A 12,000-pound section of steel from the North Tower of the World Trade Center now sits at the future site of Heroes Hall in Castle Rock, dedicated on November 7 during a ceremonial groundbreaking that doubled as the Heroes Hall Foundation's first official act of business. The roughly 19-foot artifact, a piece of the tower's mast involved in broadcasting signals, is destined to anchor a planned 14,000-square-foot facility meant to bring Douglas County's veteran organizations under one roof.
A Signal That Changed on September 11
According to 9NEWS, Mike McNairy, chairman of the Heroes Hall Foundation and a U.S. Air Force veteran who was on active duty during the September 11 attacks, called the beam a significant signal-related part of the tower mast. He said the signal it carried stopped, then changed, the moment America was attacked. The dedication came 25 years after the attacks, honoring both those lost that day and those who served in the years since, as part of Douglas County's broader Veterans Day recognition events.
The artifact's path to Castle Rock began with Larry Mizel, who is affiliated with the Mizel Institute and offered the foundation the piece. Institute staff member Janelle Darnell helped coordinate getting the steel transported to Douglas County, a process the foundation worked on all summer. A 12,000-pound section of steel from the World Trade Center's North Tower was dedicated Saturday at the future site of Heroes Hall for veterans, as Krystal 93 reported, and community response to the unveiling was strong.
What's Planned for the Fairgrounds Site
Heroes Hall is planned for an undeveloped parcel at 595 Fairgrounds Road at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, with a building that will include a central gathering space, event venue, conference center and offices, plus a 7,000-square-foot basement. The facility is meant to bring together four founding organizations: the Douglas County Veterans Service Office, Veterans of Foreign Wars Douglas County, American Legion Harry C. Miller Post 1187, and the Douglas County Veterans Monument Foundation, which together the 14,000-square-foot building will house when complete, Castle Pines Connection reported. The county commissioners approved a Heroes Hall lease agreement in April 2025, clearing the way for continued fundraising and construction planning at the fairgrounds.
BJ Reese, a Heroes Hall Foundation board member and commander of American Legion Post 1187 in Castle Rock, said the American Legion and VFW currently lack their own building, and that a shared hall would let the two organizations work together. Reese said Heroes Hall could also provide special services for veterans dealing with PTSD, and he said younger generations need to know the past in order to move forward. Planned services at the facility include assistance with VA and state benefits applications, emergency support resources, and skill-building and camaraderie-building events. Heroes Hall will offer services from counseling to family support, addressing veterans' physical, emotional and social needs, per CBS Colorado.
Funding and Engineering Still in Progress
The Heroes Hall Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, expects the project to cost an estimated $15 million according to the foundation's website, with funding coming primarily from private donations. The Douglas County News-Press reported that Douglas County provided the project land, which McNairy valued at around $3 million, and that the Aloha Fund donated $100,000 toward the planned facility. Fundraising remains ongoing, and McNairy has encouraged corporations to contact the foundation directly.
The November 7 groundbreaking was ceremonial, with additional work still required before construction can begin. McNairy said installing the steel permanently will require pillars or supports dug down to bedrock, and an engineering study will be conducted at the fairgrounds beforehand, with engineering drawings potentially taking about three months to complete. Once the foundation receives placement approval, the steel will be positioned somewhere on the main site; in the meantime, it will be displayed on a flatbed at Star Lighting in Castle Rock from 1 to 5 p.m. on a Saturday about two weeks after the dedication, per McNairy.
Serving a Growing Veteran Population
Heroes Hall is intended to serve more than 27,000 veterans in Douglas County. A separate KRDO / Stacker report, citing the Census Bureau’s 2024 five-year estimate, counted 20,642 veterans, or 7.2% of residents. The foundation also offers commemorative tiles for purchase, letting families honor a loved one who served. McNairy and Reese visited Douglas County High School the week after the dedication, where McNairy noted that half of the teachers at the event were themselves veterans.
McNairy said September 11 prompted many people to enlist, and that veterans give back to their community in the years that follow. He said he hopes visitors who see the steel come away with a mix of sadness, pride and unity, and noted that Veterans Day honors veterans past, present and future. Elsewhere, similar efforts to preserve World Trade Center steel have taken root: North Carolina officials dedicated a recovered beam as a permanent memorial at the North Carolina Emergency Training Center, hosted by the state's Office of State Fire Marshal to honor the nearly 3,000 victims of the attacks along with first responders, survivors and affected families, according to WECT.
