Barrington 9/11 Memorial

On the 20th Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Borough of Barrington dedicated a Memorial Garden in honor and remembrance for those who perished and for the heroic men and women of the rescue and recovery effort. The project involved numerous volunteers and members of the community including the Barrington 9/11 Memorial Committee, Borough Council, Public Works, fire and rescue personnel, residents as well as landscape architect, civil engineers, and contractors.

The Memorial Garden located adjacent to Borough Hall is a peaceful place for respite, healing and community gathering. The center piece is the Shadow Light Marker, a 1” thick 3⁄4 ton weathering steel slab, tilted with a v-channel severed at the top and perforated with nearly 3,000 holes. It is angled facing the morning sun and aligned with the American flag. The slab casts a shadow on the plaza enabling the v-channel to mark the times of the four attacks. Four polished steel blades embedded in the stone plaza mark the exact times of the attacks creating a sharp reflection of light. The 2,977 perforations in the panel represent each person who perished in each of the four attacks. These penetrations are cut at four different angles coinciding with the direct alignment of the sun at the time and the number of victims of each attack. Arranged randomly, the resulting light pattern resembles a constellation of stars. Unlike a typical shadow that is created by the absence of light, the Shadow Light Marker creates light in the darkness of this tragic event. The panel is set within the Rubble Garden, a sunken steel-clad well with broken concrete slabs and rubble. Planted with 20 cuttings of sedum marking the 20th anniversary, the garden represents new life and hope.

Funding for the project was limited, but through generous community donations, support, volunteers and pro bono assistance from design professionals and contractors, the project was successfully completed on time and under budget. The design and fabrication of the Shadow Light Marker required precise solar angle calculations, complex 3D computer generated modeling, and the sophistication of 5-axis water jet technology.