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It's the future, now! The Daily Intelligencer posted this Skidmore, Owings & Merrill/SWIM rendering of Freedom Tower's lobby, and finds out from SOM's TJ Gottesdiener that the lobby will shed "light into the memorial pool." Notice how the way light falls in Freedom Tower's lobby mimics how light would fall in the World Trade Center's lobby. It's wild to think there's a lobby rendering - remember when Freedom Tower was just redesign upon redesign?
Of course, seeing what Freedom Tower's interior could look like seems premature when a group of September 11 victims' families is battling with Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Spitzer. The families want this year's September 11 ceremony to be held at Ground Zero and want to be able to descend into "The Pit," whereas government officials claim there's too much construction at the site, so the event must be moved to Zuccotti Park. The family members opposing the "downsizing" of the ceremony held a press conference to protest the move (they've actually filed for a permit to have their own ceremony at Ground Zero) and one family member said to the Post, "It's not as if the families can go to a cemetery. We certainly are not going to go to the Fresh Kills garbage dump to pay respect."
A "source close to the rebuilding effort" tells the Daily News, "We didn't see this coming. I don't think anyone on the City Hall side thought anyone would have any qualms about the fact that there's construction going on there." And NJ Governor Jon Corzine is getting in on the action: His office said he was waiting for "official reasoning from Gov. Spitzer and Mayor Bloomberg as to why the ceremony is being moved offsite."
In a final bit of Ground Zero news, the survivors' staircase may be moved to a barge off Governor's Island temporarily. Why a barge off Governor's Island? Well, it's somewhere not Ground Zero while the powers that be figure out what to do with it. The survivors' staircase is a love-it-or-hate-it deal: The National Trust for Historical Preservation named it an endangered place last year, but some have said it should just be scrapped. Community Board 1 member Bill Love said, "If the barge sank, it might make a nice natural reef." Ouch.
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But will there be a TKTS booth in the lobby?
so as soon as you walk in there's a huge wall right in front of you that you must go around?
SOM did the same concept as that wall in 7WTC. It's to give people in the lobby protection in the event of a car or truck bomb.
The "survivors' staircase" debate is one of the dumbest arguments I've ever heard. It's taking sentimentality to absurd proportions. The staircase just a piece of the building. There are other pieces of the building that were touched by both survivors and victims alike. I'm pretty sure they've mostly been hauled away at this point. Where's the survivors' floor? The survivors' door frame? The survivors' urinal?
I'm all for ensuring that 9/11 is properly memorialized but keeping a big chunk of ugly metal on display makes no sense.
I honestly can't believe that City Hall "didn't see this coming." Either they are incredibly callous and don't care about what people think or unbelievably stupid. The 9/11 families have always - and rightfully so - been vocal about the actions of the City and State. Why did the Mayor and his people think that this would suddenly change? Mayor Mike really needs to learn that governing means connecting with his constituents and giving them a heads up to what he is thinking. Nearly six years in office and he still doesn't get it.
I don't see a credible reason why construction can't be stopped for a few hours and a memorial be held on the site. After all - given the botched rush job with finding the remains, failure to inform the public on the air quality, and still seven years later the site is a hole in the ground - I think it is the least that they can do.
They should have seen it coming but at the same time it's not so crazy to think, "Hey, maybe these people can chill out for a year or two WHILE WE BUILD THEM THEIR FUCKING MEMORIAL FOR SEVERAL HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS!"
I think #6 just pulled the trump card.
Bill Love's quote might be the funniest, most honest thing I'll read from a politician. I agree completely.
About six months ago I remember reading that something like 85,000 US Military servicemen and women were never recovered - most from WW II.
I don't see a credible reason why construction can't be stopped for a few hours and a memorial be held on the site.
Because it will take far more than a few hours to prep the site and make it safe, perhaps?
failure to inform the public on the air quality,
Nobody has come close to proving the air quality was unsafe for anyone NOT working the site for 12 hour shifts for months on end.
and still seven years later the site is a hole in the ground
Get your ass downtown and you'll notice that there has been plenty of work done. You don't throw up new buildings without years of planning.
Prepping the site to get ready for the ceremony would probably be quite time-consuming, anti-productive and expensive. They are working hard at rebuilding the area for all of New York to enjoy and move on with, including, as mentioned, a huge and expensive memorial. I don't think it's asking the families so much to hold the ceremony nearby while the site is rebuilt--on schedule--for everyone.
That's the most stupid entrance I've ever seen in my life! I hope I never have to go there!
#6, I sure wish you had signed in, because goddamn, that's the best comment on GZ I've heard in a while.
I think City Hall did see it coming, but they've finally got the practical, emotional, and moral grounds to tell the hard-core families that they're not running the show anymore. There will be howls, yes, but a permit there? Um, no.
What will be interesting is if they protest and are arrested or something what will happen then? My guess... nothing. People feel symapthy, but after seven years most people have moved on.
As for the survivor's staircase, yeah, it is a hunk of banged-up concrete, but let's also remember it's the one piece of the old Trade Center that's still there. It's the one thing you can look at and remember what was there. That's why folks (like me, alright, I'll admit it) are sentimental about it.
I completely agree with #6, and Tim's point about City Hall.
But the staircase is not the "one piece of the old Trade Center that's still there." The entrance to the E subway is still the original structure of the WTC. (Of course, there's even a plaque proclaiming this.) The staircase is just "one of those pieces of the old Trade Center that's still there."
While reading the above I was thinking if this is what New Yorkers are like, then maybe they are getting the Ground Zero they deserve. Anyone can spend money.
It looks like only about 10 people are entering the lobby. They don't look Chinese. Are they all PA employees? If so, the numbers aren't going to work. At least the visitor's entrance will be buisy.
Response to comments above:
"WHILE WE BUILD THEM THEIR F*****G MEMORIAL"
Its NOT our memorial. Don't you get it? We don't want it!!! Donald Trump was right when he said we're better off having just a temporary park than this inane garbage.
" You don't throw up new buildings without years of planning."
Yes, that's how it should be, but the Freedumb Tower was completely redesigned in only 8 weeks. The LMDC paid for 5 years of planning, but got only 5 days worth. Its goinng to be a disaster.
The two men on the left don't seem as relaxed as the other visitors. Maybe they are late for work.
They seem to be in a rush. The only people standing still are to the right of the wall.
The picture above proves the bold vision of Governor Pataki and the genius of world renowned architect Danny Libeskind, and the Freedom Tower will be the pride of New York. Kudos to the LMDC, job well done. The critics are shown to be fools.
"WHILE WE BUILD THEM THEIR F*****G MEMORIAL"
Dishonest logic - blame the messenger. The public will pay greatly, but not because of mistakes by the victims' families. The public will pay greatly for Pataki's and the LMDC's mistakes. But for now we are expected to believe the plans are "brilliant", and by implication that Pataki is a great leader, presidential material even. And BTW, the delays at GZ have been caused by the critics, right?