The World Trade Center in Tampa

Feature

Friday, September 09, 2011

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Dominique Martinez working on the 9/11 memorial for the Tampa Firefighters Museum. (Eric Mennel)

Decade 9/11
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Artists Respond to 9/11
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During the clean up of Ground Zero, 700 million pounds of steel were removed. Some pieces were shipped, like relics, to be used in memorials all over the country. One piece — measuring about 17 inches wide, 43 inches tall, and an inch thick — ended up in Tampa, Florida.

Dominique Martinez is using it as part of his design for a memorial for the Firefighters Museum there. It will be surrounded by 56 polished steel spires that form wishbone framework reminiscent of the Twin Towers.

Before he was a sculptor, Martinez was a volunteer firefighter and art appraiser living in New York. Although he wasn’t in New York City on September 11, he feels a deep connection to the events there. “This is a piece of history that we’re touching,” he says of the rusted steel beam. “This is a piece of history that we’re handling. This is a piece of history that we’re creating."

Slideshow: A Memorial Under Construction

Dominique Martinez Tampa Firefighters Museum

Eric Mennel

After 9/11, 700 million pounds of steel were removed from Ground Zero, and some pieces were shipped all over the country to be used in memorials. Dominique Martinez, a sculptor in Tampa, Florida, is using a small piece of the North Tower in a memorial he’s creating for the Tampa Firefighters Museum.

Eric Mennel

Before moving to Tampa, Martinez was a volunteer firefighter and art appraiser living in New York. Although he wasn’t in New York City on September 11, he feels a deep connection to the events there. For his memorial, he’s surrounded the piece with 56 polished steel spires, formed into a frame reminiscent of the Twin Towers.

Eric Mennel

The 9/11 memorial for the Tampa Firefighters Museum in its early stages — the segment from the North Tower sits in the foreground.

Eric Mennel

The wishbone structure at the base of the sculpture resembles the base of the Twin Towers.

Dominique Martinez Mike Klar Sam Plastow Chris BertettoTampa Firefighters Museum

Eric Mennel

Members of the team fabricating the 9/11 memorial in Tampa: (from left) Mike Klar, Sam Plastow, Chris Bertetto, and Dominique Martinez.

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