WORLD TRADE CENTER CORTLANDT STREET SUBWAY SIGN

Description:

WORLD TRADE CENTER CORTLANDT STREET SUBWAY SIGN
A rare relic from the horrific destruction of New York's World Trade Center, an enameled steel sign that was once affixed to the subway wall of the World Trade Center Cortlandt Street Station, a vital station located under the intersection of Greenwich Street and Cortlandt Way within the World Trade Center. The sign measures 10 x 11 1/2 in. and is in excellent condition, the reverse showing remains of the original four steel rods and glue or cement that once affixed the sign to the wall in the station. Such signs are rare, especially so when they read: 'World Trade Center' versus the usually seen 'W T C'. The station and the surrounding subway tunnels were severely damaged in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks following the collapse of Two World Trade Center, resulting in the closure of the line south of Chambers Street. During the September 11 attacks in 2001, a train operator reported an 'explosion' to the MTA's Subway Control Center one minute after the first plane struck the World Trade Center's North Tower at 8:46 a.m. Subway service was halted shortly afterward, and as a result, no one in the subway system died. The steel I-beams of the station were crumpled and the station roof collapsed, as the tunnel had been located 40 feet (12 m) underground, relatively close to ground level. Legally obtained during the 17-year reconstruction of the devastated station.