Ground Zero Museum Workshop: A compelling view of 9/11 from a first-person perspective
Often referred to as “the biggest little museum in New York City,” and a “must see” part of any memorable visit to the Big Apple, Gary Marlon Suson’s Ground Zero Workshop Museum is an indelibly unforgettable tribute to the thousands killed in the 9/11/2001 attacks on the World Trade Center towers and provides an authentic and compelling perspective on an event that has dramatically altered the course of human events.
Suson’s strikingly tragic yet remarkably beautiful and compelling photographs of the recovery scene in the months after the attacks are assembled, along with a variety of one-of-a-kind artifacts. He produced these images as the official photographer for the NYC firefighters union, in a sense serving as both personal witness and historian of record. A New York Times correspondent wrote that Suson was able to “penetrate the barrier that most firefighters and police officers threw up around themselves at Ground Zero.”
On exhibit at the museum are several dozen of Suson's best known recovery site images, such as the famous Genesis 11 Bible page found in the WTC rubble; the frozen clock stuck at 10:02am, marking the collapse of the South Tower; and numerous individual and group New York firefighter images. The actual clock itself is also displayed. Visitors are also given the unique privilege of picking up and holding remnants of World Trade Center steel and window glass.
Two-hour tours are $25 a person, the proceeds of which are used to benefit numerous 9/11 and fire department-related charities. A coffee table-style book, “Requiem: Images of Ground Zero," is also available for purchase and is a powerful keepsake from that momentous day and the months following.
Reservation-only museum visits are limited to 25 people, occur during midday hours and include a 15-minute video, docent-guided presentation and audio tour (buy your tickets by calling ZERVE at 212-209-3370 or via the museum web site –it’s very well worth visiting the web site any way). Audio tours are available in English, Italian, Spanish and French. If you’re lucky, Suson himself might be your guide, as he often personally welcomes visitors. Local parking is limited – plan to use the subway or taxicab.
- by Jim Brown , New York Reporter for HelloMetro
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Jim Brown Jim Brown is a longtime freelance aviation, travel and destination writer and communications professional. A former reporter for Aviation Daily, Air Safety Week and World Airline News, Jim served for more than 15 years as a senior public relations executive for American Airlines, TWA and AirTran Airways.
