Michael L. Emerson wanted to create a memorial that would honor and remember all of the heroes of 9/11, along with firefighters and police, and the veterans from the Hayward, CA, area that have been killed in the line of duty. On April 25, 2013, Emerson took his plans to the Hayward City Planning Commission, asking them for their support and recommendation for the design and location of the memorial. It was approved that day and sent to city council, which later approved it on September 4th of the same year.

Emerson, the project’s originator, founder, designer, donation collector and project building manager, initially reached out to M.O. Bohrer, the sales and marketing manager of Anderson Bros. & Johnson (AB&J)/Michels Corporation, located in Brownsville, WI, as Emerson had Wausau Red granite in mind for the design of the memorial. Working in partnership with Bohrer, they were able to decide on a thermal/flamed finish for the exposed surfaces of the stone. This is opposed to the typical polished finish that is often applied to granite. The texture of the stone added an interest to the elements, while providing a nice contrast in both color and gloss to the Premium Plus black granite supplied by M S International, this is the same granite that was used for the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.