Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, Netta Architects is honored to help expand and re-envision Bergen County’s 9/11 Memorial. Located at Overpeck County Park in Leonia, the memorial carries a lasting responsibility. The project aims to preserve the memory of those lost and recognize the service of first responders. It also supports a place where the community can continue to gather and reflect.
A lasting place for remembrance
The existing monument honors the 147 Bergen County residents killed in the attacks. The new addition also honors residents who survived September 11 and its immediate aftermath. These residents later died from related illnesses and chronic disease. Two steel beams from the World Trade Center stand in the memorial landscape. They bring a physical connection to the site of the attacks.
According to Bergen County’s September 11 announcement, first responders escorted the steel to the park on September 10. The beams arrived for placement ahead of the scheduled rededication.
For Netta Architects, the significance of this work lies in the people it serves. A memorial must make room for personal grief and shared remembrance. It should also help future generations understand the lives and experiences behind the history. The architecture should support that purpose with dignity and restraint, keeping the people it honors at the center.
The Penn State connection
Robert McNamara, RA, PP, is a Senior Principal at Netta Architects and a 1982 Penn State alumnus. He contributed a plan for the memorial’s expansion and re-envisioning, along with a new plaque dedicated to Bergen County first responders. This contribution features in Penn State’s exhibition marking the 25th anniversary of September 11.
The exhibition runs at the Stuckeman Family Building from September 4 through 25, 2026. It brings together memorial work by architecture alumni and student proposals. The proposals honor the ten Penn State alumni who died in the World Trade Center attacks. Together, these works explore how design can preserve memory and give communities a lasting place for reflection.
Jim Johnston of Netta Architects also represented the firm at the rededication ceremony. The event took place on September 11, 2026, at Overpeck County Park in Leonia.
Carrying memory forward
In Bergen County, the losses associated with September 11 continued long after the day itself. The expansion acknowledges those continuing losses alongside the county’s established tribute. In doing so, it keeps remembrance rooted in the community it serves.
We are grateful for the opportunity to contribute to a project with such enduring meaning for Bergen County. As we mark this anniversary, we remember the lives lost and honor those who responded. We also recognize the families and communities who continue to carry their memory forward.