The Buchanan * Cortlandt * Croton-on-Hudson (BCC) 9/11 Remembrance Memorial Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the memory of local community residents, as well as, all those who perished on 9/11/01 and the subsequent wars The “Reaching Through the Shadow” Memorial, which will be located along the Hudson River at Croton Landing, uses salvaged steel from the World Trade Center as a witness, casting a shadow – a sundial - oriented towards Ground Zero. The twisted and scarred beam from the North Tower, seemingly out of balance, will reliably point to commemorative markers on the ground for every future September 11th. Within the shadow of the steel beam is a lone heroic figure of a woman sculpted in bronze. She represents those lost, as well as those left to mourn. She reaches to touch the beam and at the same time appears to have the strength to bear the terrible weight of that day. She connects us simultaneously to our loss and our commitment to remain undaunted. Supporting the beam is a single rock, a reference to site and community, taken from rock already present at the actual site. At its base, the rock is wrapped in the impenetrable wild rose which is found all along Croton Landing. The thorns and blood-red flowers and fruit of this rose symbolize the tragedy of that day. The ground is grey flagstone, reminiscent of ashen ground and uneasy enough to traverse to compel the visitor to tread carefully while approaching the Memorial. Radiating lines of red brick strike the sundial’s hour lines while incorporating commemorative names leading to the perimeter where bronze medallions in bas- relief depict events of that day in New York, as well as in Washington D.C. and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The selected site for the Memorial is at the north end of Croton Landing where the view down river past Croton Point and Hook Mountain is the clearest. It is something of a pilgrimage, but rightfully so, in order to find relative solitude for reflection.
