September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attack memorials and services


The first memorials to the victims of the September 11, 2001 Terrorist
Attack began to take shape online, as hundreds of webmasters posted their
own thoughts, links to the Red Cross and other rescue agencies, photos and
eyewitness accounts. Numerous online Sept. 11 memorials began appearing a
few hours after the attacks, although many of these memorials were only
temporary. (For an assessment of the response of webloggers to the attacks,
see When blogging came of age .)

The Tribute in Light was the first major physical memorial at the World
Trade Center site. A permanent memorial at the World Trade Center site is
planned, as part of the design by Studio Daniel Libeskind. The plans call
for preservation of much of the towers' foundational "bathtub", with glass
towers wending around to a 1776-foot high spire.

The first anniversary of the attack brought numerous memorials and services.

81 streets in New York City, mostly in Staten Island, were renamed after
victims.

Vigils and services

In New York City, candlelight vigils were held across the city on Wednesday
night [September 12] and Friday night [September 14] at 7:00 PM. (A related
email hoax spread, encouraging people to "go outside at 7pm so NASA can take
a photo". See Misinformation and rumors.)

Several thousand citizens march in a candlelight procession through the
Adams Morgan district, through Dupont Circle, past dozens of embassies and
onto the National Mall, where they join additional thousands of their fellow
citizens holding vigil over The Pentagon, just across the Potomac River.

In England, in a break with the long-standing usual procedures at Buckingham
Palace, the Queen ordered the Changing of the Guard to be paused for a two
minute silence on September 13th, followed by the playing of the American
national anthem. A memorial service was held in St. Paul's cathedral,
London, attended by the Queen and politicians on the 14th September. A three
minute silence at 11 o'clock was held throughout Europe on the 14th. Rev.
Billy Graham led a service at Washington National Cathedral, with George W.
Bush, the former presidents other than Reagan, Congressional leaders, other
top officials in attendance. George W. Bush spoke, beginning with the
memorable phrase We are here in the middle hour of our grief.

Vigils and memorial services continued to be held in the following days. On
Sunday the families of the victims of the crash of United Airlines flight 93
gathered at the crash site in Pennsylvania for a private ceremony, then
joined in a service attended by governor Tom Ridge and First Lady Laura
Bush.

Church services are held across the United States and much of the world.
Here is [one service held September 16].

[StPatrickCathedral.jpg]
St. Patricks Cathedral
On October 4, a memorial Mass is held before 3 PM EDT in St. Patrick's
Cathedral for NYFD captain Terence Hatton; Giuliani and Pataki are in
attendance. Hatton's wife was Rudy Giuliani's executive assistant, Beth
Patrone. She discovered that she was pregnant on September 13th. A service
is held after 3 PM EDT in Madison Square Garden for the 74 employees of the
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who are missing and presumed dead.

At 11 AM: Blessing of the Animals

     Special service dedicated to the World Trade Center search and rescue
     teams at the Church of the Resurrection, 119 E. 74th St., free
     (212.879.4320). Service begins at 11; blessing is at 12:30 PM.

A memorial is constructed and then set ablaze at the Playa del Fuego event
on the October 19-21 weekend.

At noon on November 29, a national memorial service was held at Westminster
Abbey in London, attended by relatives of the British dead, and broadcast on
UK television and radio.

On May 28, the last steel beam standing at the site was cut down and placed
on a flatbed truck in a quiet ceremony.

Physical memorials

Impromptu memorials are put up at Washington Square, with hundreds of
candles and flowers, and Union Square, where people write messages on large
rolls of paper taped to the ground amidst candles, including a 6-foot high
concrete candle. A mural is spray-painted on a wall in the Lower East Side.
In the coming days the memorials continue to grow, especially at Union
Square Park, where thousands come to congregate, grieve, and celebrate--the
statue George Washington in Union Square overtaken as a shrine for peace,
memory and the United States, thousands of candles are added, a metal
sculpture of the American flag and 2500 roses planted in the shape of the
World Trade Center towers.

The Stars and Stripes appear on front stoops, flagpoles, cars, clothing, and
on public buildings across the country.

A statue in honor of fallen firefighters, commissioned in 2000 by the
Firefighters Association of Missouri, was in New York City en route to
Missouri at the time of the attack. It was since donated to New York City in
honor of the hundreds of firefighters who lost their lives in the collapse
of the World Trade Center.

On October 4, Reverend Brian Jordan, a Franciscan priest, blessed two beams
at the crash site which had formed a cross spontaneously, and then had been
welded together by ironworkers.

On March 11, the damaged Sphere sculpture formerly in the World Trade Center
was dedicated by the city as a temporary memorial in Battery Park City.

Beginning March 11, the Tribute in Light project, 88 searchlights placed
next to the site of the World Trade Center created two vertical columns of
light, lasting until April 14.

Performances and benefits

On Thursday, September 20, the New York Philharmonic performed a memorial
concert of the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem in Avery Fisher Hall. The
concert was led off by the national anthem, and on the stage was a flag
which appeared on stage during all Philharmonic World War II concerts. All
proceeds went to disaster relief. At the request of the Philharmonic
director, all applause was held, and the audience filed out in silence.

On Friday, September 21, America: A Tribute to Heroes

     A two-hour live telethon entitled "", with musical performances and
     spoken tributes by top American performers, was simultaneously
     broadcast on nearly every single network. Celebrities such as Al
     Pacino, George Clooney and Jack Nicholson manned the phones.

On Tuesday, October 2, beginning at 8 PM EDT: Come Together: A Night of John
Lennon's Words and Music

     A tribute to John Lennon that became a concert of prayer and healing
     for New York City to benefit the relief efforts, hosted by Kevin Spacey
     and featuring Dave Matthews, Moby, Stone Temple Pilots, Nelly Furtado,
     Shelby Lynne, Alanis Morissette, Cyndi Lauper, The Isley Brothers, Lou
     Reed, Marc Anthony, Natalie Merchant, Yolanda Adams, Sean Lennon and
     Yoko Ono, was held at Radio City Music Hall and simultaneously
     broadcast live on the TNT and WB networks. It had been scheduled before
     the attack to be taped September 20 and broadcast on October 9 to
     promote a non-violent world.

On Thursday, October 4, at 9 PM EDT: ART Benefit for Sept. 11 Fund

     Silent auction of photography, mixed media, painting and sculpture to
     benefit the victims, at View Bar, 232 8th Ave., free (212.929.2243).

On Saturday, October 6, at 6 PM EDT: And the Sun Went Down

     Luvchild Theatre Ensemble performs a work in progress based on stories
     of people directly affected by the events of Sept. 11. All proceeds
     benefit victims and families, at New York Comedy Club, 241 E. 24th St.,
     $10 plus two drink minimum (212.330.9314).

On Sunday, October 7: AMF National Bowl-a-thon

     National effort to raise $3 million for the Twin Towers Fund. In New
     York City at 3 PM: Chelsea Piers, $200 per lane.

On Monday, October 8: New York City Columbus Day Parade

     The annual Columbus Day parade is dedicated to victims and rescue and
     relief workers. The NYPD and FDNY do not march in the parade as they
     usually do, but send a single fire truck instead, in somber memory.

At 3 p.m. EDT:

     Free Brooklyn Philharmonic concert conducted by Robert Spano at the
     Brooklyn Academy of Music with music from American composers, including
     George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, and Aaron Copland. The concert is
     rebroadcast on WNYC at 8 p.m.

On Monday, October 8 and October 15, from 11-8: Haircut for Life

     Roberto Novo and his stylists cut hair to benefit WTC victims at the
     Roberto Novo Salon, 192 8th Ave., $25 minimum (212.929.1652).

On Tuesday, October 9: Benefit for WTC Disaster Fund: Celebration of John
Lennon's Birthday

     The East Village Antifolk scene play John Lennon's and their own songs
     to raise money. Performances from The Voyces, Joie DBG, Amos, Bionic
     Finger, Laura Fay, Barry Bliss, Tony Hightower, Linda Draper, Pat
     Cisarano, Lach, Testosterone Kills, Kenny Davidsen, Jude Kastle, Bree
     Sharp, Erica Smith, Fenton Lawless, Grey Revell, at the Sidewalk Cafe,
     94 Ave. A, two-drink minimum (212-473-7373).

On October 17, Marvel Comics and other members of the comic industry release
a tribute book, primarily with drawings of firefighters and police officers,
with proceeds going to the victims. Other charity books are also in
production.

Memorial efforts

Several reporters for The New York Times, including Metro reporter Wendell
Jameson, are writing 150-word entries for each of the World Trade Center
victims, which highlight brief anecdotes about their lives. They expect the
effort to take about 10 months.