Waterfalls In, Names Up, Galleries Out in New Memorial Plans

Last week, builder Frank Sciame met with Governor Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg to discuss possibilities for the downsizing/costcutting of the World Trade Central Memorial. Some ideas kicked around were to remove the waterfalls and move the victims' names aboveground, and today, a new plan was revealed. The waterfalls are still in, but the names will move aboveground. There will be space underground for contemplation, but there will only be one below-grade entrance, not two, to the museum and visitor's center.

With this new plan, the cost of the building is around $700 million (a savings of $285.1 million from the earlier $1 billion estimate from builder Bovis) and if the Port Authority assumes more responsibility, there could be more cost efficiencies. However, with the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is some disarray, it's unclear if fundraising will meet its goals.

Buried in Sciame's actual proposal (PDF), there is the recommendation to start construction work early next month, in order for the memorial to open on September 11, 2009. And the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation is accepting comments about the new plan at their website and through the mail.

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By Jen Chung in News on June 20, 2006 4:10 PM

Comments [rss]

shellyharman

that was so good hope you have more for me

Willow

Bring back the original towers! That is the only true memorial and slap in the face of the assholes who brought them down.

cj

Goddamn shame a piece of wing didn't slide into your ass and rid us of your stupidity since you live down the street and all. Stupid fuck.

Willow

What a piece of crap! It looks like a friggin' penis for god sakes!

mark

Oscar, you.re a twat...why would I suggest affordable housing if I was a millionaire developer? In order to be a developer I would have to have lost sense of reality and respect for fellow human beings...therefore I don.t have the money to do this, but it should be done none-the-less. Fuck the giant tombstones to the dead...everyone dies somehow...who gives a fuck.

oscar

so mark, when are you making your offer on that valuable land to build some affordable and subsidize my housing expenses?

mark

Who gives a flying fuck? Why are we wasting so much valuable space on a memorial and goddamn office towers? Build affordable housing on that plot. We don.t need to become a nation of monuments and memorials...if you want war monuments go to fucking DC, keep this shit that will only attract dumb-fuck tourists from Nebraska out of my neighborhood [and yeah, I actually live down the street from where this bitch will be...I.m dreading it now - 'which way to 9/11?' - fuck off, go home]...