History
Originally destined for Kingdom City, Missouri, on September 11th, the firefighter statue had arrived at Port Authority, in the New York City. Tragedy struck, and one of the darkest days in US history unfolded in front of us all. The statue was unloaded on September 15th and moved by a flatbed trailer to the corner of 8th Avenue and 44th Street in midtown Manhattan, where it sat just blocks away from Times Square. Passersby stopped to look in wonder, at the flowers and flickering candles placed around the statue, forming an impromptu memorial. A huge bronze statue of a firefighter grieving for fallen comrades, he rests on bended knee, one hand resting on a helmet, the other touching his forehead in prayer.
The Firefighters Association of Missouri had commissioned the statue a year before and intended for it to be the capstone of a memorial to its state’s fallen firefighters. But the Fire Fighters Association of Missouri and the statue’s maker, Matthews International Corporation of Pittsburgh, decided to make it a gift to New York City to honor the 343 New York firefighters who died under the collapsing World Trade Center towers.
The statue arrived at Kennedy Airport aboard an Air France jet on September 9th from the Matthew Company’s foundry in Parma, Italy. It was destined for Kingdom City, Missouri, a small town near the geographical center of the state. Normally items like this are shipped on a boat, but because it was overdue for delivery, it was flown in to save time. Then terrorists attacked, flung two planes, one each into the World Trade Centers Towers. The statue was then stuck in customs because of the shut down of all ports of entry. It was an omen that it should stay in New York.
September 19th members of the New York Fire Department accepted the statue of a kneeling fire fighter in prayer, as a gift from the fire service of Missouri. The statue is heroic in size measuring over six feet tall and weighs over 3000 pounds. Once accepted, the statue was cared for by the Milstein family, which owned the Milford Plaza Hotel. The owner of Milford was so moved, he covered the cost and had employees that cared for the statue each day, removing tokens left by visitors. The statue was placed on a temporary granite foundation. At some point the statue was put into storage until a permanent location could be found. In 2011, the Milstein family found its permanent home on East 43rd Street outside the Milstein owned Emigrant Bank.
The Firefighters Association of Missouri had a second statue commissioned, to be set at the current site of the Missouri Fire Fighters memorial. After the second statue was made, the mold was destroyed, making the two statues the only ones in existence in the world.
Like the first, the second statue in Missouri is visited by thousands each year that remember and will not forget the service and sacrifice of so many it represents. Plans are to add a Museum next to the Memorial that will capture the history of Missouri’s Fire Service. You can visit the Fire Fighters Memorial in Kingdom City, Missouri on the northwest corner of I-70 and US 54.
“One of our Dreams has Come True”
Chairman Art Smith said a prayer as he unveiled the kneeling firefighter in prayer statue during the Memorial dedication on May 18, 2002. Nearly 3,500 guests were in attendance during the dedication including Governor Bob Holden, Senator Jean Carnahan, Senator Christopher Bond and Representative Kenny Hulshof.
Members of the Boone County Fire Protection District and the Jefferson City Fire Department played the bag pipes and drums during the ceremony.
An aerial view of the Memorial is breathtaking. A beautiful site for all to see.
Our Efforts to Complete the Memorial Continues
Although the Memorial is in use, funds are still being collected to pay for and maintain the site. The Fire Fighters Memorial Foundation of Missouri is also calling on the Missouri fire service to help in the effort to construct the Educational and Historical Preservation Center alongside the Memorial.
Support the Foundation
