5. The lost PATH Station artwork buried by the first WTC attack in 1993
In the late 1970s, artist Cynthia Mailman was selected and commissioned to create an expansive artwork for the World Trade Center PATH train terminal. The artist worked for months with apprentices to create a more than 50-foot long visual tableau of scenes PATH riders encountered along their commute. The artwork, titled “Commuter Landscape” featured iconic visions of industry and landscape such as the Pulaski Skyway bridge spanning the Hackensack river and visible to Newark-WTC PATH train riders in their daily commute.
However, the 1993 World Trade Center bombing dashed Mailman’s dreams as her artwork was victim to the attack which destroyed the building’s basement. The artist rushed to the scene when she heard of the attack, only to discover that along with the significant loss sustained at the site, her mural was completely destroyed. While the artist mourned the loss of her work, she joined in solidarity with the survivors of the attack and to honor the victims.