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Surely there is no task more painful than designing a memorial. How do we rebuild New York's busy financial center and still honor those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks? In the midst of grief, there was no shortage on creativity. Architects, designers, artists, and ordinary citizens proposed hundreds of powerful ideas for a World Trade Center memorial. Listed below is a sampling. To see drawings and plans for the winning proposal, Reflecting Absence, visit our image gallery for the New World Trade Center.
Twin Piers
Fred Bernstein, who writes about architecture for the New York Times and other publications, proposes constructing two piers that would extend into New York Harbor the exact length of the destroyed Twin Towers: 1368 feet for Tower One and 1362 feet for Tower Two. Each pier would be divided into 110 "floors" inscribed with the story of what happened there and the names of those who died. Bernstein's Twin Piers could be built within a year and, with the approval of the victims' families, could use steel recycled from the World Trade Center.
See Renderings and Maps for the Twin Piers
Deep Reflecting Pool
Mississippi architect Samuel Mockbee imagined two new towers, taller than the original Twin Towers, flanking a deep pit. A spiraling ramp would descend 911 feet beneath the ground to a reflecting pool, a cultural center, and a monument honoring those who died in the World Trade Center attacks. Mockbee died in December, but sketched his idea from his hospital bed.
See Mockbee's Design Drawing
Heroic Statues
Many designers envision a more traditional approach with memorial monuments and realistic statues of New York's heroes. Franck Lohsen McCrery Architects, along with Scottish sculptor Alexander Stoddart, suggest a two-block public square nestled in the center of a bustling financial center. Called "Liberty Place," the park would contain heroic statues of firefighters and police officers.
Tribute in Light
On the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attacks, two square beams of light were cast into the sky, creating phantom towers above the World Trade Center site. Conceived by artists Julian LaVerdiere and Paul Myoda and architects John Bennett and Gustavo Bonevardi, Tribute in Light was a one-month temporary installation that used 88 high-intensity searchlights. Now some designers are asking whether towers of light could become part of a permanent memorial for the World Trade Center dead and a lasting symbol of hope and renewal.
Learn More About Tribute in Light
More Ideas
The ways we can honor our dead are as numerous as those who grieve. Other proposals include:
- Plant evergreens - one tree for each victim.
- Cover a portion of Ground Zero with a field of tulips.
- Sew an enormous September 11 quilt with one square for each victim.
- Rebuild the World Trade Center exactly as it was before the terrorist attack.
Some of these ideas, on a smaller scale, have already been launched in New York and elsewhere. Other ideas will remain in our hearts and imaginations. What is your vision for Ground Zero? Tell us your ideas for a September 11 Memorial.
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