The Firefighters' Memorial is Unveiled Downtown

The Fire Department unveiled its memorial to the firefighters who "fell" and "who carry on" yesterday afternoon. The 56-foot long bas-relief is on the side of Engine Company 10 and Ladder Company 10 at 124 LIberty Street. The NY Times described it as a "full panorama, centered on the flaming towers, with heroic and humbled firefighters on either side." Almost immediately after the unveiling, family members were rubbing paper against the memorial's names. Fire Chief Peter Hayden made this pointed remark about the memorial: "We've had empty promises from empty suits, but the Fire Department has fulfilled its promise."

The Times also has an interactive feature of the memorial. Plus the article explains how the memorial was made and where the money for the memorial came from (there was some money left over in the "ice fund" - money for making cold compresses for volunteer workers - and the firefighters asked for a memorial). The fund was created by Holland and Knight Charitable Foundation's Brian Starer and the memorial was made by Rambusch Studios

Photograph by Hiroko Masuike/AP

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By Jen Chung in News on June 11, 2006 9:49 AM

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Todd - Des Moines

The Memorial I found most breathtaking was the Firemen walking around Ladder 10 station. They are the true living memorial of September 11, 2001. They are the ones who survived that day, as well as the many days, weeks, months, and years that have followed. They're still standing. They still have the courage to wake up each morning and step outside of the firehouse and be reminded day after day of that terrible morning by looking into that empty pit. When I stood outside, yes, I saw the bronze memorial, but my eyes were on the living heroes. My heart and my prayers go out to each of them. My God watch over them.

zincink

jmchez- yeah nobody cares about us classic trained artists.. :(

jmchez

You mean that there are still artists that can create memorials in the classical style that has served Western Civilization for over 2,000 years? Representations of realistic human figures to tell a story, not sharp angles of concrete and rusted metal in vaporous new age settings designed for meditation on one\'s inner feelings and cosciousness? How refreshing! The fact that this memorial was built so far ahead of the \"official\" one is a pleasant added bonus.

God bless the firefighters and their families! I hope that this memorial will instill a sense of dignity, taste and urgency in the planners and decision makers involved in the WTC reconstruction.