Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox Sculpture
| image = Hudson Riverfront 9-11 Memorial HDR 2022 jeh.jpg
| caption=
| title = Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial
| artist =
| year = 2011
(dedicated September 7)
| type = Steel
| height_imperial = 30
| imperial_unit = ft
| metric_unit = m
| city = Hudson River Walkway
Weehawken, New Jersey
| museum =
}}
The Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial, also known as the Weehawken 9/11 Memorial, is a memorial in Weehawken, New Jersey. It commemorates the '9/11 boat lift', the emergency rescue response, and those who perished (including five Weehawken residents) in the aftermath the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center in 2001. It is located on the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway at the site of triage which had been set up on the left bank of Hudson River and was dedicated ten years after the events of that day.
Description
File:FEMA - 5708 - Photograph by Andrea Booher taken on 10-05-2001 in New York.jpg
The memorial includes two trident-shaped beams recovered from the World Trade Center (WTC) set vertically into an infinity pool, a fountain, and a commemorative plaque.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nj.com/hudson/2011/09/hudson_riverfront_911_memorial.html|title=Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial is unveiled in Weehawken|first=Kate |last= Kowsh |newspaper =The Jersey Journal|date=September 8, 2011}} The beams stand {{convert|30|ft|m}} feet tall and at the top are {{convert|8|ft|m}} wide. They weigh 50,000 pounds. They serve as visual reference to the parts of the buildings that withheld and outlasted the damage;{{Cite web|url=https://registries.911memorial.org/#/memorials/5a395b4d-7f52-4916-a69c-4656fb7988f0|title=9/11 Memorial Registries|website=registries.911memorial.org}} Seating at the oval shaped park orients the viewer to the site of the former buildings in Lower Manhattan.{{Cite web|last=Reed|first=Mary|date=August 12, 2011|url=https://www.constructionequipmentguide.com/memorial-to-debut-for-9-11-anniversary/16757|title=Memorial to Debut for 9/11 Anniversary|website=Construction Equipment Guide}}
=Tridents=
An iconic architectural feature of the exterior of the WTC were the three-pronged decorative and structural elements at its base, commonly referred to as "tridents", for their three-tine fork-like shape.{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/two-trees-return-to-the-world-trade-center/|title=Two 'Trees' Return to the World Trade Center|first=David W.|last=Dunlap|date=September 8, 2010|work=The New York Times}} The tridents were formed by massive steel beams rising from the base of the towers along the exterior walls. At the seventh story, the aluminum-clad beams divided into three smaller beams that continued to the 110th floor of each tower.{{cite web|url=https://collection.911memorial.org/Gallery/994|website=collection.911memorial.org|title=National September 11th Memorial & Museum Collection: Features: Large Artifacts|access-date=2021-10-11}} They were produced by Lukens Steel Company, and nicknamed "trees".{{Cite web|last=Levine|first=Lester|date=September 8, 2017|url=https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/insight/memorializing-9-11-with-wtc-steel|title=Memorializing 9/11 with 'WTC Steel'|website=World-Architects}}
After the attacks, several sections of the towers' lower facade remained standing. They were eventually dismantled and stored in Hangar 17 at JFK Airport along with other artifacts.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/happened-remnants-world-trade-center|title=What happened to the remnants of the World Trade Center?|website=pbs.org|date=10 September 2016|last=Regan|first=Michael D. |access-date=2021-09-27}}{{cite web|last=Patino|first=Marie|date=September 10, 2021|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-09-10/mapping-the-second-life-of-the-world-trade-center|title=Mapping the Second Life of the World Trade Center|website=Bloomberg|access-date=2021-09-27}} The beams had to be cut into lengths of {{convert|30|ft|m}} to fit onto trucks to be carted off the WTC site.
One trident is at the entrance of the Terrorist Screening Center in Vienna, Virginia.{{Cite web|url=https://evergreene.com/projects/9-11-memorial-trident/|title=9-11 Memorial Trident|website=EverGreene}} Two of the tridents have been re-assembled in the interior of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.{{Cite news|last=Topousis|first=Tom|date=September 4, 2007|url=https://www.wtc.com/media/news/trident-true-symbol|title=Trident True Symbol|work=New York Post|via=www.wtc.com}} Others have been returned to Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where they were manufactured, as a memorial at the National Iron and Steel Heritage Museum.
=Inscription=
The inscription includes a quote from President John F. Kennedy:
"The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy."
Significance
Thousands of people were transported across the Hudson River by commercial ferry boats, tug boats, police and fire boats and passenger vessels in the maritime evacuation of Lower Manhattan. Hundreds, including injured emergency personnel, office workers and civilians, were severely burned, injured or emotionally traumatized. The memorial's location near Weehawken Port Imperial was a site where approximately 60,000 people were brought (mostly by NY Waterway and Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises boats) and a triage was quickly established.{{Cite web|url=https://www.portimperialnj.com/discover/hudson-riverfront-911-memorial|title=Hudson Riverfront 9/11 Memorial; Port Imperial NJ|website= Port Imperial NJ}}{{Cite web|url=https://cahnroundup.com/2011/09/09/city-of-weehawken-unveils-911-memorial-on-hudson-river-waterfront/|title=City of Weehawken Unveils 9/11 Memorial on Hudson River Waterfront|date=September 9, 2011|website=Cahn PR}}{{Cite web|url=https://hudsoncountyview.com/weehawken-site-of-salvation-for-ny-residents-on-911-hosts-interfaith-ceremony/|title=Weehawken, site of salvation for NY residents on 9/11, hosts interfaith ceremony|first=John|last=Heinis|date=September 12, 2016|website=Hudson County View}}
Hudson River Walkway 9/11 memorials
File:9.-11 Makeshift Memorial Jersey City.jpg
There are other memorials along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, namely at Pier A, Hoboken, the Jersey City 9/11 Memorial at Paulus Hook/Exchange Place, Empty Sky at Liberty State Park, and To the Struggle Against World Terrorism in Bayonne.{{Cite web|date=September 8, 2021|url=https://www.usatoday.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2021/09/08/twin-towers-live-these-9-11-memorials-around-us/5777751001/|title=Twin Towers live on in these 9/11 memorials around the US|website=USA Today}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
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External links
- {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs9ko89WEUE|title=Weehawken, NJ - 9/11 Memorial|via=www.youtube.com}}
- [https://www.americanwaterways.com/media/videos/boatlift-tom-hanks-narrates-untold-tale-911-resilience Boatlift (film)]
{{September 11 attacks}}
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Category:Memorials for the September 11 attacks
Category:Weehawken, New Jersey
Category:Monuments and memorials in New Jersey
Category:Buildings and structures in Hudson County, New Jersey
Category:Tourist attractions in Hudson County, New Jersey