11 Most Endangered Historic Places
World Trade Center Vesey Street Staircase
Year Listed: 2006
Location: New York, New York
Overhead view of the World Trade Center's Vesey Street Staircase.
Credit: Robert Kornfeld, Jr.
Significance
Before the September 11 attacks, the Vesey Street Staircase was seen and used by the public on a daily basis. Located near the intersection of Vesey and Church streets, it consisted of two granite-clad outdoor flights of stairs and an escalator that led from the World Trade Center plaza to Vesey Street. When terrorists crashed two planes into the Twin Towers, the staircase provided a path of escape for hundreds of people. The staircase now stands isolated and consists only of concrete slabs and blocks, a few remaining pieces of stone cladding, and steel supports - but it is nonetheless an authentic and invaluable remnant of the World Trade Center that once stood here.
As of May 2007, the need to plan for the preservation of the World Trade Center Vesey Street Staircase was as urgent as ever. For the last several years, advocates have offered feasible options that would allow the site's redevelopment to move forward on schedule while preserving the Staircase. The site on which the Staircase stands is slated for construction of new underground elements of the PATH system, as well as for the office tower planned for the site.
