September 4, 2026 25-Yr World Trade Center Time-Lapse & Documentary

Official 25-Year World Trade Center Time-Lapse Movie

EarthCam’s commemorative film draws from its extraordinary visual archive of Ground Zero and Lower Manhattan, capturing the site’s evolution from the aftermath of September 11, 2001 through the skyline of today.

Beginning with imagery from its live-streaming camera just days after the attacks, the film brings together a quarter century of change from multiple vantage points in a powerful visual account of resilience and transformation.

EarthCam’s visual record began on September 21, 2001, when Founder and CEO Brian Cury installed a camera overlooking Ground Zero to assist with 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.

EarthCam’s cameras captured the construction of One World Trade Center, The Oculus, 3 World Trade Center, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine, and the Perelman Performing Arts Center. The record continues today as construction moves forward on 2 World Trade Center.

We Never Left | 25 years at the World Trade Center

Days after September 11, 2001, EarthCam Founder and CEO Brian Cury installed a camera overlooking Ground Zero to support rescue and recovery efforts with live-streaming video. For a quarter of a century, EarthCam cameras became witnesses to an extraordinary story of recovery, renewal and rebuilding.

“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. “Visually documenting the most important 16 acres in America is one of the greatest responsibilities and privileges in EarthCam’s 30-year history.”

We Never Left tells the story of EarthCam’s 25-year connection to the World Trade Center site through Cury’s personal account of EarthCam’s involvement at Ground Zero and the decision to continue documenting the site for decades to come.

The time-lapse and documentary are dedicated to the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and honors the first responders, recovery workers, construction professionals, and everyone who contributed to the recovery and rebuilding of the World Trade Center site.