Providence's 9/11 Memorial 'Wall Of Hope' Finds New Home

PROVIDENCE, RI — Rhode Island's 9/11 memorial Wall of Hope has found a new home. The display is set to be unveiled to the public next year.

The monument will be relocated to the colonnade between the Rhode Island Convention Center and the Dunkin' Donuts Center in downtown Providence.

"I look forward to the return of this vivid memorial, created by Rhode Islanders, to its new home in our city center in 2022," Mayor Jorge Elorza said. "The Wall of Hope is a vibrant and purposeful piece of community art which will help us to remember those we lost and the bravery of our nation's first responders."

In the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, the Wall of Hope was created by nearly 13,000 Rhode Islanders. Now, 20 years later, the memorial is being restored and relocated to its new home.

"Installing the bright, inspiring 9-11 monument along this covered walkway will energize a sometimes quiet segment of a much-traversed part of Providence, drawing more people to visit this area," said Barbara Thornton, the lead architect of the original installation in 2002.

Two years ago, the city of Providence commissioned Jennifer Robinson, the monument's executive director, to find a new home for the installation and to create an organization to steward it in the future.

"Just as the original 9-11 Wall of Hope gave people the chance to join together to commemorate the power of love over hate, the new, reimagined site will bring all who see it a tremendous sense of hope and optimism," Robinson said.