Preserving Public Access to 9/11 Memorial Tiles

On January 8, I joined New York City Speaker Christine Quinn, Lee Ielpi of the September 11th Families’ Association, New York Public Library (NYPL) President Tony Marx, and CB2’s Shirley Secunda to unveil a new exhibit of the 9/11 Memorial Tiles at Jefferson Market Library (425 6th Avenue).  The tiles on display are just some of the thousands that people from near and far spontaneously decorated and affixed to the chain-link fence at Mulry Square, across from St. Vincent’s Hospital, in the aftermath of 9/11.  Since last September, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) broke ground on a new subway ventilation facility at Mulry Square, our community has been without any tiles on public view.  I am immensely grateful to the September 11th Families’ Association, Jefferson Market Library and Speaker Quinn for arranging this exhibit, which I encourage all my constituents to visit.  While I am committed to ensuring that the Mulry Square tiles are returned to their original home once the MTA ventilation facility is complete, this exhibit provides continued public access in the interim to this unique and moving testament to the resilience of the Greenwich Village community and our city.  Please see the NY1 coverage of the event here.