The Architect
"The Rising" is the work of Frederic Schwartz, an internationally renowned Manhattan architect who, among many other accomplishments, designed the new Staten Island Ferry Terminal and who was also selected to create the September 11th Memorial for the State of New Jersey. He also founded the THINK team, whose design was selected as a finalist for the redesign of the World Trade Center. Mr. Schwartz, whose place of business was in view of the Twin Towers and who is donating his time to the project, said that he wanted to design a memorial that expressed the immensity of such a loss while still conveying a sense of hope. His intention was to honor each person individually and unite them together as a community.

"The Rising"
The memorial will include the names of all the Westchester residents who died, the communities in which they lived and a quote about them from their loved ones. The words will be engraved along the outside of the memorial's circular base. The rods will extend from the base like the spokes of a wheel before reaching up and intertwining. Landscaping, including perennial plantings and benches, will surround the base, with the Kensico Dam as a backdrop. The

one-and-one-half-inch individual steel rods emerge from the existing circular footprint on the plaza, so as not to disturb the current paths and use of the park. The memorial is located at the intersection of many pathways and viewpoints,and thereby extends its presence into the surrounding landscape. "The Rising" is open, can be approached from all directions and allows people of all ages and abilities to view it as well as move through it. 
Support "The Rising" with a Donation to Friends of Parks
For the Memorial to be an everlasting tribute, donations are needed to help pay for its construction, as well as for the surrounding gardens and landscaping. Your support will also provide an endowment for the memorial's ongoing care and maintenance, so that it can be viewed as it will look upon completion by generations to come. With every donation, "The Rising" truly becomes a community memorial, uniting those who were not personally affected with those who have lost loved ones and who seek to preserve their memory. All donations to Friends of Parks, whether cash or in-kind, are tax-deductible and will be acknowledged. Those contributions over $100 will receive a special certificate. Individual funding programs are available and can also be created. Please call 914-995-2951 or click here to make a donation.