• Dr. King Read-in & Luncheon set
    for Jan. 18 at Noyes Arts Garage

    Dr. KingThe Atlantic City Free Public Library held its first Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Read-in back in 2014 — and it quickly became one of the library’s favorite traditions. This year’s Read-in, which will be followed by a free luncheon for attendees, will be held Saturday, Jan. 18, from 2-4 p.m. at Noyes Arts Garage (2200 Fairmount Ave.). Registration is required for this program. Read more about this program.
  • scheduled week of dec 30
  • New project to focus on city's Asian community

    NJCH wordmark BThe Atlantic City Free Public Library has received a New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Community History Pilot Project award for $5,000. The library will utilize the funding for a project focusing on the history of Atlantic City’s Asian community, from the city’s inception in 1854 to present day. Read more about this project.
  • Library work image for monitors and website Oct. 2024
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First Responders & 9/11 Memorial

 Statues are located on the Boardwalk at St. James Place. 

On December 5, 2014, the City of Atlantic City dedicated a new monument in honor of firefighters, police officers, and K9 officers, along with a complimentary monument created especially in the memory of those lost while responding to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

The monuments were part of a $145,000 CRDA revitalization project of Boardwalk space at the end of St. James Place, which had previously been damaged by a fire.

The dedication ceremony began with a mass at the St. Nicholas of Tolentine church, followed by a procession of policemen and firefighters from Atlantic City and Jersey City. The ceremony concluded with the playing of Taps and the unveiling of the monuments.

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 Police Officers and Firefighters gather for the dedication ceremony of the Memorial on the Boardwalk at St. James Place. (ACFPL staff photo)

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The First Responders monument features three bronze statues - a policeman, a firefighter, and a K9 dog. The police officer statue is modeled after Melvin Vincent Santiago, a police officer from Jersey City who was killed in the line of duty in July 2014. The statues were designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon, who had previously designed the statue of Miss America in front of Boardwalk Hall and the Leavander Johnson statue in City Center Park.

Hanlon Sculpture Studio also designed the adjacent 9/11 Memorial, which features two seven-foot tall granite towers, representing the World Trade Center, into which are chiseled a fireman’s helmet and a police shield. At a later date, existing plaques which honor Atlantic City natives who died on September 11th will be moved to accompany the St. James memorial.

The memorial was a joint effort by the City of Atlantic City, the CRDA, and Cathy Burke, owner of the Irish Pub on St. James Place. Burke was the project’s catalyst, wanting to give back in some way to the police officers and firefighters who patronize her business.

"First Responders" by Brian Hanlon, Hanlon Sculpture Studio.

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9/11 Memorial by Brian Hanlon, Hanlon Sculpture Studio.
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