Archived News -- June 2002

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June 30, 2002

From the Executive Editor...

Working in the Financial District, three blocks east of the World Trade Center Site, it's difficult not to notice that the area surrounding "Ground Zero" has become a major tourist attraction post 9/11. After observing the throngs in and around lower Broadway every workday since the "frozen zone" restrictions were lifted, it's obvious that the atrocity of 9/11 had an emotional affect on many people from around the country and the world.

My first visit to the site was on September 22, 2001. The closest the public could get to the wreckage was the east side of Broadway, but the entire area around Broadway and Liberty Street was packed with spectators. Later a viewing platform would rise on Liberty Street to accommodate those wishing to pay their respects. Despite bone-chilling weather, people lined up for hours for their turn on the platform. The City was forced to implement a ticket system to eliminate the long lines and nine months later, people continue to visit, mourn and reflect.

Some pundits in the New York press and political establishment have decried what they determine is a crass and carnival-like atmosphere in lower Manhattan. These people often point to the appearance of numerous street vendors selling all sorts of Twin Towers and 9/11 merchandise to the visiting tourists. Many photos of the Twin Towers are for sale, not just in lower Manhattan but all over the City.

This points out a profound sense of loss felt by many around the country and the world. During the last months of 2001, photos of the Twin Towers appeared everywhere. Businesses throughout Manhattan placed them in their windows, above their cash registers and on the walls. The phenomenon was not limited to New York City. Many national publications ran photos of the Twin Towers in their fall issues. One of my personal favorites appeared in the December 2001 issue of Railfan & Railroad magazine, which contained a dramatic full-page photo taken by the editor on August 26, 2001. The picture depicts a westbound New Jersey Transit light rail train approaching Jersey Avenue with the Twin Towers rising majestically in the perfect afternoon sunlight.

What does this all mean? Why do people continue to buy and display photos of the Twin Towers? It's obvious that there was a nationwide outpouring of grief at the tremendous human loss of 9/11, yet the sense of loss also extends to the Twin Towers themselves. During the last quarter of the 20th Century, the Twin Towers became a world famous landmark and New Yorkers were as proud of their skyline as they are furious at the way it was destroyed. During the last several months, it has become clear that there is a large, mostly silent, group of Americans who want the Twin Towers rebuilt.

The sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers is beginning to come out at public forums. At a Lower Manhattan Development Corporation public hearing in May 2002, numerous speakers, including Team Twin Towers, who proposed rebuilding were cheered by the assembled crowd. Additionally, there was a large sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers at the Municipal Arts Society's Imagine NY workshops held in the spring. On page 11 of Imagine NY's Summary Report, published in June and available on their website, the "vision statement" reads "The Twin Towers should be built as they were before September 11, perhaps even taller, to restore our spirit and dignity, and to prove that the terrorists did not prevail. The new World Trade Center buildings should incorporate a memorial in addition to office space, and should be built with the latest technologies to make them safer and more secure."

This vision statement is describing what more and more people are publicly saying about what should be done at "Ground Zero". Myself, all the members of Team Twin Towers, and the silent majority of the world agree.

Bill Hough
Executive Editor
Team Twin Towers



On June 30, ran this article which asserted that a mega-memorial is counter to the public good.

NY Observer: "Oklahoma Memorial Isnít Right Tone For Towers Shrine", by Philip Weiss



June 14, 2002

Both the NY Observer and the NY Post reported that Larry Silverstein's architects, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill have drafted plans for a single 110-story tower at the WTC site, the top 40 floors of which would remain empty. The building would "dissolve into the sky" at the upper floors. The memorial tower concept is one of several Silverstein and LMDC have been proposing in recent weeks. The LMDC had been considering expandable buildings, but Silverstein, and several other developers and architects were opposed to it. The NY Observer published its article in its June 17th Edition, while the NY Post's account was published on June 7th.

NY Observer: "At Tower Site Vast Top Seen As Memorial", by Tom McGeveran

ARCHIVED: NY Post: "Architects Construct Plan for 110-Story 'Memorial' Tower", by MAGGIE HABERMAN and WILLIAM NEUMAN


June 12, 2002

June 12, 2002, was a busy news day for rebuilding. First, the NY Times Reported on the progress on the re-construction of the Winter Garden, located in the neighboring World Financial Center. The Winter Garden's interior and marble floors were destroyed when the Twin Towers collapsed. "When you destroy an ant's nest, immediately the ants start rebuilding it. And though the destruction is very fast, and the reconstruction is very slow, the ants always win. A sense of purpose and determination always wins in the end.", said Cesar Pelli, Architect of the World Financial Center.

ARCHIVED: NY Times: "Resilience, Reflected in Marble ", by Glen Collins
In other news, the NY Post reported on the strong likelihood of the WTC site being broken into quadrants to accommodate re-introducing portions of the street grid. Meanwhile, the NY Daily News reported that Beyer Blinder Belle, the architect firm contracted by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to re-envision the WTC site is considering tourism as a main factor in its planning.

ARCHIVED: NY Post: "Traffic Likely in WTC Rebuild", by William Neuman

ARCHIVED: NY Daily News: "WTC Planners Eye Tourism", by Greg Gittrich


June 9, 2002

On June 9, 2002, the New York Post reported that officials planning a new transit hub are considering a proposal to demolish a square block of Broadway, bordered by Fulton, John, and Nassau Streets. On this location would be placed a large terminal with office buildings sitting atop.

ARCHIVED: NY Post: "Ay There's the Hub", by William Neuman


June 6, 2002

On June 6, 2002, syndicated columnist, Ann Coulter wrote about the importance of rebuilding the Twin Towers to defy terrorists. In her column, Ms. Coulter dismissed the argument that no one would rent space or work in a rebuilt Twin Towers. "If fear of another terrorist attack were a major factor in New Yorkers' decisional calculus, they wouldn't be living in New York," she said. "The most fitting memorial to the victims of the World Trade Center attack is to build the most breathtaking skyscraper in the world on top of Mohamed Atta's grave." See the Frontpage Magazine link below for the complete column.

ARCHIVED: Universal Press Syndicate: "Build Them Back", by Ann Coulter