Lois Thome
•9/8/2026
PINE ISLAND, Fla. (WINK) — For 15 years, Sandra Priest has been working and placing memorials around the country to honor those lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and now she's working on her biggest project yet.
In a quiet neighborhood on Pine Island, you'll find 12 eight-ton blocks of raw concrete chunks with twisted rebar and piping. These pieces are part of the slurry wall that once stabilized the World Trade Center towers in New York City.
"Oh boy, I'm getting goosebumps right now just talking about it is gonna make me very emotional," Priest said.
The heavy hand of fate brought these weighty blocks to Priest 15 years ago, and ever since, she's been transforming this Ground Zero history into powerful memorials. Through Project 9/11 Up, 10 sculptures are already placed in locations across the country and beyond.
The memorials can be found in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at the Key West Fire House, Salt Lake City, Utah, Gander, Newfoundland and even underwater as part of one of the largest underwater reefs in the world. All serve as places of reflection.
"I get people that come here to my studio to see the pieces that I have. It takes its toll on people, but rarely does somebody not cry," Priest said.
Her final project, Stone and Steed, is now underway. The installation will place the rest of these storied walls into one large circular arrangement, representing the strength of the nation with horses pulling hope and healing to all who need it.
"I was originally going to do single horses and blocks around the country, and then it just hit me that I should put them in a circle, put one in the middle, and then these horses represent pulling these 9/11 blocks out all over the country," Priest said.
Priest doesn't know where this memorial will go yet, but like the others, she knows it will find its place and become a place that moves people forward from the tragedy this country will never forget. She receives visitors from across the country, including firefighters and police officers who hear about her work and come to see the blocks.
"I get a lot of firemen, police from all over the country. They hear about me, and they come out, and they'll call me and say, 'Can I come and see the blocks of concrete you have?'" Priest said.
"I know memorials are important. I see the way people react to them. I see the way people react to mine," Priest said. "Oh my God, I could never stop it until it's done. I just can't stop. I have to complete it. It's a drive now."
