In commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11/01, the Milstein Family and Emigrant Bank have dedicated this site to display "The Kneeling Fireman" statue which harkens back to the events of that fateful day.
The statue was originally commissioned by the Firefighters Association of Missouri and was custom manufactured by Matthews International Corp. in Parma, Italy. The statue arrived in New York just as the tragedy began to unfold. Matthews International decided this statue should never leave the city and presented it to the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, who accepted the gift on behalf of all the firefighters and citizens of New York City. The Milstein Family agreed to display the statue and provided a granite base and storage until a fitting permanent site could be found.
"The Kneeling Fireman" was temporarily displayed in front of one of the Milstein buildings at 44th Street and 8th Avenue.
With the dedication of this site in front of the Emigrant Bank building, the statue has found a permanent home and represents the only memorial to 9/11 in midtown Manhattan.
Emigrant Bank was founded in 1850 by Irish immigrants and many of the early depositors worked in the uniformed services, including a large number as firefighters.
Howard P. Milstein, Chief Executive Officer of Emigrant Bank serves on the National September 11 Memorial and Museum Board and has funded sculptures made from the original steel of the World Trade Center for each of the victims' families. He also funded the recent publication of "Art of Heart: Remembering 9/11", a book of children's pictures dedicated to the victims' families.
The Milstein Family was one of the builders of the World Trade Center, including all walls, floors, and ceilings. During the attack, Milstein employees evacuated residents of Battery Park City buildings by water. For more than a year, Milstein Personnel and resources supported the relief effort by providing food and housing.
Among those lost on that day was Neil David Levin, Director of the Port Authority, and close personal friend of Howard P. Milstein, as well as daughters of colleagues at Emigrant Bank and Milstein Properties, Lindsay Stapleton Morehouse and Stacey Leigh Sanders. May They Rest in Peace.
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