Towers' Collapse Damages Federal Hall
Ryan Dougherty

Reprinted with permission from National Parks magazine, Ryan Dougherty, copyright 2002 by National Parks Conservation Association

It could take years to determine the full impact that the terrorist attacks of September 11 will have on national parks-as new security measures are gauged, and park visitation is monitored-but at Federal Hall in New York City, the impact is evident and urgent.

Federal Hall National Memorial at 26 Wall Street is where George Washington took the oath of office to become America's first president. The building sustained severe damage when the nearby World Trade Towers collapsed, setting off what has been described as a near-seismic event that jarred the stone and marble building.

Vibrations deepened an existing crack in the building's Nassau Street wall that had developed over about 20 years, said Mike Adlerstein of the National Park Service (NPS). It was a slow-developing problem that was scheduled to be addressed at a later time, but the events of September 11 made damage to the building a priority.

"The crack now separates the entire wall, through the sub-basement and right up to the [third-story] roof," Adlerstein said, adding that without prompt repair, "we're not sure how many years this building has left."

The Park Service has begun a formal engineering study to determine the full extent of the damage. Already, this much is known: Federal Hall's walls must be underpinned and restabilized, which is likely to require the injection of a significant amount of grout, Adlerstein said. The front steps and the statue of George Washington need to be disassembled and rebuilt during this process.

In addition to structural troubles, the building's water drainage system was damaged and its ventilation system clogged as a result of the debris created when the twin towers collapsed.

The Park Service recently secured funds to assess and repair the damage, but the park still lacks money to properly tell the story of the nation's birth. Educational exhibits are nearly 30 years old and do little to inspire visitors, because they do not reflect the depth and importance of the site. Inadequate funds mean the park has no safety officer, curator, historian, or educational outreach coordinator on staff. Americans for National Parks, a coalition launched by NPCA, is seeking to address these issues through increased operating funds. It seeks to secure full funding for the park system within the next five years.

Despite the damage, Federal Hall is considered structurally sound and remains open for visitation.

"Right now, it's not a concern for visitors-it's a concern for preservation," Adlerstein said. "And it's only going to get worse if we don't fix it." -

- Ryan Dougherty

Reprinted with permission from National Parks Magazine

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