Finding Meaning in the Wreckage

In late September, Port Authority chief architect Robert Davidson undertook the grim task of identifying salvageable objects at Ground Zero. Unsure of where these "artifacts" would ultimately reside — possibly a memorial or museum — Davidson's team focused not only on items that symbolized the horror and devastation of the attacks, but also on poignant reminders of daily life at the World Trade Center complex.

"We realized that this story needed to be told in chapters," said team member Mark Wagner of Voorsanger Architects and Associates, an architect who visited Ground Zero daily through February. The team decided on three — Before September 11, On September 11, and After September 11.

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