'The Sphere,' a 45,000-pound sculpture made of steel and bronze, adorned the fountain at the World Trade Center's Tobin Plaza from 1971 to September 11, 2001 It was conceived of by the artist Fritz Koenig as a symbol of world peace. The damage you see happened 9-11-2001 when the World Trade Center was attacked. 'The Sphere' was placed here in Battery Park on March 11, 2002, as a temporary memorial to those who perished.