September 11, 2006
Five Years of Wondering What Will Be There
Today's special NY Times section, Broken Ground, which has an article, "The Hole in the City's Heart" and a timeline of the rebuilding at the World Trade Center. There are maps, a timeline, and photographs as well as interviews and looks at the relationships involved. There's a great quote from Nina Libeskind about Pataki ("Governor Pataki had great intentions, but if this is a great project, it will be despite and not because of him") and some interesting ones from her husband, Daniel, the World Trade Center's master planner, who original design for Freedom Tower was totally re-imagined by David Childs. At the end of the article, Libeskind discusses the current state of the overall project, at the heels of last week's unveiling of designs for Towers 2, 3 and 4:
Mr. Libeskind says he retains faith that the new World Trade Center will be “memorable’’ because of the combined talents — “It’s not some schlock architects’’ — joined together under the umbrella of his master plan.Or could the urgency and idealism have faded because of what's generally agreed to be a glacially slow process at the World Trade Center? Yes, there's bureaucracy, but when we hear about the problems at Ground Zero, it just seems like disappointment after disappointment. Which might be why some architecture critics are saying we're welcoming the new designs for Towers 2, 3, and 4 because we're tired.Yet he worries that the city’s passion for the project has dissipated, that the urgency and idealism have faded.
“For many, Sept. 11 has become very abstract,’’ he said. “People forget already what this was all about. They think it’s about pretty facades and square-footage prices. They don’t remember anymore that it’s about people who perished, it’s about America, it’s about some pretty big ideas.”
Just this morning, Mayor Bloomberg got huffy with NY1's Pat Kiernan, who said rebuilding was slow. However, in the NY Times Magazine feature on Bloomberg's lower Manhattan hopes, the Mayor says about Ground Zero development, “There will be continuing problems — yelling and screaming — but we’ll get it done." Of course there will be something built there. But there is also a reason why The Onion's piece about the 9/11 Memorial Hole was so darkly hilarious: "Pataki then cut a ceremonial ribbon to release a giant blue plastic tarpaulin, reportedly the largest of its kind, which fluttered and snapped while slowly settling into the detritus and mud at the bottom of the 70-foot Hole, drawing a long, tired sigh of resignation from the estimated crowd of 50,000 who had assembled to watch and shake their heads.
Photograph of Ground Zero by Mary Altaffer/AP
|
Maybe it is taking so long to rebuild, because so far the new designs don't capture the uniqueness and the originality of the twin towers. This is New York City. We are not supposed to be the same as everybody else. We need something there that will represent the cutting edge style of New York not just the tallest buildings someone can imagine. We must replace that site with something that will truly define New York as it's own world, a place where you want to be, just like the mighty twin towers used to be. We don't want the New York skyline looking like any other typical town. We at least need some more twins somethings there. Duhhh!
Maybe it is taking so long to rebuild there, because so far the new designs don't capture the uniqueness and originality of the mighty twin towers. We need to replace that site with some new twin somethings: something that will define New York City as a place you want to be, not any typical town, because it is it's own world. We aren't supposed to look or think the same as everybody else. Manhattan is the cutting edge RAW! Bring it back to life with something more breathtaking than but something that resembles and reminds us of what was there before. That's the only way NYC will regain its respect. Otherwise, it might as well be any old country town. period.
“For many, Sept. 11 has become very abstract,’’ he said. “People forget already what this was all about. They think it’s about pretty facades and square-footage prices. They don’t remember anymore that it’s about people who perished, it’s about America, it’s about some pretty big ideas.”
911 is still abstract to me. I am still questioning why the answer as to what happened that day is so cut and dry.
I disagree with the defintion of 911 above and what the day means. To me, 911 is about what happened between warring weatlthy, powerful entities. None of which want to relent. 911 is about the innoscent people getting caught in the middle of a power struggle.
911 is not about America. If it were about America, the Americans would have seen 911 coming. Instead, the organizations that knew of potential threats were the CIA and the FBI and who knows who else. They kept the information to themselves. Then out of the blue, the name Osama bin La Din has becomes a household name in the USA. In previous years he was doing business with American businessman.
New York City and the twin towers are not the epitome of America. If they wanted to destroy America, they would have attacked the leaders of United States and the people that assist them. The terroist did not attack the leaders. It seems George Bush had to clew that the threat leave was at "RED."
They attacked a building which represents world economy more so then American economy.
And now there is the big hoop la regarding who will design the new structures. Remember over three dozen businesses were running on the lot when the towers fell. Were they bought out or something. Took the money and ran? Go figure.
The biggest business was going on amongst the stock traders in the towers.
So, you mean to tell me no one else has anything to say? That's crazy.
11Kap: no, just that others may be distracted from a more truthful explanation of events.
I think the lack of interest in commenting has to do with the fact that today really isn't one for arguing about architecture, design, and politics. I think most people use it as a day to remember the people that lost their lives, not what the future holds. I doubt anyone saw December 7, 1946 as the perfect forum to debate the Marshall Plan.
I am not interested in celebrating the memory of 911. I think it is a distraction. I would rather see Memorial Day given the same hype but for the sake of men and woman in the armed forces around the world in the present. Maybe a day of silence and preyer for those fighting now. For those alive now. On that day there should be mention of December 7, 1946 and other significant moment in American history.
The day of remembrance would be 12/7/1941. I wrote 1946 because that was the five-year anniversary, as 9/11/06 is the five-year anniversary.
That Onion article is hilarious! I don't see why Ray Nagin got such flak for mentioning The Hole a few weeks ago in defending the pace of recovery in New Orleans. I think it is time to give up. The footprints you can see in The Hole are powerful enough - build them up about 10 feet, make some nice observation platforms, and leave it alone. Why do we need a billion dollar memorial? It is like the grand-daddy of the McMansion mausoleums. Macabre conspicuous consumption on a grotesque scale. Donald Trump is probably designing a gilt, quarter-scale version right now to hold his remains.
Everyone, especially Americans of other cities are just gonna take New Yorkers for suckers the longer it takes to put some twins back there. I can't say it any plainer.