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Treemendous was honored to be invited to participate in the development of
the Commander Dan Shanower September 11th Memorial on Naperville’s Riverwalk.
While
 preliminary designs had already been completed, they did not fit the
budget for the project. It was that time that we were asked if we could
design the project to the expected budget.
One of our beliefs at Treemendous® is a clear
and well thought out DESIGN INTENT is paramount to any project, meaning a
strong design brings out the full value of the clients investment. In the
case of the Cmdr Dan Shanower September 11th memorial, we studied numerous
other memorials, giving great emphasis to the circulation of visitors so
that each moment with the memorial prepared them for the next.
On a more practical level, we had to take into account periodic flooding of
the river to ensure the integrity of the project.
Listed below are some of the elements in the project their significance.
 Sculpture –
The Sculpture contains an I-beam from the wreckage of the World Trade
Center, fragments from The Pentagon, granite from Pennsylvania symbolizing
perished Flight 93, and a boot print of Commander Dan Shanower, who died in
the Pentagon attack.
Eternal Flame - A light of hope – the flame signifies optimism and
the light we all carry within our souls.
Wall of Faces - Each face on the wall is modeled after a Naperville
native and represents the people of our communities, which we sometimes take
for granted until we lose one, as in the case of Cmdr Shanower and the other
September 11th victims.
The Flag - The symbol of American strength and pride expresses our
belief in political, economic, and religious freedom and democracy, and the
respect for human life. The vision of the American Flag begins to bring
acceptance and perspective to the sacrifices made in our quest to protect
our beliefs and freedoms, proving truly that “Freedom Isn’t Free”.
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