It's ironic that a paper and plastic model outlived a huge building complex

9/11 2001-2011

Rising to seven feet tall, this extraordinary model of the World Trade Center proves that even in miniature Port Authority's special baby is breathtaking.

The model has been donated by the American Architectural Foundation to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. It was made by Minoru Yamasaki Associates.

"As you moved around the model, the towers changed; at one point divided by a column of light, then fused together, then looking like flat slabs, then like silver-edged pinnacles. You could begin to experience the interplay that gave them an undeniable drama on the skyline," says David W. Dunlop of The New York Times.

At the time of the donation, Tropolism said: "It's significant and ironic that a paper and plastic model outlived a huge building complex. It's a powerful reminder of what was lost seven and a half years ago."

Oh, ain't it just...