The Riverwalk 9/11 Monument in Fort Lauderdale, illuminated at night, before seawall erosion caused it to be barricaded. [Go Riverwalk]

By Marc Gave | New Pelican Writer

The monuments erected in memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001 help us mourn those who were killed, honor the courage of survivors and first responders, and give families and communities places to come together and bond over a shared tragedy. They also provide the essential educational service of helping younger generations understand the events of September 11th and how they changed our country and the world.

Some may ask why such memorials belong in Broward County. Many current Broward residents, including this writer, were living in areas directly affected by the tragedy: the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the crash site of United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. But well beyond those, we shared the tragedy as a nation. Through names, artifacts, design, and ceremonies, these memorials transform a tragic day into a vital lesson about service, remembrance, compassion, and resilience.

There are several memorial sites across Broward County: the lower level of Terminal 1 of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Coral Springs, Miramar, North Lauderdale, and Pembroke Pines. But the ones most familiar to our readers are probably in Founders Park in Pompano Beach, and Riverwalk in Fort Lauderdale. 

“Unbroken Spine, A Book of American Heroism” was designed by sculptor Cherie Saleeby and installed in June 2019 at Founders Park, 306 NE 3 St., in front of the Historical Society and adjacent to the Pompano Beach Firehouse #1 Museum. It features a rectangular piece of corten (weathering) steel from the World Trade Center, donated by former Pompano fire chief Harry Small, incorporated into a sculpture shaped like the spine of a hardcover book open to two glass pages etched with the names of all 343 first responders who lost their lives on September 11th.

Saleeby answered a call to artists from Broward County Cultural Affairs Art in Public Places, and her design was selected from those submitted. The fragility of the etched glass contrasts mightily with the weathered steel. At night, LED lights illuminate the pages, which brings extra poignance to the memorial.

The 9/11 monument that sculptor Cherie Saleeby created for Pompano Beach’s Founders Park, lit up at night. It features the names of all 343 first responders who lost their lives on September 11th. [New Pelican]

Saleeby is a sculptor of great breadth and ingenuity. While she has created numerous figurative works in marble and bronze, she is intrigued by unconventional materials such as neon, tar, video work, and installations. Her other community work includes the Duane Hanson Allied Artist Award to assist the Art in Public Places commissioned team of Harries/Héder on the construction of a stone amphitheater and other artistic features plus seating sculptures at Miramar Regional Park. Unconventional materials are certainly put to good use in this memorial. You can visit cheriesaleeby.com to view the depth, material diversity, and her dedication to the arts.

For this 25th anniversary of the attack, Pompano Beach will hold a remembrance ceremony on Sept. 11, at the Charlotte Burrie Community Center, 2669 N. Federal Hwy., from 6 to 8 pm. It is free and open to the public and will feature patriotic and Jazz music, live art, and refreshments.

The Fort Lauderdale 9/11 Monument on the Riverwalk displays a segment of track from the PATH subway line that ran underneath the World Trade Center and was reduced to rubble in the wreckage of the towers. It is supported in an uplifted position by granite pillars, representing the Manhattan bedrock that lay beneath the fallen towers. They are joined by an illuminated acrylic spine that represents light emerging from the darkness of destruction. The base of the monument carries a storyline of the memorial and the whole has been lit up at night.

Due to safety concerns from recent seawall erosion, sections of the base had to be removed. Bricks have been crumbling, and the area is now barricaded. The monument was designed by local planning and landscape architecture firm EDSA, which designed the Riverwalk itself. It came about after a lottery was held for non-profits to obtain a remnant of the World Trade Center wreckage. Go Riverwalk, the organization that publishes the print and online magazine of the same name, won. It opened a competition for the monument’s design and wound up selecting EDSA. It was dedicated by the city on Sept. 11, 2020.

There will be two 25th anniversary commemorations in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 11. At 9 a.m., a gathering will take place at the Historic Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum, 1022 W. Las Olas Blvd, in conjunction with the city. The second, sponsored by the Thank You First Responder Organization, which would have taken place at the monument, has been moved nearby to the Flow Breezeway at Flow Fort Lauderdale, 221 SW 1 Ave., from 6 to 9 pm, with an after-event at The Wharf, 20 W Las Olas Blvd.

However you spend September 11th, know that there are others nearby to bond with as needed.

Last year’s 9/11 ceremony at the Historic Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum. [Steven Alpert/New Pelican]