Much Ado About Ground Zero

Now that it's official that the Freedom Tower design will be redone due to security concerns, it turns out that maybe the Port Authority knew about the NYPD's concerns last year. The Daily News reports that Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism, Michael Sheehan, expressed the department's concerns in letters sent in August and October of 2004. While there's no official statement from the Port Authority, some PA sources say that one letter may have never reached then-director Joseph Seymour; also, the letters may have come in between Seymour's resignation announcement and actual resignation. Hmm. Gothamist thinks that a letter from the NYPD about Freedom Tower safety conerns goes into the "Transition folder" for your replacement, versus tossing it with your junk. But perhaps Sheehan should have over-CC'd the letter, to ensure someone would have seen it; we know there is bureaucracy, but we are also sometimes terrible optimists.

And, worried what he'll do for free press now that he's married and since the Apprentice finale is Thursday, Donald Trump has announced he has created a 111-story World Trade Center design alternative to Freedom Tower. While the only substantiation for the design are his words, "We have a beautiful model that has been built, a very big model" - and apparently not Melania - the Post says Trump thinks his design is better-looking, stronger, and "more vivid and beautiful." Plus, Trump is on the record as hating Daniel Libeskind's "eggheaded" design. No word on when he'll unveil the building, but Gothamist has a request of the Port Authority and Governor Pataki: Puh-lease, get the collective act together to shut Donald Trump up.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on May 17, 2005 8:42 AM

Comments [rss]

bob denver

I'd never seen the united architects design before. That would certainly be an improvement over libeskind or don trump. I still think Gaudi kicks everyone's ass, but is too innovative even a hundred years after conception for the lifeless suits that seem to be in control of the project.

xandervaliya

Speaking of phallic; I'm not a big fan of Gaudi's tower for exactly that reason.

United Architects' WTC design still appeals to me:

http://www.unitedarch.com/

I agree that twinning is what will help restore Lower Manhattan's skyline.

lp

I don't care what the new tower looks like, but I would just like to see two of them. The old towers were featureless and bland, but the fact that they were twins made them distinctive. If there will be two freedom towers, I'll be pleased.

Kojak

Please, do not build the towers as they were. They may have grown on us and we learned to love them, but the design was flawed. It always has been flawed.

Why should we look back on the past and restore it the way it was when we should be looking toward the future and build something better and grander?

Although, if it was the Empire State Building that was destroyed, I'd be saying rebuild...

D. Smith

I'm not a Trump fan at all, but he's absolutely right on this one. Scrap the process that will eventually lead to a soulless David Childs architechtural compromise and rebuild the Towers as they were.

T.A.

I'm sure that shareholders in Mr. Trump's casino and hotel businesses are delighted that he's spending his time building architectural models and filming television programs instead of trying to figure out how to get his ass out of bankruptcy court. Donald, restructure thyself.

Kojak

He can build it 200 stories tall but it still wouldnt be as big as Donald Trump's fat bloated head.

But I bet he'd do a better job then the people who are in charge of it right now.

Tim N.

It's times like this that I wish Donald Trump had an iota of credibility. On the "even a broken clock is right twice a day" theory, Trump's right on this one. I just worry they'll be a large red-lit "TRUMP!" sign at the top of each tower.

bob denver

The 'security concerns' seem to be an excuse because some of the people involved are too politic to just say that the libescind design sucks and for others it is an opportunity to seize control of the project. The current design with the bizarre chicken wire looking lattice stuck on top purely to extend the phallic height of the building seems a good representation of libescind's personality, but not nyc's. david childs doesn't seem to have the imagination for the task. The spaniard that designed the path station Santiago Calatrava there should be given the job to redesign. He seems to have the imagination that is consistent with most new yorkers. If it were up to me I would go with the grand Gaudi design for the site from 1908.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2687565.stm