Nearly 25 years after 9/11, the NJ memorial is an unfinished eyesore

✅ New Jersey's "Empty Sky" 9/11 memorial is incomplete

✅ 18 names of victims need to be added, according to the memorial's designer

✅ The issues are in the process of being handled, according to the DEP

JERSEY CITY — There are many who believe New Jersey's Empty Sky 9/11 memorial is in disrepair and has become an eyesore.

The design by Jessica Jamroz and Frederic Schwartz was selected by the Families and Survivors Memorial Committee and opened in 2011, although it was not complete.

The state Attorney General's Office and the Department of Environmental Protection oversee the memorial.

What is the 'Empty Sky' memorial?

The memorial features brushed stainless steel twin walls that are 210 feet long, the width of each side of the World Trade Center towers. The names of 750 people who lived in or had connections to New Jersey who lost their lives at the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon and in the plane crash in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001, are etched in the steel.

Problems with the 'Empty Sky' memorial in Jersey City

"There's been a lot of things that have fallen into disrepair, including the lighting that illuminates the names of the victims that died on 9/11," Jamroz told New Jersey 101.5.

A path of bluestone is between the walls, which are lit up along the path. The lights constantly break down, creating condensation and vegetation growth.

At one time, trees were planted next to the memorial, but those are now dead, Jamroz said.

Visitors were supposed to look up each name at a kiosk, which has often broken down or been out of date.

"Halo of Light" at NJ's Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial (Stuart Copeland)

Victim names need to be added to 9/11 memorial in Jersey City

Jamroz says 18 names of victims need to be added to the memorial. She said the memorial includes empty panels where names can be added.

"There also needs to be a tribute included in the site to honor and remember all those responders and survivors that are dying from 911, related illnesses. They are victims too," Jamroz said.

The outer memorial wall has become a "concrete eyesore."

When finished, it would allow the memorial to shimmer in the changing light of the day. The words "never forget" and "always in our hearts" also need to be added.

DEP spokesman Larry Hajna said some of the problems with the memorial are being addressed.

"Work is underway to address lighting, kiosks and trees for the Memorial. A timeline has not been set," Hajna said in an email. "In consultation with the New Jersey 9/11 Memorial Foundation, the names of victims with ties to New Jersey whose families wished for their names to be added to the Memorial have been added."

Designer advocates for the 9/11 memorial

Jamroz was encouraged by the news, but with the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks next year, she says time is important when it comes to the 9/11 memorial.

"The problem with waiting is that it's very painful for the families. Time is the most precious commodity in the 9/11 community, and I don't know what we're waiting for. It takes a matter of weeks to inscribe the names, so I don't know what the hang-up is," Jamroz said.

Jamroz says that her continued interest in seeing the memorial through to the end is her way of keeping a promise to those affected by 9/11.

"Part of your soul and spirit goes into the artwork. I've been working with the families and the 911 community for 20 years. And so completing the vision that I promised them is so important," Jamroz said.

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