Outside the five boroughs of New York City, no region has been more deeply affected by the tragedy of September 11th, 2001, than Long Island.  The Long Island 9/11 Memorial will be a lasting tribute to the more than 450 Long Islanders lost in that horrific attack on the World Trade Center.

As conceived, the Long Island 9/11 Memorial will be more than a simple symbol of remembrance for a day that none of us will ever forget.  This site will be dedicated to life – to healing – to helping – to preserving the very human stories of heroism and sacrifice that occurred on that day and weeks and months that followed.  It will be a tribute to the people, organizations and corporations of Long Island that contributed time, labor, goods and services to the search and recovery efforts.  Most of all, it will be a place to honor the victims, the survivors, the families and the rescuers, whose collective strength and courage inspired not only our nation, but the entire world.

The Long Island 9/11 Memorial will occupy several park-like acres – a gift from the State University of New York on their Farmingdale campus, which straddles both Nassau and Suffolk counties.  These spacious grounds will include walkways, gardens, and areas set aside fro reflection and contemplation, including arched gardens set aside for police and fire rescue personnel.  The centerpiece will be a twelve-foot monolith of steel recovered from the debris at “Ground Zero.”

Adjacent to the memorial, in historic Cutler Hall, there will be the aforementioned Resource and Learning Center for those who wish to learn more about the attack and its aftermath.  As planned, the Center will feature both permanent and temporary exhibits, a library of both print and audio-visual media, meeting rooms, and classrooms.

Together, the Memorial and Resource Learning Center will keep the memory and the lessons of 9/11 alive for generations to come.

Under the aegis of the Long Island 9/11 Memorial Committee and the Long Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a design competition was held among Long Island architects during the summer and fall of 2004.  The winning design has been chosen and will be unveiled in a ceremony and news conference in January 2005.  The design is intended to provide the basis for the final Memorial plan, subject to the approval by New York State and securing the necessary funding.  As presently envisioned, the Memorial will feature a walk-through timeline, with separate stations to commemorate the events of that mournful day, a reflecting pool, and memorial gardens.

In addition to the exhibit, media, and meeting facilities, the anticipated renovations to Cutler Hall Resource Center will include ample provisions for recognizing the individual and corporate contributors whose generosity will help to make the Long Island 9/11 Memorial a reality.

The Long Island 9/11 Memorial Committee (conceived by the Long Island Association of Retired NYC Firefighters) is a not-for-profit, [501.c.(3)], grass roots organization, unaffiliated with any government entity or the State University of New York.  The sole purpose of the committee is to see that this Memorial and Resource Learning Center comes to fruition.  Just as this project is meant to be for all Long Islanders, it will be grateful for assistance of private citizens, corporations and government bodies’ from across Long Island and outside the region, for us to realize this dream. 

The project will be completed in two phases.  The first will be the finalization of the Memorial design and its construction.  The second will be the renovation and conversion of Cutler Hall into a modern resource, media and meeting center.  The timing of each phase will depend, necessarily, on development of the necessary funding.  Opportunities that exist to recognize corporate, private and governmental contributions include name dedications, plaques, honor rolls and the sponsorship of paving stones.

Many of the Island’s business, social and political leaders have already made personal commitments of time and money to this project.  If you or your organization would like to join them in advancing this cause, please contact us via mail at P.O.Box 911, Kings Park, NY 11754-0911 or call the committee president, Mr. Robert De Silva at 631-269-7738.