Tuesday will mark the 17th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. Just ahead of September 11, a new memorial has opened in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the Flight 93 crash site. The flight was hijacked as part of the terror attacks, and crashed into a rural Pennsylvania field.
Fox News reports that the new memorial is called the “Tower of Voices,” and was erected at the already existing Flight 93 memorial site. The National Parks Foundation financed the $6 million project, which is a 93-foot tall tower that contains 40 wind chimes, in honor of the 40 victims of the crash.
The U.S. National Parks Service states that the memorial is meant to serve as a reminder of the heroic passengers and crew members, and the “intent is to create a set of 40 tones that can signify through consonance the serenity and nobility of the site while also through dissonance recalling the event that consecrated the site.”
Architect Paul Murdoch spoke to reporters ahead of Sunday’s dedication ceremony, giving further insight into the memorial’s design.
“It’s the first visible memorial feature that you see as you enter, so it’s like a welcoming beacon or a landmark that introduces the memorial to the visitors. It’s not just an emotional memorial for those of us who have lived through it, especially those who lost ones, but something that needs to be here to tell the story of what happened.”
Groundbreaking ‘Tower of Voices’ Flight 93 memorial erected ahead of 9/11 anniversary https://t.co/1vKJhTYOju
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 9, 2018
Murdoch’s design was selected from more than 1,100 proposals.
Business Insider reports that the structure was dedicated on Sunday with remarks from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and the superintendent of the park. The “Tower of Voices” is the final major feature on the 2,200 acre memorial park site. President Donald Trump is expected to visit the site on Tuesday to attend the 17th anniversary event.
Earlier this week, a special occurrence took place in New York City ahead of Tuesday’s solemn anniversary. As previously reported by the Inquisitr , the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced the reopening of the Cortlandt Street Station in Manhattan. The subway station has been closed for the past 17 years, ever since it was destroyed during the attacks.
On that day, the One World Trade Center towers fell and ripped through the ceiling of the station. The station was then filled with debris and rubble, and required major renovations and rebuilding. Trains started running at the station on Saturday afternoon, and it is now named the WTC Cortlandt station.
Tom Ridge speaks at Tower of Voices dedication ceremony https://t.co/ikbSFAlxAW pic.twitter.com/b2JPTl6QYc
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 9, 2018
