The World Trade Center in Tampa
During the clean up of Ground Zero, 700 million pounds of steel were removed. Some pieces were shipped, like relics, to be used in memorials all over the country. One piece – measuring about 17 inches wide, 43 inches tall, and an inch thick – ended up in Tampa, Florida.
Dominique Martinez is using it as part of his design for a memorial for the Firefighters Museum there. It will be surrounded by 56 polished steel spires that form wishbone framework reminiscent of the Twin Towers.
Before he was a sculptor, Martinez was a volunteer firefighter and art appraiser living in New York. Although he wasn’t in New York City on September 11, he feels a deep connection to the events there. “This is a piece of history that we’re touching,” he says of the rusted steel beam. “This is a piece of history that we’re handling. This is a piece of history that we’re creating.”
Decade 9/11
Explore all of the stories, music, images and events surrounding the tenth anniversary of 9/11 from New York Public Radio: WNYC, WQXR and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space.
Get news reports and interviews.
Explore photos and slide shows.
Stream exclusive video.
Music, stories and archived audio.
Find and attend related events.
Participate in our 9/11 projects.
View Content »
Slideshow: A Memorial Under Construction
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.