Frank A. DeMartini

Defending the Brownstone
Frank De Martini had a passion for old cars, motorcycles, sailing and everything Italian. He also loved restoring Brooklyn brownstones, and was fascinated with the World Trade Center. Mr. De Martini, an architect, started working at the twin towers when he was hired to assess the damage from the 1993 bombing. He stayed on, becoming the construction manager, the man to see when you wanted to move a wall or rearrange the plumbing. Mr. De Martini's wife, Nicole, also worked in the towers, and their children, Sabrina, 10, and Dominic, 8, could often be seen splashing around in the pool at the complex's Marriott Hotel.

Compact and athletic, Mr. De Martini, 49, once used a baseball bat to chase away an intruder who had picked the wrong brownstone. "He was really very fearless," said Michael Prager, a longtime friend. When the north tower was struck, Nicole De Martini was just leaving her husband's office on the 88th floor. Finding a stairway that was still intact, he ushered her to safety. But he refused to follow just then because others needed help. "He saw himself very much as a protector," Mr. Prager said.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 1, 2001.


DeMARTINI-Frank A. Of Brooklyn, NY. Missing since September 11 in the World Trade Center attack. Beloved husband of Nicole (Fasnacht). Devoted father of Sabrina and Dominic. Beloved son of Alfred and Alberta De Martini of Haddon Heights, NJ and Philadelphia, PA. Engaging brother to Alfred, Nina, Rosemary, Paul and their spouses. Terrific uncle to their children. For the Port Authority, Frank was Construction Manager of the World Trade Center, a building that he passionately admired. Raised in Haddon Heights, NJ, he earned a degree in architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn where he practiced his profession and developed real estate after graduating in 1974. He was hired by the structural engineering firm Leslie E. Robertson Associates to help with the repairs of the 1993 terrorist bombing at the World Trade Center. He will be remembered for his courage, his passion, his love for his family, and his joy in being a parent. A memorial service to celebrate his life will be held on Friday, October 5 at 3PM at the Lafayette Presbyterian Church, 85 South Oxford Street, Brooklyn NY with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowerrs, donations can be made to the Daughters of Wisdom, Bethany House, 1342 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, New York 11213.