Archived News -- December 2002

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December 25, 2002

On December 25, the NY Post ran six letters to the editor all calling for the Twin Towers to be rebuilt. The first was written by a man who lost his brother-in-law, a firefighter whose body was never found and who is survived by a wife and four children.

ARCHIVED: NY Post Opinion Letters: "All We Want for Christmas is the Towers Rebuilt"

What does the crash of Flight 587 in Belle Harbor have to do with the Twin Towers? This NY Times article published on December 25 illustrates a very close parallel to the WTC rebuilding situation. Apparently, some self-appointed spokespeople of Flight 587 victims' families are demanding a memorial on or near private property, because "there is a ritual attachment to the place where somebody's body actually separates from their soul." Affected Belle Harbor residents want to rebuild their homes and don't want a memorial in their yards. In one case, the proposed memorial would interfere with the rights of a property owner to rebuild her home where her husband had died as a result of the crash. Regarding her home to be rebuilt, the owner said, "It's not where death is....it's where life is."† Whether it's two 110-story offset Towers, or a single-family home, the issue surrounding memorials is the same: if we start the practice of building monuments in the exact spot where a person died, there will quickly be very little useful land left for the living, which is why society has established funerary protocols.

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Unity Tested Over Memorial to a Crash in Queens," by Sarah Kershaw



December 23, 2002

On December 23, the NY Post reported that Larry Silverstein ejected Port Authority officials from his office during a meeting in which they showed their plans for the WTC site. The trigger for Silverstein's anger was the PA's treatment of Greenwich St., which was to be turned into a loading dock and service ramp for the Port's vision of the WTC site.

ARCHIVED: NY Post: "Silversteamed," by William Neuman



December 22, 2002

On December 22, the NY Post ran six letters to the editor specifically stating that the nine released plans should be scrapped and the Twin Towers rebuilt instead. Other letters simply lambasted the plans as being a blight to the skyline.

ARCHIVED: NY Post Opinion Letters: "No New Designs Needed: Just Rebuild the Towers"



December 21, 2002

On December 21, the NY Times reported on the public unveiling of the nine WTC plans. The article features a quote from TTT Spokesperson, Jon Hakala, "the rules that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation had imposed on the architects were ridiculous, especially the requirement that the old street grid, which had been wiped out by the original World Trade Center, be extended into the site.

"A jeweler would not take a hammer to a 16-carat karat diamond and cut it up into a lot of little pieces," Mr. Hakala said. "That destroys its value....When I'm at the memorial reflecting on the loss of my friend, I don't want a garbage truck rolling down a street next to the memorial."

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Public Views Ground Zero Plans," by Andy Newman

On December 21, NY Newsday also reported on the plans' public unveiling. " 'Strike two,' said Jonathan Hakala, a former tenant of Tower One who now is a spokesman for an organization called Team Twin Towers, which is keeping a close eye on the proposals. 'The plans from July were 'Strike one.' We can do so much better, and we will. I wouldn't go back to any of these."

ARCHIVED: NY Newsday: "WTC Visions Incite, Delight -- Reaction to 9 models ranges from 'graceful' to disgraceful," by Pete Bowles




December 20, 2002

On December 20, USA Today ran an article about the nine WTC plans' public unveiling. " 'Maybe there'll be some elements we can build on,' said John Hakala of Team Twin Towers, a group that would like to see the twin towers rebuilt. 'But clearly we need more fresh thinking. New York is capable of a lot better than what we saw today.' "

ARCHIVED: USA Today: "WTC Visions Drawn in Bold Strokes," by Charisse Jones

On December 20, BusinessWeek ran, "Rebuild the Old Twin Towers," by Gary Weiss. "What I would like to see at Ground Zero would be far simpler than what has been proposed. Two towers of gray metal and concrete. One hundred and ten stories each. An observation deck would be on one of the towers, the one to the south. It could even be called the "South Tower." On top of the other building, which I would call the North Tower, there would be a restaurant. It would be a mediocre design -- unimaginative, uninspiring, and vapid. However, I would argue that nothing else belongs at that particular place on the New York City skyline. Yes, the Twin Towers were ugly monstrosities. I want those monstrosities back. I don't want a better skyline. I want the old skyline."

BusinessWeek: "Rebuild the Old Twin Towers," by Gary Weiss

In a currently running MSNBC Poll:

How much of the rebuilt site should be office/commercial space?
65% of 7,987 responses said, "The same amount contained in the original World Trade Center.

Would you like to see the twin towers rebuilt?
65% of 8,242 responses said, "Yes, it would send a positive and powerful message to the world."

How big should the memorial be?
62% of 8,119 responses said, "Some space should be set aside, but it doesn't have to be the focus of the site.

MSNBC: "WTC Proposals: Cast Your Vote"

On December 20, the NY Post ran "Designs to Blight the City," which criticized the nine released plans on two counts: first that they are outrageous and would blight the skyline, and second: the memorial sections are ghoulish in that they "invite us to lower ourselves into a mass grave".

ARCHIVED: NY Post Opinion Columnists: "Designs to Blight the City," by John Podhoretz

On December 20, the NY Post also ran a letter to the editor by Pro-Rebuilder, Gary Taustine. Of the nine designs, "Stacking crap higher doesn't change the fact that it's crap," he wrote. "The designers tried so hard to make something almost like the towers, but they missed the point entirely....On Sept. 11, even people who hated the Twin Towers fell in love with them."

ARCHIVED: NY Post Opinion Letters: "New WTC Designs Still Don't Cut it"

On December 20, the NY Times ran ran an article detailing the problems that would arise from leaving the Twin Tower footprints empty to bedrock.

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Rebuilding Below Ground Zero is at Issue," by Edward Wyatt



December 19, 2002

On December 19, the NY Post ran this front page story regarding the nine released plans. Of all the plans, Lord Norman Foster's proposal, which is a twin-towered structure is the only one that is receiving any positive review. NY Post Real Estate Columnist Steve Cuozzo shared his thoughts, on the nine designs in "Towering Struggle".

ARCHIVED: NY Post News Columnists: "Towering Struggle," by Steve Cuozzo

On December 19, the Newark Star Ledger reported on the December 18th press conference in which the 9 plans were released. " 'As someone who worked on the 77th floor of One World Trade Center, I want to go back to my beloved Twin Towers,' said Jonathan Hakala of Hoboken, who lost his friend, Michael Taylor of Manhattan, in the attack. 'What I saw that was particularly disappointing was this beautiful 16-acre space broken up into lots of little itty-bitty bits. ... You would not take a hammer to a 16-carat diamond.' "

ARCHIVED: Newark Star Ledger, "SKYLINE REBORN," by Ron Marsico

In a still-running CNN Quick Poll, out of 238,582 votes, Foster & Partner's design which evokes the Twin Towers, has garnered 58,844 votes or 25% of the total. The remaining plans lag far behind.

ARCHIVED: "CNN Home Page -- Click Link to WTC Plans"

On December 19, the NY Times ran this news analysis explaning why the nine plans are not realistic and why none of them represent what will ultimately be built at the WTC site.

ARCHIVED: NY Times News Analysis: "Architects' Proposals have Little to Do with Reality," by Charles V. Bagli



December 18, 2002

On December 18, LMDC-commissioned architects released nine WTC site plans during a press conference held at the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center.

Reuters ran this quote from Jonathan Hakala, Official Spokesperson, Team Twin Towers, "We will rebuild the towers...As time passes, people are more accepting of the idea. People are looking to us to see if we have the spirit required and the resilience required to come back from this."

ARCHIVED: Reuters: "Famous Architects Offer Designs for WTC Site," by Grant McCool

ARCHIVED: NY Post: "NY Group Unveils 9 Trade Center Plans," by Karen Matthews, Associated Press

ARCHIVED: Nine New Plans



December 13, 2002

On December 13, the NY Times reported that the seven WTC plans drawn up by LMDC-commissioned architects will go on public exhibit at the World Financial Center from December 20th till February 3rd from 7 AM till 11 PM every day. (Note, the plans will be available on December 19th at 8 PM and TTT is conducting a viewing and informal meeting that night).

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "New Designs for 9/11 to be Shown to the Public" by Edward Wyatt

On December 13, the NY Daily News also reported that the public will be given a greater say over the seven WTC plans, via more public hearings. Two will be held at Pace University on January 13 and 14, and another one will be held in New Jersey with time and date to be determined.

ARCHIVED: NY Daily News: "Public to Get Say on WTC Ideas" by Paul H.B. Shin



December 12, 2002

On December 12, NY Newsday reported that Mayor Bloomberg would release his vision for the WTC site and the surrounding area. (Note: That plan has since been released and Newsday is conducting a poll. TTT members and all pro-rebuilders, your NO vote is needed)

ARCHIVED: NY Newsday: "Mayor to Unveil His Plan for Downtown's Future" by Graham Rayman

ARCHIVED: NY Newsday: "Bloomberg Poll" (Pro-Rebuilders: Vote NO)



December 10, 2002

On December 10, the NY Daily News reported that several of the seven plans for the WTC site feature a 1,500-foot skyscraper, which would today be the world's tallest building. Twin Towers net lesee, Larry Silverstein saw the seven plans and said they were "spatial concepts," not intended to be final building plans.

ARCHIVED: NY Daily News: "Super Tower at WTC Site? Plans for World's Tallest" by Greg Gittrich and Maggie Haberman



December 9, 2002

On December 9, the NY Daily News reported that the LMDC will not be offering as many opportunities for public input on the latest round of plans as was done this last summer. This report indicates that comment cards will be available after the Dec. 18th Press Conference, but there will be no Listening to the City events or major hearings.

ARCHIVED: NY Daily News: "Don't Bank on a Say in Downtown Rebuild Plan" by Greg Gittrich and Maggie Haberman



December 3, 2002

On December 3, the NY Times reported that seven designs for the WTC site will be unveiled in a ceremony at the WFC Winter Garden on December 18.

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Trade Center Designs Will Be Shown Dec. 18," by Edward Wyatt



December 1, 2002

On December 1, the NY Times reported that the various agencies involved in the rebuilding process "vowed" to cooperate with one another in order to expedite the rebuilding process, which has been widely criticized as being stalled by inter-agency conflicts. Officials are set to release an agressive schedule with a final plan due out by February.

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Planners Vow to Cooperate in Rebuilding Trade Center," by Edward Wyatt