Flecked throughout with crystals of garnet, the official gemstone of New York State, the Freedom Stone measures approximately 9 feet high, 5 feet wide and 4 feet deep. Other minerals in the stone are feldspar, quartz and hornblende, which give the stone a light green tone from different views. An inscription on the cornerstone reads, “To honor and remember those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001 and as a tribute to the enduring spirit of freedom -- July Fourth 2004. “Today we take 20 tons of Adirondack granite -- the bedrock of our state -- and place it as the foundation, the bedrock of a new symbol of American strength and confidence,†Pataki said at the July 4 ceremony. “Today, we lay the cornerstone for a new symbol of this city and this country and of our resolve in the face of terror.â€
Silverstein Properties, which had worked with Innovative on other Manhattan projects, selected Innovative to source, cut, polish and engrave the new cornerstone. The “Freedom Stone,†as Innovative has officially named it, was unveiled by Pataki along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and New Jersey Governor James McGreevey at a special ceremony attended by VIPs from Silverstein Properties, the Port Authority, the architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, designer Daniel Libeskind, and members of the 9/11 victims' families.