34-year-old architect Michael Arad was poised to become the next Maya Lin. His design for a World Trade Center Memorial, which he called Reflecting Absence, was named best out of 5,201 entries. The unknown architect became instantly famous.

But today, amid soaring prices and inside battles, Arad's Ground Zero memorial remains unbuilt. What went wrong? New York Magazine tells the compelling story in The Breaking of Michael Arad >>

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