Downtown Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)

Lauren's Garden

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 20, 2026

1. Lauren's Garden Marker

Inscription. Lauren's Garden is dedicated to all the victims of the attacks of September 11, 2001, in memory of Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, a native Houstonian and passenger on United Flight 93.

The three granite walls in the fountain represent the three crash sites, New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania.

Each smooth stone in the fountain represents a life lost. Water gently flows around 40 large stones for those on United Flight 93. 2,753 small pebbles line the front of the fountain for those who died at the World Trade Center, along with 184 larger pebbles for those who died at the Pentagon.

The sight of the tower rising in the distance from mist in the center of the fountain reminds us of both our vulnerability and our strength.

Bronze sculptures in the fountain modeled after the bristlecone pine, an organism that can survive 5,000 years, symbolize our endurance. A bronze vine in the granite medallion in the plaza symbolizes resilience.

Flowing water, stone, trees and flowers commemorate Lauren's love of the outdoors, celebrating nature and the preciousness of life.

Erected 2010.

Topics. This historical

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

marker is listed in these topic lists: 9/11 Attacks • Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is September 11, 2001.

Location. 29° 45.767′ N, 95° 21.732′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Downtown Houston. It is on Congress Street east of Milam Street, on the left when traveling west. Lauren's Garden is in the northern corner of Market Square Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 Milam Street, Houston TX 77002, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Republic of Texas,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: United Airlines Flight 93 (here, next to this marker); The Houston Market Square Park Project (a few steps from this marker); Park Site Chronology

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 20, 2026

2. Lauren's Garden Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Market Square Park Timeline (within shouting distance of this marker); Market Square Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Market Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Old City Hall & Market House Buildings (within shouting distance of this marker); The Kennedy Bakery (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Houston.

More about this marker. A bust depicting Lauren Grandcolas is a short distance from the fountain.

Regarding Lauren's Garden. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas was born in Indiana and grew up in Houston, where she attended Stratford High School, about 15 miles west of this park. She later attended the University of Texas, where she met her husband Jack.

On September 11, 2001, the 38-year-old Grandcolas was three months pregnant with her first child and returning to her home in California after attending her grandmother's funeral in New Jersey. She arrived early to the airport and was able to find a seat on Flight 93, which was earlier than her originally scheduled flight.

The flight was delayed by more

Lauren Grandcolas bust at Lauren's Garden image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 20, 2026

3. Lauren Grandcolas bust at Lauren's Garden

than 40 minutes, and was not hijacked for more than 45 minutes after takeoff, around 9:30 a.m. After the flight was hijacked, Grandcolas attempted several phone calls from the back of the plane. Only the first call made it through, during which she left a roughly 46-second answering machine message for her husband Jack at their home in California, informing him about a "problem on the plane." After the hijackers routed the plane towards Washington, D.C. — they are believed to have been targeting either the U.S. Capitol or the White House — the passengers charged the cockpit. After a struggle, the hijackers purposely crashed the plane into a field in a remote section of central Pennsylvania, killing everyone on board.

Also see . . .
1. Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas and unborn child. From the National Park Service.

Excerpt: "When she called her husband from on-board the plane, she left a message saying there was a problem on the flight. She conveyed her love for him and asked him to tell her family that she loved them, too. Grandcolas’ sisters were able to complete and publish her book, You Can Do It: The Merit Badge Handbook for Grown-Up Girls."

Lauren's Garden image. Click for more information.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 20, 2026

4. Lauren's Garden

At the center of the paver is a reprinting of the poem "The Summer Day," by Mary Oliver. The poem's text is linked below.
Click for more information.

(Submitted on September 21, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Lauren Grandcolas’ last words to her husband before Flight 93 crashed helped him find peace. A 2021 article from the Press Democrat newspaper.

Full message: “Honey, are you there? Jack? Pick up, sweetie. OK, well, I just wanted to tell you I love you. We’re having a little problem on the plane. … I’m totally fine. … I just love you more than anything. Just know that. And, you know, I, I’m, you know, I’m not uncomfortable and I’m OK, for now. … It’s a little problem. … It’s a little problem. So I’ll a — I, I just love you. Please tell my family I love them, too. Bye, honey.”

(Submitted on September 21, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. She died on Flight 93. Twenty-five years later, women are still building the lives she imagined. From the Houston Chronicle on September 11, 2026; a log-in may be required. (Submitted on September 21, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Lauren's Garden entrance on Congress Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 20, 2026

5. Lauren's Garden entrance on Congress Street

Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 21, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.