• In 2010, Andrew Davis was motivated to create a 9/11 memorial in La Quinta to ensure all those lost in the four attacks that day were never forgotten. He was so committed to the idea that he made it his Eagle Scout service project.

• Andrew didn't want just a memorial to mark the occasion, he wanted a piece of 9/11 from that tragic day in New York to be placed in the La Quinta community. He submitted his memorial idea to the New York/New Jersey Port Authority and was approved to receive an actual piece of steel from the fallen World Trade Center towers.

• Andrew raised $15,500 by himself towards the project through T-shirt sales, fundraisers, and soliciting donations. The City of La Quinta appropriated $33,000 from its Art in Public Places program.

• Andrew also went to all the donors listed on the 9/11 Memorial plaque for more donations totaling $32,000. A special thank you to Sandy Young, Barron S. Wall, and tennis superstar Novak Djokovic for their contributions.

• The Radi Family donated funds to transport the steel artifact from New York to La Quinta. Robert Radi also donated all the architecture, design, and 3D modeling for the project.

• Reza Asgharpour, of RA Structural Engineering, donated all the engineering work.

• Werner Boettcher, of Boettcher Concrete Construction, Inc., donated all the contracting, concrete, and construction work.

 Andrew at Ground Zero in New York City

Novak Djokovic with Andrew and the Steel Artifact at La Quinta Resort

• The 9/11 Memorial Team did not know what the piece of steel from the World Trade Center would look like. It could have been a full beam or just a small piece.

• Robert Radi's initial designs were for a solemn piece for reflection. There was no set place for the steel artifact yet.

• Due to the New York/New Jersey Port Authority's updated 9/11 steel program requirements, it took some extra work to locate Andrew's initial steel confirmation and get it resubmitted as a public agency request. The steel was approved for the City and, thanks to the Radi Family, was shipped to City Hall.

• With the steel artifact in hand, a final design was made and approved by City Council.

First Concept Design

Second Concept Design

Third Concept Design

Final Approved Design

• Sometimes design and engineering do not get along. A great design may not be feasible for engineering and a well engineered plan may not result in an appealing design.

• Reza Asgharpour donated all the engineering and was able to accommodate the design with a slight modification to the support pipes inside the two concrete portions.

• The final design with engineering was almost a match with the City Council-approved design.

• The City donated a portion of the Civic Center Campus between the Library and City Hall for the installation of the memorial.

Original Engineering Plans

Modified Engineering Plans

Final Design after Engineering

• With Robert Radi's 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD), Werner Boettcher was able to get the molds made out of dense Styrofoam. A machine routed out the negative space in the Styrofoam in the shape of the memorial columns.

• A wooden frame structure was built to suspend the molds upside down. The mold interior was painted with an epoxy coating to create a smooth surface for the pending concrete. The engineered steel pipes and rebar were placed inside the molds.

• The molds were then closed up and sealed. Concrete was poured in to fill the negative space. Vibrators were placed on the molds to help the concrete settle faster and enable air bubbles to rise and escape.

• A concrete pad was poured in the new memorial location and the two columns were mounted to it. The circular base was made around the exposed steel pipes and concrete pad. Black concrete was chosen for the base to contrast with the white columns.

• The piece of World Trade Center steel beam and a metal insert were then installed between the columns. The City finished off the memorial with a walking path, lighting, landscaping, and a descriptive plaque.

Molds from the 3D CAD	Suspended Molds and Steel Pipes
Epoxy Coating, Steel Pipes, and Rebar	Sealing the Molds for the Concrete Pour
Finished Concrete Columns	Installing at Civic Center Campus

Finishing the Black Concrete Base

Finished Installation of the Columns and Base

Andrew and Werner after the Steel Artifact is Installed