Being Part of Something Bigger: Hilliard's 9/11 Memorial Uses Trade Center Artifacts

As architects, engineers and planners, we like to say that we improve the quality of life for people. Heck, sometimes we even think of ourselves as heroes when we've solved a particularly tricky problem.

This Saturday, though, every one of us will, at one point or another, pause for a moment to think about real heroes. And in Hilliard, Ohio, the citizens and the city leaders will honor real heroes when they unveil First Responders' Park, the largest 9/11 memorial to date.

The park was created to honor the service personnel who responded to the 9/11 tragedy, as well as the civilian victims of the attacks.

The park, which incorporates three steel artifacts from the World Trade Center, will be located on Main and Center Streets in the heart of Olde Hilliard.

Among the first cities to send its public safety departments to assist with search and rescue efforts after the attacks, Hilliard’s connection to the victims of the tragedy runs deep.

“This memorial honors the willingness of our first responders, and so many others, to put themselves in harm’s way for the benefit of others. That commitment to the greater good is what makes this country great,” says Hilliard Mayor Donald Schonhardt.

“We had the opportunity, in that the land was available, and we wanted to make this happen, “ adds Norwich Township Fire Chief David Long.

The .633 acre park, designed by architecture, engineering and planning firm Bird Houk-OHM, is a contemplative space to remember and reflect on this life changing event. The park incorporates sculpture, intersecting granite walls etched with the names of the victims of the New York, Pennsylvania, and D.C. tragedies; as well as tiered fountains, a trellis resembling structural beams, and artifacts from the World Trade Center.

The project team was one of the first ‘civilian groups’ permitted by the New York and New Jersey Port Authorities to select items for the park’s design from Hangar 17 at JFK Airport where the fragments of the WTC Towers are housed.

“The experience was incredibly moving,” says Bird Houk Designer Tony Slanec.

Slanec says the items that were chosen demonstrated the sheer force and power of the event, including bent steel from the underground rail systems and structural I-beams from the towers.

Hilliard police department, fire department, and a local trucking company donated their time to bring the steel from New York to Ohio.

“This memorial is a reality because the members of the community made it happen,” says Schonhardt.

Perhaps the most compelling element of the park is the sculpture created by local artist Dale Johnson. The stainless steel sculpture incorporates silhouettes of assorted American lives doing everyday activities while over 2,000 lives were lost over the course of a few hours. This piece will be updated with a new “figure” annually for the next century as part of a high school design and scholarship competition.

“We want the park, and the event itself, to always be in our hearts. We think this sculpture is a good way to do this, incorporating the assistance of a new generation each year,” says Johnson.

Long adds, “It’s a place to remember so that we are better prepared in the future.”

The $1.4 million memorial was paid for through bonds and an ongoing public donations campaign. Students from Central Ohio Technical College donated their time to assist in the creation of the campaign video. Watch the video: