9/11 Memorial Glade

Project Description

We are extremely proud to have worked with Handel Architects, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and Polycor on the 9/11 Memorial Glade, a space within the National September 11 Memorial Plaza that memorializes the sacrifices made by the rescue and recovery workers, the relief community, survivors, and members of the broader Lower Manhattan community.

Vermont Structural Slate Co. assisted Handel Architects in finding and evaluating several possible stones for the project.  After Laurentian Green Granite was selected, VSS then assisted the architects and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in sourcing the material from Polycor, the quarrier and fabricator of the beautiful green granite from Quebec.

Michael Arad, designer of the 9/11 Memorial Glade, as well as the larger 9/11 Memorial, comments, “The stone monoliths define the new memorial glade, and we knew they had to convey the character of the people we were honoring. I was drawn to the roughhewn surfaces of granite I saw in quarries, and wanted to capture that natural quarry face, but in precise dimensions that would work with the overall geometric pattern of the granite paving patterns that already were in existence on the memorial. Our challenge to our fabrication team was how do you create something that looks natural and authentic, as if it emerged from the ground that way.”

Several trips were made by the architects and owners to Polycor’s open pit quarry in Lac Morin, Quebec and impressive factory in Barre, Vermont. The finish of the stone was critical to the design of the Memorial, so highly-skilled craftsmen experimented with many techniques in order to achieve the perfect rough and worn appearance.  Hugo Vega, Polycor’s North American Sales Director, adds, “Everyone at the quarry and factory enjoyed the challenge of producing the monoliths and we are pleased our stone is a part of the 9/11 Memorial.”

After the granite was fabricated, specially designed grooves were cut into top surface of the six monoliths and were filled with actual steel from the World Trade Center towers. Then six trucks carried the stone to Ground Zero, arriving in unison at midnight.  Finally, the monoliths were unloaded and placed with a 600-ton crane.  The Memorial was dedicated in a moving ceremony held on May 30, 2019.

Craig Markcrow, president of Vermont Structural Slate Co. reflects, “We are honored to have played a very small role in this important project.”