Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Trinity Root

I had always wondered about the significance of the tree sculpture in front of Trinity Church in lower Manhattan so I decided to look into it. Here is some information I found on lowermanhattan.info.

Trinity Root is a bronze casting inspired by the remaining stump and root of a 70-year-old sycamore tree that shielded St. Paul's Chapel against falling debris during the collapse of the twin towers in 2001. In 2005, the finished three-ton sculpture was hoisted by a crane into the courtyard of Trinity Church. Visitors are able to walk through the sprawling root branches, which are 20 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 12.5 feet tall.

14 comments:

Wayne said...

The last time I was in NYC was in the '98. On that trip I went to the viewing level at the WTC. When I left I walked around the buildings and was quite startled when the church suddenly appeared. Of course it was literally dwarfed but it was such a pleasant sight.
Thanks for the pic Lori.

Olivier said...

elle est superbe cette statue et tres surprenante, très en contrasme avec la vieille église qui se trouve a coté.

it is superb this statue and very surprising, very contrasme with the old church which is located nearby.

Greg C said...

What an interesting sculpture. It almost looks alive.

Blue Wave 707 said...

Very interesting ... Amazing how the tree was there to protect St Paul's Church from the 9-11 debris ... totally the hand of God!

John Roberts said...

You continue to give us glimpses of NYC that the tourist books leave out. Your native New Yorker's eye always finds the most interesting sights!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

What an interesting story and a wonderful photo. I agree that the roots look alive. I am more intrigued everyday with all of the uniques views your share.

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

THAT....is wicked cool! I would love to walk through the roots of that sculpture......thank you for sharing!

lv2scpbk said...

Interesting piece.

Anonymous said...

jayAgreed it looks alive, which your photograph so aptly conveys. A strong sculpture, but I also voice a minority opinion: It is an intruder. I do not appreciate it in that location, no matter what connotation. Hopefully it will be moved in a few years to allow it, and its current location to be both more fully appreciated in their own right.

Dave said...

It's like an "alien" from War of the Worlds.

marley said...

Very interesting. Its a great piece of sculpture.

Gudl said...

that is interesting!

• Eliane • said...

I love it! And you did a great job at capturing it - not easy. Do you know who the artist is, by any chance?

Anonymous said...

The artist is Steve Tobin. You can read all about him at www.stevetobin.com