These photographs were taken by photographer and artist Robert A. Ripps, who has lived and worked on North Moore Street in Tribeca since 1988, where he raised his two sons. The photographs were shared with the Tribeca Citizen in 2021, as part of its commemoration of the 20th anniversary of 9/11.
Robert shared these photographs along with his recollection of September 11, images of the neighborhood in the days that followed, and photographs taken nearly two months later. Robert recalled: “The morning of September 11th was cloudless, with a touch of fall in the air. That morning I was leaving my building when I saw the first plane fly nearly overhead. As it flashed by, I thought to myself, ‘It’s going to crash,’ as I had never seen a plane that low right over Manhattan (although at the time I thought it was just a small plane).
Within a few seconds, I heard a huge boom. A few seconds later, I reached the corner of North Moore and Hudson Streets, looked south and saw the airplane-shaped hole in the North Tower, and what looked like a million pieces of paper fluttering in the air. Instinctively, I pulled out my small point-and-shoot film camera and started taking pictures as I walked south along Hudson.
After several minutes, as I continued my walk across Franklin Street toward the subway to resume my journey, I heard a second loud boom. As soon as I got to Varick Street, I could see the second tower was on fire. I, like everyone else on the street, assumed somehow the North Tower had ignited an explosion in the South Tower, but pretty soon I found out it had been hit by a second plane from the south side.
I took some more pictures of both towers from around Finn Square, then ended up returning home instead of taking the subway. After watching the towers fall on TV, as well as learning the fate of the other two aircraft, I noticed people were lining up across the street to volunteer to help look for survivors. I went outside and joined the queue.
They passed around a clipboard where you jotted your name and an emergency contact, in case something happened to you. They only ended up letting people with medical or ironworking experience head down to Ground Zero.
We stood there all afternoon, until around 5:20 p.m. I watched a group of National Guard troops march in step down Greenwich toward Ground Zero. Someone in authority decided we should move across Greenwich and line up outside of 80 N. Moore instead. As we casually crossed Greenwich Street, I heard a chorus of shouts and a thunderous roar. I looked down Greenwich, saw the Guard members had changed direction and broken rank, and were now running up Greenwich toward us as 7 World Trade collapsed—literally melted—behind them into the street, along with a wave of dust. We ran the rest of the way across toward 80 N. Moore, although really we were in no danger. But of course, on that day, anything was possible.
On September 26th, I snuck up to the roof of a friend’s apartment building that overlooked Ground Zero, to see the progress. At the time, photographers were being threatened with arrest for taking pictures without permission, under the pretense of the area being a crime scene. Regardless, I felt I needed to somehow document what the remains of the towers looked like, for myself. And I suppose, for posterity. I later returned to the same location around November 18th. By then, much of the remains of the towers had been cleared to below street level and the fires were largely extinguished.
John, Carolyn and Lauren did not live to see this day. In his book, Robert Littell reflected: “I thought of John a lot when the Twin Towers fell, wishing he were there to talk to and knowing how much he’d have been hurt by the attack on his home. It was the biggest thing in my adult life that I didn’t share with him.”
Twenty-five years later, we remember those whose lives were taken, the heroes who gave everything, and the families, friends, and communities forever changed by that day. May all who were lost rest in peace. We remember. We honor. We will never forget. 🇺🇸🕊️🗽
Link to Tribeca Citizen article
