Due to the collapse of the World Trade Center's north tower, the entire east side of the Winter Garden and the entire north bridge that came into it had been destroyed by debris. The damage continued and diminished the scale to the west. Other damage included that the monumental stair was severely damaged, completely covered in debris from both the World Trade Center and the Winter Garden skylight itself. In addition, much of the paving stone was cracked by heavy debris and the setting bed of the paving stone was critically damaged.
Liberty Marble Inc. of New York began the restoration process in late 2001. They first surveyed the damage in the field and reviewed hundreds of design and shop drawings that had been archived in the 1980s. "The greatest task was replacing the paving stone and the monumental stair stone," said Craig Copeland, of Cesar Pelli & Associates.