John's Blog

Rethinking Ground Zero
The first version of The Freedom Tower was just OK (meaning not the worst, and not the best), but the "compromise" version looked like a goat with a stick strapped on it's head that someone was trying to sell as a unicorn. I see very little that I would characterize as truly inspiring about the "retread" architecture or the memorial proposal which was a big disappointment to me. Looking at the Oklahoma memorial the other day and remembering the power of the Vietnam Memorial in DC points out how successful designs can indeed inspire. Yes, the PATH station is stellar, but not a heck of a lot else that I've been seeing proposed really is. I'd have to agree with The Times that we need to open up the rebuilding process to the public, lest we all wind up feeling disappointed and betrayed. A refresher on how we got here:
The People's Proposals
The Original LMDC Proposals
The Libeskind Designs
Another Proposal
Reflecting Absence
Why The Towers Fell