With solemnity befitting the occasion and with a spirit of hope for the future, Westchester County will dedicate its memorial to the 109 Westchester residents who died in the events of Sept. 11, 2001.MORE ABOUT THE RISING...
With solemnity befitting the occasion and with a spirit of hope for the future, Westchester County will dedicate its memorial to the 109 Westchester residents who died in the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
The dedication of The Rising will take place Sunday, Sept 10 at 2 p.m., a day before the 5th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The memorial, four years in the works, is located at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla. The public is encouraged to arrive early and to bring folding chairs as seating is limited. The event will be held rain or shine.
(See below for fact sheet about the Memorial.)
County Executive Andy Spano called the memorial “awe-inspiring,” and said it was designed, constructed and dedicated with the support of the entire county.
“We are grateful for the unyielding commitment of the artisans who created and built this majestic monument, the families who told us what they wanted, and to all the individuals, workers, corporations, businesses and not-profit groups that gave of their time, their money and their support,” he said. “Our goal was to create an everlasting memorial for the families – and for our community; for people today and for generations tomorrow.”
The ceremony will include a reading of the names of the 109 Westchester residents who died in the terror attacks.
The ceremony will also include
• A dramatic water display across the reflecting pool by local fire departments,
• A rousing rendition of The Rising, written by Bruce Springsteen, performed by Tramps Like Us, a Westchester-based Springsteen tribute band.
• Performances by the Manhattanville College Vocal Chamber Ensemble
The Rising is an 80-foot-high stainless steel sculpture designed by noted architect Frederic Schwartz of New York. At the base of the structure are granite stones that bear the names of those Westchester residents who died and an inscription about them provided by their families.
Kensico Dam Plaza is located at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway in Valhalla.
For more information, call 914-995-2951 or log on to www.westchestergov.com
About the Performers
The Rising is a ballad written by Bruce Springsteen about September 11th and the events of that day. Formed in 1990 with a repertoire of more than 70 songs, Tramps Like Us has been dedicated to enjoying and sharing Springsteen’s music in a live setting. The group has performed with many distinguished musicians and plays regularly at clubs in the Westchester and New York City area. MTV has featured Tramps Like Us in their Week in Rock program. It is comprised of Mark Salore, guitars, harmonica and vocals; Ken Hope, keyboards and vocals; Jonathan Sanborn, bass and vocals; Brian Sears, saxophone, keyboards, percussion and vocals; and Rudy Feinauer, drums. The group’s website is: www.trampslikeus.com
About the Memorial
The Making of “The Rising”
… Westchester’s 9/11 Memorial
Who? The structure was designed by Frederic Schwartz Architects of New York City and fabricated by Tallix Foundry of Beacon, NY. More than 400 artists, architects, engineers, computer designers, skilled technicians and laborers, as well as a core group of family members and financial donors, were also involved.
What? The Rising is an 18-ton stainless steel sculpture with 109 intertwining steel rods rising skyward. At the base is a “Circle of Remembrance” that includes the names of those who died on September 11, 2001 as well as an inscription from their families.
When? The project has been in the works since County Executive Andy Spano announced plans in his State of the County Address in April 2002.
Where? The eastern corner of the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla.
Why? To recognize and honor the 109 Westchester residents killed in the tragedies of September 11.
Interesting facts:
• The memorial is 80 feet high and contains 10,000 linear feet of steel (enough to cover 27 football fields)
• 1,100 tons of fill and 1,215 tons of concrete had to be excavated and removed at the Kensico Dam site
• The project used 500 tons of sand, gravel and concrete, and contains 47,000 paving bricks
• Before installing the granite name plaques, workers had to drill 444 holes and construct 111 matching plywood templates
• Each of the granite plaques in the Circle of Remembrance weighs 165 pounds
• The project involved never-before-tried computer-design techniques such as wax-injected molds that were used to create “nodes”
• To support the structure during assembly, a three-dimensional framework had to be built out of 500 “scallop plates” robotically cut from plywood
• At the site alone, the project took over 5,000 hours of labor
THE MAKING OF WESTCHESTER’S 9/11 MEMORIAL IN PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO AND MORE
Exhibit and other events at Westchester Arts Council in White Plains precedes dedication of “THE RISING” on Sept. 10
Rod by rod, welded together one segment at a time, The Rising, Westchester’s September 11th Memorial, was assembled like the pieces of a gigantic erector set -- except that it was made with 10,000 linear feet of stainless steel that weighed 18 tons. And, instead of a group of youngsters, it took a brilliant team of artists, architects, engineers, computer designers, and skilled technicians and laborers to make it happen.
“A Community Comes Together: The Making of The Rising, Westchester County September 11th Memorial,” is a multi-media exhibition chronicling its five-year development. It will open to the public on September 7th and remain on view through September 26th at the Westchester Arts Council’s Arts Exchange Building at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains.
“The completion of The Rising marks a most significant milestone for Westchester,” County Executive Andy Spano said. “It is unique in the world and making the transition from concept to construction involved protocols and techniques that had never been tried before. It is important for the public to know—once they visit the memorial—exactly what went into creating it.”
The Rising is an 80-foot high stainless steel sculpture designed by world-renowned architect Frederic Schwartz to honor the 109 Westchester residents who died in the tragedies of September 11th. The memorial is situated at the eastern corner of the Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, and it will be formally dedicated on Sunday September 10th.
The exhibition features a wide selection of photographs, videos, architectural drawings, computerized images and other works that illustrate each stage of development. On display will be models of the structure during the design process, design drawings of the Circle of Remembrance portion and samples of the nodes that were cast to refine the shape of the sculpture.
Over 400 individuals—donors, workers, designers—will be honored along with family members at a private reception preceding the opening.
“The memorial could never have happened without the hard work, determination and dedication of so many people,” Spano said. “We need to say thank you to those, who with their checkbooks, and to those, who with their hands, made The Rising possible.”
“I also want to thank The Hudson River Museum, the Westchester Arts Council and Frederic Schwartz Architects all of whom helped our Communications Office put this exhibit together,’’ he added.
The Arts Exchange is located at 31 Mamaroneck Avenue, at the corner of Martine Avenue, in White Plains. The Janet Peckham Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 noon to 5 p.m. It will also be open on Monday, September 11th, from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free.
For more information on The Rising 9/11 Memorial or the exhibition, call 914-995-2951 or go to www.westchestergov.com