Mulry Square, at 7th and Greenwich Avenues in the Village, is named for Emigrant Savings Bank President Thomas Mulry (d. 1916), a tireless contributor to Catholic charitable causes, notably the Society of St. Vincent De Paul. The square is across the street from the former St. Vincent’s Hospital.
St. Vincent’s Hospital retained a ‘wall of hope and remembrance’ with the fliers of people missing after the towers were destroyed. The hospital closed in the spring of 2010 and has been demolished.
Seemingly spontaneously after 9/11/01 the chain link fence surrounding a parking lot on Mulry Square sprouted ceramic tiles (like the ones in your bathroom) with messages of hope and positivity for NYC’s future. Hardly maudlin but heartfelt, the tiles are devoid of calls for revenge but ask for renewal and rebuilding. I thought Forgotten NY should show a few of them on the anniversary of the awful day. In reality, the tiles are sponsored by the Contemporary Ceramic Studios Association, and if you would like to contribute a tile, you’re advised to contact them.
A new MTA ventilator has forced the memorials to move, but many can still be seen on the site: they have been affixed to the chain link fence outside.
2024 update: Relatively few tiles remain on the 7th Avenue South side.
9/10/03; updated 9/10/13 and 9/11/17
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”