Exhibitions

Located just a few hundred yards from the World Trade Center, St. Paul's Chapel miraculously survived the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 and for eight months served as a relief site for police, firefighters, emergency responders, and recovery workers. 

In 2015, the New York State Museum received two pews from St. Paul's Chapel that were used during the time the chapel served as a relief center. The pew exhibited shows damage and distress caused by the heavy equipment worn by workers as they sought a place to sit or lie down, and is symbolic of the long, difficult days recovery workers endured. Photographs and an excerpt from the film The Spirit of St. Paul's provide additional context to show how the chapel operated as a relief site.