Steel column that became 9/11 memorial slated to return to ground zero Monday, marking rebirth
By APMonday, August 24, 2009
Steel beam slated to return Monday to ground zero
NEW YORK — A massive steel column from the World Trade Center that became a makeshift memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks is being returned to the site.
After more than seven years in storage at a hanger at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the beam is expected to be transported Monday to ground zero.
Port Authority of New York & New Jersey Executive Director Chris Ward calls the return of the beam to the World Trade Center site a sign of rebirth.
The column will become part of the planned National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum.
The 58-ton, 36-foot-tall beam was dubbed the “Last Column” when it was the final standing steel column to be removed from the site.
It was adorned with firehouse patches, police logos and union stickers.
