The Sphere

Artist: Fritz Koenig

Date: Installed, 1968; Moved, 2002; Moved, 2017

This bronze sphere was originally commissioned by the Port Authority for the plaza of the World Trade Center. The artwork was badly damaged by the debris from September 11th and became an iconic symbol of survival. There was considerable discussion, and even a film, Koenig's Kugel by the German Director Percy Adlon was made about including it as part of the 9/11 memorial at Ground Zero, but the sculpture was then moved in 2002 near Hopes Garden in Battery Park.

2002 The world's largest bronze sculpture of modern times stood between the twin towers on the Austin J. Tobin Plaza of the World Trade Center in New York City from 1971 until the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The work, weighing more than 20 tons, was the only remaining work of art to be recovered largely intact from the ruins of the collapsed twin towers after the attacks. After being dismantled and stored near a hangar at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the sculpture was the subject of the 2001 documentary Koenig's Sphere. Since then, the bronze sphere, primarily known in the United States as The Sphere, has been transformed into a symbolic memorial to commemorate 9/11.

2017 After the spherical caryatid found a temporary location in New York's Battery Park between 2002 and 2017, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey moved it back close to its original location. Having become a major tourist attraction, the unrestored sculpture was rededicated on August 16, 2017, by the Port Authority at a permanent location in Liberty Park overlooking the September 11 Memorial and its original location.