Holding Back the Hudson

Remnants of the original World Trade Center are embedded throughout the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This is seen most visibly in the slurry wall, a retaining wall built in the late 1960s to hold back the waters of the Hudson River. Though damaged on 9/11, the slurry wall did not breach, and over time became a symbol of endurance and human resolve. In celebration of National Historic Preservation Month, this group of panelists discuss the unique history of the slurry wall and examine how historical events and collective memory can elevate places and objects from the mundane to the sacred.

Panelists:

Harriet F. Senie, Director, Art History, Museum Studies Program, The City College of New York

Peter Rinaldi, Former Engineering Program Director, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)

Ken Lustbader, Historic Preservation Consultant and former advisor to the Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund

This program was made possible through generous support from American Express.

Photos

Videos

Other Resources

• Transcript
• Blog Post: Public Program Recap: Holding Back the Hudson

Through the inaugural 9/11 Memorial & Museum Summit on Security, presented by Fiserv, public programs in 2019 were made possible by Accenture, ADP, AT&T, BlackRock, Deloitte, GNYHA Ventures, Inc., Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo Foundation, and UL LLC.