Press Release

National Trust President Richard Moe Urges World Trade Center Developer Larry Silverstein to Incorporate “Survivor’s Staircase” in Plans

Washington, D.C. (September 8, 2006) – Today, National Trust for Historic Preservation President Richard Moe sent a letter to Larry Silverstein, the developer of the World Trade Center site in New York, urging that there is no engineering reason for the removal of the Vesey Street Staircase. The staircase, which the National Trust named to its 2006 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places, is the only remaining above-ground remnant of the original World Trade Center and is often called the “Survivors Staircase” due to its role in helping thousands of people to escape on September 11, 2001. Plans for Ground Zero that were released Thursday by Silverstein’s development company would require the removal of the staircase, and Moe sent a letter Friday urging Silverstein to reconsider the plans in order to incorporate the staircase.

The full text of the letter follows:

September 8, 2006

Mr. Larry A. Silverstein
President
Silverstein Properties, Inc.
530 5th Avenue
New York, NY  10036

Dear Mr. Silverstein:

I was surprised and dismayed to read in the New York Times that the newly released designs for the World Trade Center site “will require the removal” of the Vesey Street Staircase. I sincerely hope this does not mean that a decision has been made to move forward with a design that does not incorporate this important landmark into any new development.

As you are well aware, the Vesey Street Staircase is the only surviving above-ground remnant of the original World Trade Center, and serves as a vivid and haunting reminder of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The staircase played a significant role in saving the lives of hundreds of people who used it as a means of escape from their offices in the doomed Twin Towers. Almost five years to the day since the tragic events of 9/11, this staircase remains vitally meaningful to thousands of survivors and to family members who lost loved ones, as well as to millions of people across the country and around the globe.

Given the importance of the staircase, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the site on our 2006 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. As a result of that listing, the movement to save the stairs and incorporate them into a redeveloped World Trade Center site has grown from a small coalition of preservation advocates and survivor organizations into a nationwide movement.

As evidence of this, consider the overwhelming response that PARADE magazine received after publishing a story about the controversy surrounding the stairs. Since the story was published on August 20, more than 11,000 Americans from across the country have logged on to www.parade.com to take an online poll asking whether or not the staircase should be saved. To date, 95% of the respondents have said they believe the staircase should be preserved. According to PARADE, this is one of the largest responses they have ever received to a story published in the magazine. Additionally, close to 1,300 people have signed our online petition at www.nationaltrust.org/wtc urging both you and the Port Authority to incorporate the staircase into the proposed designs for Tower 2.

Finally, in addition to taking the poll, almost 500 PARADE readers submitted written comments on PARADE’s web site after reading the story. Many of the comments noted that the public was not aware that any part of the World Trade Center complex had survived the attacks and the recovery process. Many readers expressed the view that, as the lone above-ground remnant of the World Trade Center, the Vesey Street Staircase is a living tribute to the people who used the staircase to escape. For your information, we have included a list of petition signers, poll results, and comments from PARADE’s website.

Clearly, the public overwhelmingly believes that the Vesey Street Staircase should be preserved, and the National Trust along with our partners in the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund (LMEPF) are committed to working with you on a revised plan that would incorporate the staircase into the new development. First, we are confident that the staircase can be saved, either by temporarily relocating it during construction and returning it to be integrated into the new development, or by leaving it in place while construction takes place around it. There is absolutely no engineering reason that the staircase can’t be saved.  Second, the LMEPF coalition is in the process of working with the Port Authority to develop a comprehensive analysis of the cost estimates associated with various options for preserving the staircase. You will be receiving this information as soon as it is available.

There are few sites in America more sacred than Ground Zero. As plans for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site evolve in the coming months and years, I urge you to bear in mind the thousands of people in America and all around the world who have expressed their fervent belief that this “Survivors’ Staircase” should endure in place as a living memorial to the events of 9/11. Saving it will ensure you the gratitude and recognition from preservationists all over the country as well as so many others who care about this special memorial. On behalf of the National Trust, as well as our partners in the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund, I ask you to honor this strong public sentiment by incorporating the staircase into Tower 2. 

Warmest regards.

Sincerely,

Richard Moe
President
National Trust for Historic Preservation