September 11th, 2021, marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Memorials and tributes across the city ensure that we never forget the victims and heroes of that fateful day. One annual event occurs at the Firemen’s Monument, located on West 100th street & Riverside Drive, right in the middle of my neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Every fall, we are reminded of the bravery of all firefighters when the sounds of bagpipes and drums ring through the neighborhood. When the sound fills the atmosphere, everyone in the neighborhood stops, and you can feel the self-reflection on the street.
My neighborhood, the Bloomingdale District of the Upper West Side, ranges from West 110th Street to West 96th street. The name, Bloomingdale, comes from the Dutch village Bloemendaal, meaning valley of flowers. The neighborhood is a small community of families, couples, college students and businesses. Most people smile when you pass by, and everyone willingly lends a hand if you need it. It is fitting that the Firemen’s Monument lives in our neighborhood.
The Firemen’s Monument, dedicated in 1913, is one of several large monuments lining the Upper West Side. In 1908, after the death of the New York Deputy Fire Chief, funds were dedicated to creating a memorial to honor the brave members of the Fire Department. The memorial designed by H. Van Buren Magonigle, a well-known New Jersey architect, and the sculptures created by Attilio Piccirilli, an Italian sculptor based in the Bronx, is a beautiful tribute to the Fire Department.
The monument stands tall at the top of a beautiful staircase and features a horse-drawn fire engine rushing to put out a fire. The sculptures on the north and south end of the monument represent Duty and Sacrifice. Part of the monument contains a plaque honoring the horses that shared in the bravery. The monument is dedicated to the fire department, “To the men of the fire department of the city of New York who died at the call of duty soldiers in a war that never ends this memorial is dedicated by the people of a grateful city.”
The design, inscriptions and statues combine to create a special place to honor all the fallen firefighters.
Every Fall, the mayor, fire commissioner, and several thousand firefighters gather at the site to remember all the brave lives lost during the past year. The solemn service includes a bell toll for each life lost during the previous year and thoughtful speeches. The uniformed firefighters then walk North while the sound of bagpipes and drums follows them. After the service, you can spot firefighters all over the Upper West Side taking a break at the local restaurants and pubs.
While the memorial was not created for the firemen who died on 9/11, it is now a place of remembrance for the 343 firefighters lost that day. In addition to the fall memorial, every September 11th, members of the FDNY Battalion 11 Engine 76 & Ladder 22 gather at the memorial to lay wreaths and remember the colleagues and friends they have lost throughout the previous year.
On Tuesday, September 21st, 2021, I made my way over to the FDNY Battalion 11 Engine 76 & Ladder 22 station, to interview one of the firemen. While this interview is unofficial as no one from the Public Relations department was on-site, one fireman shared a few thoughts about the memorials and services that occur at the monument.
Experiencing the memorial as a fireman is surreal, “It’s always interesting. It takes you back to something that happened twenty years ago. Bagpipes and the fire department seem to go hand in hand,” he said, “You never quite get used to it. It always seems to go right through you. In a good way for sure.”
The fireman spoke with a lot of emotion about the significance of the day, “What it means to me, you know, it’s a legacy. They tell us at the fire academy, ‘You know you are standing in the footsteps of giants.’ And these guys that came before us, it’s really hard to live up to that.”
The service at the monument is also very special. “You stand there and hear all these names, and you get this sense that you are a part of something bigger.”
The firefighter’s words paint a detailed picture of the significance of the Firemen’s Monument. In the past, while going on my daily walks through my neighborhood, I never stopped to take in the memorial. But, after my research and interview with the fireman, I now have a newfound appreciation and feeling towards the incredibly significant Firemen’s Monument.
