9/11 Memorials Aren’t Limited to NY and DC—They’re Everywhere
Thought the World Trade Center had the monopoly on 9/11 memorials? Think again. There are sites of remembrance across the US.
National Parks Service01Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA
Paul Murdoch Architects converted a former 2,200-acre coalmine in Shanksville, PA, where Flight 93 went down, into a permanent memorial operated by the National Park Service. Visitors undertake a series of experiences—strolling through allés, pathways, wetlands, groves, and a raised “tower of Voices.” They all lead to the Wall of Names, a series of white marble slabs on the crash site inscribed with the names of the victims.
Jeff Goldberg02Pentagon Memorial, Washington, D.C.
KBAS Studio have created a stark gravel field filled with 184 molded and cantilevered concrete, granite, and stainless steel benches, placed along the trajectory of Flight 77. Each bench, or “Memorial Unit,” is engraved with the name and birth year of a victim. The architects describe it as “a place that prompts contemplation but does not prescribe what to think or how to feel.”
Bill Timmerman/Matthew Salenger03Moving Memories, Phoenix, Arizona
Located at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza near the State Capitol in Phoenix, “Moving Memories,” designed by Jones Studio and coLAB Studio, is a concrete disc topped by an elevated ring of stainless steel and laser cut with 54 quotes related to the attack. As the sun moves, light passes through the etchings and projects them onto the ground below. Some of the phrases, many taken from local newspaper articles, proved controversial, including “must bomb back,” “fear of foreigners,” and “Erroneous US air strike kills 46 Uruzgan civilians.” Officials decided to remove the last of these, but kept almost everything else.
To the Struggle Against World Terrorism04To The Struggle Against World Terrorism, Bayonne, NJ
Created by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli, this monument, also known as the Tear Drop Memorial, stands at the end of Bayonne’s Military Ocean Terminal. The 10-story-tall, 175-ton bronze structure recreates the forms of the Twin Towers, with a jagged rip through its center and a 4-ton nickel tear hanging from the top. The structure, largely funded by Russia (“this monument will always be a testimony to our unity in the struggle against common threats,” Vladimir Putin said at the Dedication Ceremony) opened in 2006. Ironically Russia has become something of a threat, itself, in the intervening years.
Gidas Peteris05Beverly Hills 9/11 Memorial Garden, Beverly Hills, CA
Located on the grounds of the Beverly Hills Fire Department, this memorial garden—designed by Peteris Architects and Oakcrest Landscape— centers around a twisted steel member of the original World Trade Center positioned atop a Pentagon-shaped granite base. Nearby stand basalt replicas of the Twin Towers and a small triangular field of greenery and flowers, representing Shanksville. Encased in the foundation are copies of the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, and a piece of the aircraft from Flight 77.
Jorg Dubin06Semper Memento, Laguna Beach, CA
Created by local artist Jorg Dubin, *Semper Memento* (Latin for "always remember") comprises two steel beams from the original World Trade Center angled above a stainless steel sphere, supported by a pentagon-shaped concrete base. Located in the city’s Heisler Park, the sculpture has been the victim of vandalism three times, including a recent 5-inch-wide dent found in the sphere. More 9/11 memorials are located in nearby Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Project 9/11 Indianapolis07Project 9/11 Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
The piece, placed next to Indianapolis Fire Station 13 in downtown, consists of two 11,000-pound beams from the Twin Towers. Behind the beams stand granite monuments with inscriptions and timelines of the events of 9/11. Perched atop one of the beams is a bronze, life-sized sculpture of an American Bald Eagle with wings outstretched, its gaze directed toward New York City.
Ian McVea/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Getty Images089/11 Flight Crew Memorial, Grapevine, Texas
This 14-foot-tall bronze sculpture, representing the pilots, flight attendants, and passengers of the flights that went down on 9/11, was designed by Bryce Cameron Liston and sculpted by Dean Thompson. Sitting on a block of white limestone, it depicts two pilots, two flight attendants, and a child. Granite pavers engraved with the names of 9/11 crew members encircle the site.
Peter Vanderwarker09Boston Logan International Airport 9/11 Memorial, Boston, MA
Honoring the passengers and crews of American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, which departed from Logan Airport on September 11, the memorial is anchored by a cube of texture glass, two glazed panels of which are etched with the names of the passengers and crew on the flights. Moskow Linn Architects designed the edifice, which visitors access via two winding walkways that recreate the paths of the two flights. The memorial space, say the architects, symbolizes the break between the world before and after 9/11, and creates a sky-focused space (the view upward is fractured by sculptural insertions) for visitors to reflect and remember the events of that day.
Alamy10Garden of Remembrance, Boston, MA
Designer Victor Walker created Boston's memorial to the Massachusetts residents killed on 9/11, located on the edge of the Public Gardens in Back Bay. Benches, a small stone plaza, flowers, and trees all surround the curving, low-lying pink granite memorial, which lists 206 names.
Joe Brannan11The Garden of Reflection, Lower Makefield, PA
Local architect Liuba Lashchyk created Pennsylvania’s official 9/11 memorial, focused around a spiraling walkway and fountain, both bordered by glass railings inscribed with the names of those lost in the attacks. Its forecourt contains steel remnants from the World Trade Center. Forty-two lights line the walkway, representing the Pennsylvania children who lost parents in the attacks.
Jessica Jamroz12The Rising, Valhalla, New York
This 80-foot-tall stainless steel sculpture, designed by late architect Frederic Schwartz, comprises thousands of feet of welded steel. Its 109 rods represent the 109 Westchester residents originally thought to have perished on 9/11. (Additional local victims have since been identified and had their names added to the sculpture.) The title of the piece comes from a Bruce Springsteen song dedicated to the events of 9/11.
Drew Gurian13The Empty Sky, Jersey City, New Jersey
Schwartz also collaborated with designer Jessica Jamroz^1^ to create *Empty Sky* in Jersey City---twin stainless steel-clad walls, directed toward the World Trade Center site across the river. The imposing surfaces, whose lengths equal those of the sides of the Twin Towers, transect a sloped, grassy mound and are inscribed with the names of New Jersey’s 749 victims of the attacks.
Suisho Moriguchi14Postcards, Staten Island, New York
Perched on Staten Island’s North Shore, *Postcards*, dedicated to the 275 Staten Islanders who died on September 11, features two fiberglass structures representing folded postcards, presumably being sent to lost loved ones. Rows of granite plaques along the sides of the two pieces list victims’ names, birth dates, and places of work at the time of the attack. Designed by New York architect Masayuki Sono, it was the first major memorial completed in the New York area.
