Logan Wilkin of Kearney, Mo., takes a break from working at the Dole Institute to look at the beams from the World Trade Center on display in this September 2003 file photo. The beams were from floors 58 through 61 of Tower One, which was struck by American Airlines Flight 11 between the 93rd and 99th floors on Sept. 11, 2001.

Visitors placed flowers and cards near the World Trade Center Memorial at Kansas University’s Dole Institute of Politics on Thursday, to commemorate the seven-year anniversary of 9/11.

The memorial features two 1,500-pound steel beams from the World Trade Center wreckage, which haven’t been altered since they were removed from ground zero.

The year-round memorial was particularly special for people who visited the institute Thursday.

A bright pink rose sat at the edge of one of the beams with a note that said “We Remember.”

One woman wrote, “I am grateful to the Dole (Institute) for having this memorial available to me : it helps to be here – to remember how hard it was in NYC in 2001.”

Visitors from across the country visit the Dole Institute regularly, and most are touched by the sight of the columns, said Barbara Ballard, associate director of outreach at the Dole Institute.

“That’s what makes it special, that we would have it here on the University of Kansas campus, as a reminder to people to not forget the people that died,” said Ballard, also a state representative.

The columns were given to the Dole Institute by the mayor of New York City as a token of appreciation for former U.S. Sen. Robert Dole’s work on a scholarship fund that was set up for children of 9/11 victims, the institute said. The beams were from floors 58 through 61 of Tower One, which was struck by American Airlines Flight 11 between the 93rd and 99th floors.

The Dole Institute is typically open to the public from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon until 5 p.m. Sunday, but the institute will be closed today and Monday.