Source: Orthodox Observer
NEW YORK – When the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine opens, it will also mark 100 years since the birth of a man named Buddy Cury. He is the father of Brian Cury, President and CEO of EarthCam, the global leader in delivering webcam content, technology and services. Brian Cury feels that this connection is much more than coincidence and is thrilled to now be connected to this new church and shrine. A number of months ago Cury was approached by the Archdiocese for assistance in visually documenting the day-to-day rebuilding of the new St. Nicholas Church and National Shrine.
After 14 years of negotiations with the Port Authority, the tiny church, the only house of worship destroyed on 9-11, was finally beginning construction. Cury was instantly interested in lending his support and expertise. Working hand-in-hand with the Port Authority and EarthCam, the Archdiocese was able to place two cameras at the W New York-Downtown Residences that look directly onto the site at ground zero. One camera now offers live streaming video of the activity on the building site, while the other camera captures a high resolution photograph of the site every 15 minutes and stitches together a daily panorama made up of 1 billion pixels. Upon completion of the Shrine these photos will be compiled into a time-lapse video of the entire construction process.
“It is my honor to participate in a small way to the rebuilding efforts of the church,” said Cury. He explained that his great-grandfather “Beddy” and father, “Buddy”, both Orthodox Christians, would be so honored that he is able to contribute his talents and financial support to this historic church. “The Church was part of one of the darkest days in US history and now it is a significant part of the rebuilding. It’s EarthCam’s mission to continue to document the site for future generations, so people can see what it took to rebuild these important 16 acres.” Cury is confident that the documentation of the rebuilding with EarthCam’s unique perspective will help the church transcend its initial purpose and truly become a beacon of faith to the entire world. “Like a candle lighting the way, the cameras offer an opportunity to enlighten people all over the world to see how far we’ve come and yet be reminded that there is still more to accomplish. People everywhere can now participate in the rebuilding today and for many years to come.”
EarthCam also provided the video recording services for the building of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, One World Trade Center and many other important structures around the world.
To watch the live stream, log on to www.stnicholaswtc.org or www.earthcam.com/stnicholaswtc.
Originally published in November 2015.