EarthCam unveiled two commemorative films drawn from its extraordinary visual archive of Ground Zero and Lower Manhattan, capturing the site’s evolution from the aftermath of September 11 through the skyline of today. Beginning with imagery from its live-streaming camera just days after the attacks, the time-lapse film brings together decades of change from multiple vantage points in a powerful visual account of resilience and transformation.
EarthCam began documenting Ground Zero days after September 11, when Founder and CEO Brian Cury installed a camera overlooking the site to support rescue and recovery efforts. As the mission at the site changed, EarthCam remained, preserving each successive phase of its evolution, curating an archive of over 14.7 million images and surpassing one photo every minute for the past 25 years.
Watch the Official 25-Year World Trade Center Time-Lapse
“We arrived at Ground Zero because we believed our technology could help, and we stayed because we understood how important it was to preserve this history,” said Brian Cury, Founder and CEO of EarthCam. “For a quarter of a century, our cameras have borne witness to an extraordinary story of recovery, renewal and rebuilding. Visually documenting the most important 16 acres in America is one of the greatest responsibilities and privileges in EarthCam’s 30-year history.”
In conjunction with the anniversary time-lapse, EarthCam will premiere “We Never Left,” a short documentary featuring Brian Cury’s personal account of EarthCam’s involvement at Ground Zero and the decision to continue documenting the site for decades to come.
Watch "We Never Left"
The new time-lapse opens with some of EarthCam’s earliest imagery from September 11, 2001 and traces the transformation of the entire site through 2026, including the construction of many of the landmarks that now define the World Trade Center.
Featured buildings include:
- 4 World Trade Center, completed in 2013
- One World Trade Center, completed in 2014
- The Oculus, completed in 2016
- 3 World Trade Center, completed in 2018
- St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, completed in 2022
- Perelman Performing Arts Center, completed in 2023
- 2 World Trade Center, scheduled for completion in 2031
Across successive phases of redevelopment and generations of camera technology, EarthCam captured the changing landscape of Lower Manhattan, including new towers, transportation infrastructure, cultural institutions and memorial spaces. The archive of millions of images was donated to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and offers a rare visual record of the evolution of the World Trade Center campus and the surrounding skyline over 25 years.
The commemorative time-lapse and “We Never Left” are dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and honor the first responders, recovery workers, construction professionals and others who contributed to the recovery and rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.
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