MANHATTAN - President Barack Obama will be among those dedicating the National September 11 Museum in Lower Manhattan Thursday, more than 12 years after the terror attacks at the World Trade Center.
Obama will be joined by three New York City mayors: Rudolph Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg - who is also museum chairman, and current Mayor Bill de Blasio. Also speaking Thursday is former Gov. George Pataki, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as well as family members of those killed on September 11.
The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.
They'll address family members in the underground museum's massive Foundation Hall, an open space set against the slurry wall that was an original part of the Twin Towers' foundation, built to keep the Hudson River from flooding the site.
Inside the hall stands "The Last Column," the final pieced of welded plate steel to be pulled out of Ground Zero on May 30, 2002. The beam served as a memorial, with tributes scrawled onto it by the recovery workers - at the top, "PAPD 37," recounting the number of Port Authority police officers killed that day.
To reach it, visitors will walk down a sloping ramp through an exhibition called "We Remember," where they'll hear snippets of people from around the world recalling September 11.
The museum opens to families and survivors this week during a Dedication Period, before opening to the general public May 21.
It offers tributes to the victims, history on the attacks, and heart-breaking items like wallets belonging to those killed and blood-stained shoes worn to escape the crumbling buildings.
Advance reporter Jillian Jorgensen is at the museum to cover the dedication ceremony. Check SILive.com later today for updates.