| September 11 Memorials Sep 2nd 2011, 10:00 The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 stirred an international outpouring of support as artists and architects pondered ways to honor victims and affirm the resilience of the American spirit. Some designed massive monuments and museums. Others created simple yet powerful tributes in wood, glass, steel, and stone. Have you seen a monument that moved you? Please add to our list. 
Squared Design Lab / Courtesy of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation Known as Reflecting Absence, the National 9/11 Memorial lies at the heart of Ground Zero. Two reflecting pools symbolize the Twin Towers that were lost in the September 11 terrorist attacks. Cascading water suggests the whispers of the nearly 3,000 persons who died. Architect Michael Arad worked with landscape architect Peter Walker to create a haunting space for remembering September 11 victims, and also the victims of the 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center. 
Rendering by Squared Design Lab, Courtesy of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum A soaring glass atrium incorporates enormous steel columns salvaged from the destroyed North Tower at the World Trade Center site. Architect Craig Dykers and others from the Norway-based firm Snøhetta designed the Pavilion as an entry to the September 11 Memorial Museum building. 
Photo by Flickr Member NCinDC, Creative Commons 2.0 New York architects Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman designed a serene memorial to those who died in the September 11 attack on the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Set on peaceful grounds outside the Pentagon building, the memorial is made up of 184 illuminated benches--one bench for each victim. 
Image courtesy Paul Murdoch Architects Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects of Charlottesville envisoned a restful, uncomplicated memorial for the men and women who died when their hijacked plane crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. With sweeping views of the countryside, the Flight 93 National Memorial includes curving walkways, a tower of wind chimes, and a museum of artifacts. 
Photo © Scott Gries/Getty Images A cracked stone column frames a gigantic steel teardrop in this powerful September 11 monument at Bayonne Harbor in New Jersey. Known as The Tear of Grief, The Teardrop Memorial, or To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, the monument was designed by Russian artist Zurab Tsereteli. 
Photo by Flickr Member Sister72, Creative Commons 3.0 The Postcards Memorial on New York's Staten Island evokes a sense of flight with white-winged "postcards" stretching skyward. The desinger, Masayuki Sono, is a painter and architect from Japan who now works for the New York firm, Voorsanger Architects. 
Photo by Flickr Member Mr. T in DC, Creative Commons 2.0 The terrorist attacks on New York City demolished the World Trade Center, yet parts of a spherical sculpture by German artist Fritz Koenig miraculously survived. Koenig's Sphere was salvaged from the ruins and placed in Battery Park near New York Harbor. Plans are to place the Sphere in Liberty Park at Ground Zero after reconstruction is complete. 
Photo by "Mech47ct" A reader sent us this photo of a striking memorial for victims of the September 11 attacks. Glass sculptor Henry Richardson used glass salvaged from the New York World Trade Center site to fashion a glistening tower. The Glass Monument is located in Danbury, Connecticut, which was home to many of the victims. 
Photo by Flickr member Ludovic Bertron, Creative Commons 2.0 A great memorial does not have to made from stone, glass, or steel. Architects and designers in New York City created an annual light show to honor September 11 victims. Twin beams of light form haunting "phantoms" of the buildings destroyed in the terrorist attacks.   | |
