A Greenwich Village resident took two sets of photos on September 11, 2001 as the terror attacks took place and as people gathered on the streets of Greenwich Village to observe the horror collectively as it unfolded. The first set was taken from Sixth Avenue and Carmine Street by Father Demo Square looking south, and captured both towers of the World Trade Center burning between 9:03 am and 9:59 am. At that time, McKay’s pharmacy was on the corner at 301 Sixth Avenue, where he later had these photos processed. The second set of photos were taken on Fifth Avenue just north of Washington Square Park looking south following the collapse of the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:59 am and before the North Tower collapsed 29 minutes later. Both not only capture the horrific destruction of the World Trade Center, but the stunned reactions of crowds in Greenwich Village as the events took place in real time before them. The image donor recalls that actress and model Berinthia “Berry” Berenson was killed on Flight 11 that crashed into the North Tower. She and Anthony Perkins had bought two rings in his mother’s antique store on Greenwich Avenue in about 1980.

Date
September 11, 2001
Rights

Copyright restrictions may apply. Permission to publish or reproduce must be secured from the photographer via Village Preservation.