Preserving The Very Recent Past

"The last above-ground remnant of the World Trade Center -- a battered but recognizable staircase used by hundreds to flee the inferno of 9/11 -- is one of the most endangered historical places in America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation said today.

That is because it stands in the way of an office tower designed by Norman Foster of London and planned by Larry A. Silverstein, president of Silverstein Properties.

'Silverstein Properties has not made a commitment to preserve the staircase and we're urging them to do so,' said Richard Moe, the president of the trust, a private, nonprofit organization that uses persuasive influence in place of any regulatory power.

'It will be the most dramatic original piece of the site that will have meaning to generations to come,' Mr. Moe said. 'This obviously has national significance because 9/11 had such a cataclysmic effect.'"