New Jersey History and Sites

Located within Liberty State Park, the Empty Sky Memorial remembers the 746 victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 from New Jersey. Just across the Hudson River from Ground Zero, the Jersey City Memorial points to former site of the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

With New Jersey being a neighboring state to New York, many residents of New Jersey commute into New York City everyday for work. On the dreadful day of September 11, 2001, many New Jersey residents woke up, went to work, and never returned home. As the planes crashed into the first tower, many people thought that an awful accident had just occurred. With the towers being large skyscrapers, many workers were trapped inside. It was a race against time to get the people out of the building. When the second plane hit the second tower, people quickly realized that this wasn’t accident but an intentional act to kill many Americans. As rescue volunteers from New Jersey and other areas entered New York City to lend a hand against the fire and destruction, New York City was being evacuated. New Yorkers jumped on ferries, seeking refuge from the fear and destruction surrounding New York. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to make it out. From Jersey City, photojournalist Jennifer Brown, documented as the towers fell, knowing that many people were falling and jumping to their death. Today, New Jersey memorializes the lives of those lost in the terrorist attack through this moving monument.

Years after the attack, the Treasure Department’s Division of Property Management and Construction oversaw the construction of the $12 million memorial. The Memorial was designed by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz, and built by Hall Construction, located in Howell, New Jersey. The structure was designed proportionally to look like World Trade Center’s towers lying on their side with two twin thirty-foot walls, which stretch 208 feet and 10 inches long- the exact width of one side of the towers. The names of the victims are written in brushed stainless steel throughout. The two steel walls are meant to resemble the two towers at the World Trade Center, which were hit with planes in the terrorist attacks.

The Empty Sky Memorial was named after the Bruce Springsteen song, “Empty Sky” which reflects on the empty sky where the twin towers once stood. The Memorial was dedicated on the on the day before the tenth anniversary, September 10, 2011, of the terrorist attacks. The dedication was attended by Governor Chris Christie, Senator Frank Lautenberg, Senator Bob Menendez, families of the victims of the attacks, plus five former New Jersey governors.

The Empty Sky Memorial is free and open to visitors from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. Friends and family come to the Memorial to remember and leave flowers by their loved one’s names. In addition, many visitors come to the memorial to pay their respects to the victims of terrorist attack. Along the backdrop of the New York Skyline, the Empty Sky Memorial is worth a visit to reflect on how the terrorist attacks changed the American sense of security and way of life.

Resources

“Empty Sky, 9/11 Memorial.” Visit New Jersey. Accessed September 8, 2024. https://visitnj.org/empty-sky-911-memorial

“New Jersey’s 9/11 Memorial in Liberty State Park.” State of New Jersey Department of the Treasury. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.nj.gov/treasury/911Memorial.shtml

“A Photographer’s View of 9/11 from across the River.” PBS News Weekend. Published September 11, 2021. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/a-photographers-view-of-9-11-from-across-the-river

Sturken, Marita. Terrorism in American Memory: Memorials, Museums, and Architecture in the Post-9/11 Era. United States: NYU Press, 2022. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Terrorism_in_American_Memory/R9dKEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0

“Thousand Dedicate ‘Empty Sky’ Memorial for NJ 9/11 Victims.” CBS News New York. Published September 10, 2011. Accessed September 15, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/thousands-gather-in-liberty-state-park-to-dedicate-empty-sky-memorial-for-nj-911-victims/