Community Bands Together to Erect 9/11 Memorial

Croton architect Jim Rhodes was in Manhattan when the twin towers fell. The devastating events of that day forever changed him and many others. Like so many who had darkness fall upon them, Rhodes wanted something positive to come out of the shadows of 9/11. That is why he says he became part of the task force whose goal is to build a 9/11 memorial in Croton-on-Hudson. "I volunteered for the project because of the closeness I had to the event," said Rhodes. "My office was below 14th Street... Everyone in my office saw the second crash and the towers come down."

The project started when the municipalities of Cortlandt, Buchanan and Croton learned that they would receive steel from the World Trade Center. When Rhodes saw the steel, he got the idea to make a sundial out a steel beam from the towers. Rhodes has written a poem about the experience of 9/11 and its connection to the memorial's sundial theme. "The poem explains that the shadow of the steel was something horrible when it happened—the dust and the debris—but today we can use that shadow positively to tell you time and give you reassurance that… the sundial will always touch known points every September 11th," said Rhodes.

Rhodes is no stranger to historic projects. He has been the preservation project manager for the major restoration of Grand Central Terminal in the 90s. Rhodes was also the project director, with the National Park Service, for restoring Ellis Island.

Rhodes is just one of many volunteers who continue to work towards a memorial at Croton Landing. The memorial will be called, "Reaching Through the Shadow," and it will be erected on the riverbank at Croton Landing in Croton-on-Hudson.

The task force, which is spearheading the 9/11 memorial, just received an estimate on the project cost. Volunteers have been told that the cost of construction, engineering and landscaping will total approximately $200,000.

Volunteers are currently holding multiple fundraisers to help pay for the project. The group's next fundraiser will be September 10 at Cortlandt Family Day. Details on the Cortlandt Family Day fundraiser will be on the group's website soon. The next fundraiser will take place September 10 and 11 at the Toughman Triathalon at Croton Point Park. On September 18 there will be a dedicated fundraising event at Monteverde Restaurant in Cortlandt Manor. There will also be a fundraiser at Buchanan's Family Day on September 24. On October 17 there will be a fundraiser golf outing at Hollowbrook Golf Course. For details on all of the fundraisers click here. 

For more information go to the 9/11 Memorial task force's website. You can also visit the memorial's Facebook site.