staten island advance.

at snug harbor, a time for healing.
the 'living memorial' was built by volunteer electricians, firefighters, engineers and many others .
9.15.2003

"Mommy! That's a fireman!" shouted little Jonathan Sparacio of West Brighton, happily pointing at a photo on a wall full of pictures of Sept. 11 victims.

His father, currency trader Thomas Sparacio, is on that wall too, but Jonathan and his brother Eric are too young to fully understand why.

Their mother, Cheri, brought them to yesterday's dedication of the World Trade Center Educational Tribute at Snug Harbor to see for the first time what she hopes will become a future tool.

"It seems meaningless to go sit at a cemetery," she said. "I wanted a place to go with my kids and show them what happened, and teach them about Daddy."

That's exactly what it's for. The Tribute Center - located in the former morgue of Sailor's Snug Harbor - is the first completed part of what will become Staten Island Botanical Gardens' Garden of Healing. The center is a four-room museum that presents the World Trade Center's entire history through a series of photographs, from construction in the late 1960s through its present-day status as a center of tragedy.

'living memorial'.

Designated a "living memorial" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and built on volunteer hours from electricians, firefighters, engineers and many others, the hall aims to be a narrative tool while maintaining the spirit and sadness of the events it depicts.

A statue of a firefighter, walking on rubble and carrying a small child, adorns the entrance. Artifacts, including concrete and metal from the Twin Towers, an abandoned firefighter helmet and a chipped "Exit" sign, sit on display, while a flatscreen on the wall of a tiny amphitheater plays on loop a documentary about the attacks. Each person Staten Island lost on that day is memorialized on the entrance wall, and drawings given to firefighters and policemen by schoolchildren decorate one of the inside areas.

Wearing a religious stole still stained with blood and ashes from Sept. 11, the Rev. Everett J. Wabst consecrated the grounds with earth and ashes from Ground Zero as well as holy water blessed by Fire Chaplain Michael Judge, who died in the attacks. "Staten Island is not just a part of the city," he said during the dedication. "We give our life's blood to this city and to its residents."

Senator Charles Schumer spoke at the benediction, emphasizing the importance of remembering and reflecting upon the events. He took time to walk in the hall, reminiscing with the others anointing the space.

'so personal'.

"I have not seen anything that is so personal," he said later, of the tribute. "It's so indicative of Staten Island, where people from all different walks of life came and donated their time."

The ceremony took place in a shady patch on the Snug Harbor grounds in front of several hundred people.

Statues -metal-cast versions of a the memorable photograph in which an American flag was raised at Ground Zero -were awarded to those who raised $10,000 or more for the center, among them Rep. Vito Fossella's office and the SI Bank & Trust Foundation.