Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
The last column has been returned to Ground Zero.
The “Last Column” was dubbed that after it remained at Ground Zero until it was the last thing standing. The column served as the most memorable and the biggest memorial at the site. The Last Column was removed from the site about 7 years ago and has remained at Kennedy Airport. The beam is 36 feet tall and weighs 58 tons.
The column is riddled with messages from responders who worked at Ground Zero. Most notably is “PAPD 37”, “NYPD 23”, and “FDNY 343” written in spray paint.
The beam is so large, it is being reinstalled at the site now and the museum for Ground Zero will be built around it.
Read more about the column here and here. The photo below is from a 2004 article found here.
The "Last Column", sitting here photographed for a story in 2004. Photo by Vincent Laforet/The New York Times
