As New York City and the nation mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, people across the city will gather at prominent sites — from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in downtown Manhattan to the Brooklyn 9/11 Wall of Remembrance at Maimonides Park in Coney Island — to honor the nearly 3,000 victims of the deadliest terror attack on U.S. soil.

Brooklyn is home to smaller, deeply personal memorials, and Brooklyn Paper is highlighting neighborhood sites and tributes honoring the victims.

Squad Company 1, Park Slope

At Squad 1, an FDNY elite special operations unit on Union Street in Park Slope, 9/11 artifacts honor the memory of the 12 firefighters the firehouse lost on Sept. 11, 2001:

Capt. James M. Amato
Capt. Michael Esposito
Lt. Edward A. D’Atri
Lt. Michael N. Fodor
Lt. David J. Fontana
Lt. Michael T. Russo Sr.
FF Gary R. Box
FF Thomas M. Butler
FF Peter J. Carroll
FF Robert Joseph Cordice
FF Matthew David Garvey
FF Stephen Gerard Siller

The duty roster from Sept. 10, 2001, is still prominently displayed, bearing the names of firefighters who, even though their shift had ended, jumped on the fire rig alongside their colleagues on duty to respond to the World Trade Center.

The engine door of Squad 1’s engine, which was crushed when the towers collapsed, leads to the firefighters’ dayroom, while several apparatus plaques grace the walls of the firehouse.

The shift-board from Sept. 10, 2001 Squad 1 Firehouse in Parks Slope bears the names over the firefighters who died on 9/11. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The door of Squad Company 1’s rig that was destroyed on 9/11 now leads to the dayroom. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

For years, a wooden statue inspired by the iconic image of three firefighters raising the American flag at Ground Zero graced the firehouse entrance. Unfortunately, the sculpture had to be moved inside the firehouse due to weather damage.

Entitled “Out of the Rubble,” the Sitka spruce sculpture stood 10.5 feet tall and 5.5 feet wide, including its base, which was constructed of I-beams and broken concrete and featured stainless steel plaques bearing the names of the 343 firefighters who perished on 9/11.

Its creator, 82-year-old chainsaw artist and former fire chief Nyal Thomas Jr., told Brooklyn Paper in a phone interview that it took him three months to create the sculpture.

“Being a fireman and a fire chief, and being a sculptor, I just felt it was appropriate. It was something that I could do, so I carved it. It was a beautiful piece,” Thomas said.

Chainsaw artist and former firefighter Nyal Thomas create the sculpture for Squad Company 1 to commemorate the memory of the firefighters who died on 9/11. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

He recalled that it took him 21 days to drive the sculpture, loaded onto a flatbed trailer, from Oregon to New York City, stopping at 91 firehouses along the way before it was dedicated to Squad Company 1 in March 2002.

“Everybody wanted to see it when we were traveling cross-country. We ended up having a route where people would meet us, and then we’d go to a firehouse in a city, and they’d have a big celebration and send their love to the New York firefighters,” Thomas said.

Our Lady of Angels, Bay Ridge

The parish’s courtyard features a permanent 9/11 memorial: a steel cross salvaged from the World Trade Center rubble that serves as a place of reflection and remembrance for the community.

In 2002, Our Lady of Angels’ pastor, Father James Devlin, and parishioner John D’Onofrio were searching for a memento at one of the scrap yards in New Jersey where debris from the Twin Towers had been moved. They discovered two mangled steel beams that had melted together into the unmistakable shape of a Christian cross.

Father Devlin, who served the parish from 1998-2009, arranged to bring the twisted steel beams back to Brooklyn to serve as the centerpiece of the 9/11 Memorial Shrine.

A plaque next to the cross is engraved with the names of Our Lady of Angels parishioners who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001, including Moira Reddy Smith, the only female NYPD officer killed in the attacks.

A weathered firefighter’s helmet belonging to a firefighter who also perished that day serves as a reminder of the 343 FDNY personnel who lost their lives.

At the Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge, a cross, made from WTC beams, and a firefighter helmet pay tribute to 9/11. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann At the Lady of Angels Church in Bay Ridge, a cross, made from WTC beams, and a firefighter helmet pay tribute to 9/11. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The names of the parishioners who died on 9/11 are engraved on a plaque. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

St. Ephrem’s Catholic Church, Dyker Heights

The Garden of Hope at St. Ephrem’s is dedicated to the nine parishioners the congregation lost in the terrorist attacks, offering a space for quiet prayer and reflection.

The outdoor sanctuary features a life-size bronze statue of Jesus cradling the Twin Towers, with a piece of steel from the World Trade Center at its base. Memorial trees with plaques bearing the victims’ names also surround the garden.

The Garden of Hope at St. Ephrem’s is dedicated to nine parishioners who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The Garden of Hope at St. Ephrem’s is dedicated to nine parishioners who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The Garden of Hope at St. Ephrem’s is dedicated to nine parishioners who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann

Xaverian High School, Bay Ridge

The 9/11 Alumni Memorial, prominently displayed on the school’s front grounds on Shore Road, honors the memory of 23 Xaverian graduates who were killed on Sept. 11, 2001.

The 8-foot-tall, 7.5-foot-wide triptych of polished onyx granite, with an eternal flame at its base, was a gift from the late Dr. Philip Whitcome, a 1966 Xaverian graduate and former chairman of the Xaverian Board. The central panel portrays the Twin Towers behind a large gray crucifix. Mounted beneath the gold-leafed name “Xaverian” is a 24-by-18-by-2.5-inch piece of structural steel from a foundation beam of Tower One, donated to the Alumni by New York City’s Office of Emergency Management.

The names of Xaverian’s 23 lost alumni are carved on the left panel, while the words “All Lost Some, Some Lost All” appear on the right panel.

The Xaverian 9/11 Alumni Memorial is dedicated to 23 Xaverian graduates who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The Xaverian 9/11 Alumni Memorial is dedicated to 23 Xaverian graduates who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann The Xaverian 9/11 Alumni Memorial is dedicated to 23 Xaverian graduates who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann