It’s the twentieth anniversary of an attack upon the United States, the details and legacy you’re already familiar with. If you weren’t, I’m sure there’s no shortage of offerings today. Rather than dwell on the mistakes of the past, I’d like to share some photos celebrating the WTC — the buildings, while never aesthetically pleasing, have gained a retrospective beauty now that they’re gone, and my sadness at having never gotten to see them in all their physicality manifests itself in my tendency to collect any photograph I can find of them, particularly of the interior. I take no credit for any of these — I’ve squirreled them away across the span of 20 years, so citing sources is impossible.
If you’re interested, there are some videos on YouTube displaying other people’s collections. I’m including one below as an example.
There’s all kinds of interesting footage online:
Reading Freely 
Thank you for the impressive pictures. They represent a grand story. I watched the History Channel’s portrayal of the rise and fall of One World Trade Center yesterday and found many reminders of both the good and bad aspects of the history of what was an icon of American capitalism.
I haven’t seen that, but I can guess at the bad — the destruction of Radio Row, the theft of private property by the port authority, etc? Definitely a morally flecked birth.
You’re right on. The corruption of the power brokers from the Port Authority, New Jersey, and elsewhere were a key part of the story. Also some of the original architectural decisions – like the wide open floor space at each level – also contributed to the downfall. Nonetheless it was still a magnificent achievement.
Also, if you can find it on line you should check out the documentary “Man on Wire”, the story of Philip Petit whose grandest achievement was walking a high wire between the twin towers in August, 1974.
You’re the second person in the last few days to mention that documentary to me! I’ll have to look for it.