Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today dedicated "The Sphere" Interim Memorial to those who lost their lives six months ago in the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and in 1993. Mayor Bloomberg was joined by New York State Governor George E. Pataki, Former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, and victims' families this morning to dedicate the temporary memorial in Historic Battery Park next to the Garden of Hope.

"'The Sphere Memorial provides a peaceful place to mourn and reflect on the tragic attacks on the World Trade Center," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The Sphere was originally intended to symbolize free trade and the exchange of ideas, beliefs fundamental to our Democracy. It endured the attacks and now is a stirring tribute to the courage of those we lost and a reminder of the resiliency of the American spirit."

"As we recover from the unspeakable horrors that occurred at the World Trade Center, we can look to The Sphere Memorial as a symbol of hope from which we draw strength, and remember," said Governor Pataki.

"The Sphere," a 15-foot diameter, 45,000 pound, steel and bronze sculpture, was created by sculptor Fritz Koenig in 1971 as a monument to fostering peace through world trade. "The Sphere," which sat atop a granite fountain in the center of the 5-acre World Trade Center plaza, is now part of the memorial situated in Historic Battery Park, on the Eisenhower Mall, near Bowling Green and adjacent to the Hope Garden. It is framed by rows of trees and park benches on either side. During the events of September 11th, "The Sphere" sustained a gash through its center but remained structurally intact, and had been safeguarded by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey since that time. The interim memorial will provide a place for families, survivors and the general public to reflect and pay tribute to those lost until the establishment of a permanent memorial. The Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Corporation and the City of New York worked with the Port Authority to establish this interim memorial.

This morning's ceremony included the reading of a poem by 12-year-old Peter Raimondi and 16-year-old Philip Raimondi, who lost their father, Peter Frank Raimondi, who worked for Car Futures in One World Trade, on September 11th. Two moments of silence marked the impacts of the first and second planes and a ceremonial ringing of the FDNY bell honored the dead. The second temporary memorial, "Tribute in Light," will be illuminated shortly after dusk later today in a ceremony in Battery Park City.