Mayor de Blasio and Borough President Oddo Announce New Funding for 9/11 Postcards Memorial

July 27, 2018

City secures $250,000 in funding to improve lighting, coating of memorial

Mayor de Blasio and Borough President Oddo today announced new City funding to improve the 9/11 Postcards Memorial in St. George, Staten Island, honoring the 274 Staten Island residents killed in the September 11th attacks of 2001 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.

“The Postcards Memorial is a sacred place. It gives comfort to survivors, victims’ families and visitors alike,” said Mayor de Blasio. “I heard the Borough President’s call to invest in the memorial’s upkeep so it can provide solace to our city for generations to come. We will always remember the sacrifices made on 9/11, and will work every day to live up to the memory of those we lost.”

In 2017, the de Blasio Administration and Borough President Oddo honored 66 dedicated first responders who lost their lives due to illnesses related to the September 11th attack by adding their names to the Memorial. This year, the City honored the sacrifice of seven additional Staten Islanders and added their names to the memorial.

The Postcards Memorial was built and is maintained by the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

"The vision of former Borough President Jim Molinaro for a 9/11 memorial, along with Masa Sono’s unique architectural design of Postcards, was truly inspired; it is indeed the most special of places,” said Borough President James Oddo.  “Mayor de Blasio and I recognize that we are the temporary stewards of this monument honoring the memory of those lost, and of the ongoing pledge to offer emotional support to their families. However, Postcards is in dire need of some TLC if it is to remain a pristine source of comfort, so I went to the Mayor and sought his financial help.  His positive response was instantaneous and unwavering, and for that I am truly grateful."

“The Postcard Memorial is a tribute to the individuals whose lives were lost in tragedy, offering small solace to families forever impacted on that day,” said NYCEDC President and CEO James Patchett. “This Administration is proud to have worked with Borough President Oddo to secure the funding that this memorial deserves, and to honor the lives of New Yorkers who were taken too soon.”

“Since it was unveiled in 2004, the Postcards memorial has served as a solemn remembrance of the nearly 300 Staten Islanders who lost their lives in the attacks of Sept. 11. These funds help to ensure that Postcards remains as a lasting tribute for those who died on 9/11 — and for the many brave first responders who have succumbed to 9/11-related illnesses in the years since,” said Councilwoman Debi Rose.

The new City funding will go towards needed repairs to the Postcards Memorial, which was built in 2004. The City is providing $250,000 to upgrade the memorial’s electrical and lighting system. The funding will also go towards new marine-grade gel to protect and preserve the memorial from corrosion or other deteriorations resulting from an outdoor climate. 

First Responders Memorial

Starting in fall 2016, NYCEDC and Borough President Oddo led an engagement process to collect names of uniformed and civilian first responders who have lost their lives due to illnesses related to the attack on September 11th.

In the first year of engagement, NYCEDC received the names of 66 first responders, comprised of Staten Island residents that served the New York City Police Department, New York City Fire Department, and the New York City Department of Sanitation, in addition to civilians.

NYCEDC hired Masayuki Sono, the original designer of the Postcards memorial, to design the first responder memorial.