America’s Phoenix Rises
Dedicated: March 11, 2002 Location: Battery Park, Manhattan, NYC, NY (40°42’14.92”N, 74°01’01.00”W, Elevation 18ft)
Description: Temporary installation of artwork salvaged from WTC Disaster Site. 25’ high sphere stood in the WTC Plaza as a monument to world peace from 1971 to September 11, 2001.
Donor/Source: City of New York
Fabricator/Sculptor: Fritz Koenig
In Battery Park in Manhattan, there is a monument which previously stood between the Twin Towers on the grounds of World Trade Center Plaza; it is called The Koenig Sphere. It was designed by Fritz Koenig as a symbol of peace through world trade. The Sphere was buried in the ashes and rubble at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001. Dented and scarred but whole, the Sphere survived the attacks and stands as a monumental phoenix rising up through the resiliency of the human spirit, the ideals of freedom, and the hope for peace.
Monuments are meant to inspire. They remind us of events in our past where individuals go above circumstances to do extraordinary things. Monuments can be dedicated to world changing events or they can be simple testimonies of local heroes and their individual triumphs. Monuments like the Sphere inspire us to be better humans; to show the good in our nature, and to demonstrate how we can rise above.
This link takes you to an article that discusses the Koenig Sphere in more detail. Many hope to bring this monument back to its original location as part of the Twin Towers memorial site.
Monumental USA is dedicated to highlighting local monuments and the human stories that lay at their foundation. The desire of Monumental USA is to reinvigorate civic pride and sense of ownership through interesting monuments across the nation.
