Behind the Ruggles Fountain, a small garden of junipers and miniature evergreens carried a plaque dedicated to Emergency Service Squad 1. The December 2011 Trustees newsletter photographed the planting and its inscription: “A Christmas Grove” and the date September 11, 2001.
The letter explained that the garden honored officers from ESU Truck 1 and the 13th Precinct killed in the line of duty, particularly those lost on September 11. It placed remembrance within the Park’s daily landscape.
The same account credited an endowment to the Gramercy Park Block Association from the estate of Gene A. Morin, a friend of Kathleen Scupp. At the time, Scupp was counsel to the Trustees and chaired the Block Association’s events committee.
This memorial is inside Gramercy Park, behind the fountain. The Remembrance Garden at the 13th Precinct is a separate place outside the police station. Both belong to the neighborhood’s record of honoring service, with their own histories and supporters.
Sources
Adapted from the complete December 2011 Trustees winter-cleanup notice and its original photographs.