A crane lowers the “WTC Cross” into the National September 11 Memorial and Museum. Image credit: National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Atheist organization claimed that the steel-beam cross found by recovery workers at Ground Zero and displayed in September 11th museum violated Constitutional and State Law. In July 2011, a coalition including American Atheists, Inc. brought an action against the Port Authority of N.Y. & N.J. and the foundation responsible for developing, designing and operating the National September 11 Memorial and Museum regarding the display of a large cross in the museum. The seventeen-foot cross, made of two steel structural beams, was found by recovery workers in the debris after the destruction of the World Trade Center, and erected at the site, where it served as a focal point for religious services, and was later removed to nearby St. Peter’s Church. The cross is displayed as part of an exhibit titled “Finding Meaning at Ground Zero.” The museum is sited where the World Trade Center stood, on property owned by the Port Authority, and is funded largely by Federal and State money. The cross is one of approximately 1,000 objects on display at the museum, and is presented with text panels explaining its historical significance in the recovery effort. Other religious and secular items are also displayed, including a Star of David and an image of the Manhattan skyline crafted from steel found at the site.
