pieces of steel recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed for a memorial.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

A beam recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed.
A beam recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed for a memorial.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

Debris from Ground Zero stored at a hangar at JFK.
Debris from Ground Zero stored at a hangar at JFK.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

A mangled piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site that is stored at a hangar at JFK and has yet to be claimed.
A mangled piece of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site that is stored at a hangar at JFK and has yet to be claimed for a memorial.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

A piece of wall from the parking garage in the north tower of the World Trade Center. It weighs about 20 tons.
A piece of wall from the parking garage in the north tower of the World Trade Center. It weighs about 20 tons.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

Debris from Ground Zero stored at a hangar at JFK.
Debris from Ground Zero stored at a hangar at JFK.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

A beam recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed.
A beam recovered from Ground Zero, one of only a handful of artifacts left that hasn't been claimed for a memorial.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)

 

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Stephen Nessen

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