Lafayette 911 Memorial Has WTC Beams and Pentagon Panels
Lafayette, Louisiana’s Memorial consist of two beams — each 13.5 feet long. The beams stand on a pedestal oriented in the same direction the actual towers faced, and would be surrounded by a pentagon-shaped bench in memory of the attack on the Pentagon building. The northwest section of the bench would be purposefully defaced to correspond to the spot where the building was damaged by terrorists who hijacked American Airlines Flight 77. Careful planning ensured a one to 100 scale for the local monument. Limestone panels from the Pentagon are also included. City-Parish President Comeaux made the decision to construct the memorial in Parc Sans Souci. Lynn Guidry Architects, consultant for the ongoing Central Parks Network, refined the basic design provided by the Public Works Department. M.D. Descant, contractor for the park project, built the memorial. It was dedicated on September 11, 2002, with more than 2,000 people attending.