NEW YORK—When Dusty Berke walked by a memorial on West 11th Street and Seventh Avenue in the days leading up to Hurricane Irene, one thought kept on worrying her: What’s going to happen with the tiles?
The memorial, called “Tiles for America,” is composed of ceramic tiles painted and written on by people expressing their feelings about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“I was walking by, and I was overwhelmed with sadness,” Berke said. “This is the last time I’m going to see these, because they’re going to blow away in the hurricane.”
Instead of worrying further, Berke grabbed a pair of clippers and began to take the tiles down. Frustrated by the number of tiles, and with her hands bleeding, she thought of giving up. Yet just as she was about to do so, neighbors showed up. Some brought a shopping cart that had been lying around, and others brought tools and offered helping hands. A neighborhood salon offered space to store the tiles until after the hurricane.
A neighborhood came together, and the tiles remained safe.
The memorial, called “Tiles for America,” is composed of ceramic tiles painted and written on by people expressing their feelings about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“I was walking by, and I was overwhelmed with sadness,” Berke said. “This is the last time I’m going to see these, because they’re going to blow away in the hurricane.”
Instead of worrying further, Berke grabbed a pair of clippers and began to take the tiles down. Frustrated by the number of tiles, and with her hands bleeding, she thought of giving up. Yet just as she was about to do so, neighbors showed up. Some brought a shopping cart that had been lying around, and others brought tools and offered helping hands. A neighborhood salon offered space to store the tiles until after the hurricane.
A neighborhood came together, and the tiles remained safe.
“It’s very inspiring,” said Frank Crapanzano, 77. “I was a child here during World War II, and there’s a similar feeling of everybody feeling the same thing,” he added.
Crapanzano has lived in the neighborhood for 47 years. He is responsible for beautifying nearby McCarthy Garden and decided to volunteer his help when he ran into Berke on Saturday.
On Sunday, the local firefighters came to put the tiles back up. The memorial was along the route of a walk on Sunday to honor Rev. Mychal F. Judge. Judge was an FDNY chaplain who died responding to the 9/11 attacks.
Many wondered where the tiles had gone. Among them was Henry Oliver, 53. After finding out that the tiles had been taken down for the hurricane, he volunteered to help put them back up. He came straight from a night shift at a hospital to lend a hand.
“It’s therapeutic,” Oliver said.
A tile that Oliver made with his granddaughters used to hang on the fence, until it broke. He took it home with plans to repair it.
Victims’ families and first responders are welcome to come and put up tiles throughout the week.
Crapanzano has lived in the neighborhood for 47 years. He is responsible for beautifying nearby McCarthy Garden and decided to volunteer his help when he ran into Berke on Saturday.
On Sunday, the local firefighters came to put the tiles back up. The memorial was along the route of a walk on Sunday to honor Rev. Mychal F. Judge. Judge was an FDNY chaplain who died responding to the 9/11 attacks.
Many wondered where the tiles had gone. Among them was Henry Oliver, 53. After finding out that the tiles had been taken down for the hurricane, he volunteered to help put them back up. He came straight from a night shift at a hospital to lend a hand.
“It’s therapeutic,” Oliver said.
A tile that Oliver made with his granddaughters used to hang on the fence, until it broke. He took it home with plans to repair it.
Victims’ families and first responders are welcome to come and put up tiles throughout the week.
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