Final Large Ground Zero Artifacts Moved from JFK Hangar

The three largest remaining 9/11 artifacts stored at Kennedy International Airport’s Hangar 17 have been ceremoniously removed and sent to an advocacy group for a future exhibition, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said Wednesday.

For nearly fifteen years, Hangar 17 served as the repository for more than 2,500 artifacts collected from ground zero and is set to close at the end of the summer. Many artifacts from Hangar 17 are on display at the 9/11 Memorial Museum, including the steel tridents from the North Tower and the FDNY Ladder Company 3 firetruck.

The last three major artifacts removed Tuesday during a solemn ceremony included a 40,000-pound parking structure column, a 35,000-pound elevator motor and a 40,000-pound antenna connector. They were placed on flatbed trucks adorned with American flags and transported to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which says they will be stored for future exhibition.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was established by foundation chairman and CEO Frank Siller in honor of his brother Stephen Siller, a firefighter who died on Sept. 11.

“It’s important for our country not to forget what happened on that day and we have taken on that responsibility,” Siller said during the emotional service. “These [are] sacred, sacred artifacts, and that’s how we will treat them.”

The hangar will close in the coming weeks and is expected to be demolished, Port officials said.

 By 9/11 Memorial Staff