May 2008
S M T W T F S
       1 2 3
4 5 6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23 24
25 26 27 28 29 30 31

"We're really blessed in this country to have the Judeo-Christian tradition of wanting to love each other and help each other have better lives and to enjoy life and be good to each other. As opposed to the tradition of some Islamofascist localities where they do the reverse - sending their own children off to be blown up."
The Big Picture, 4/29/04.
Recent Comments
    on Islamists Protest Against U.S. Freedom of Speech at U.C. Irvine.
———
    on Obama's Elitism and Hypocrisy.
———
    on Obama's Racism: He Calls His Grandmother a "Typical White Person".
———
    face on Rebuild the Twin Towers, and Do it Right (The "Freedom Tower" WTC Design Must Never Be Built).
———
    on Islamists Protest Against U.S. Freedom of Speech at U.C. Irvine.
———
    xene on How the False Interpretation of "Separation of Church And State" Corrodes Freedom of Speech.
———
    on More from Israeli Amb. Gillerman's News Conference: "Iran is a danger to the world as we know it.".
———
    on Obama's Elitism and Hypocrisy.
———
    on More from Israeli Amb. Gillerman's News Conference: "Iran is a danger to the world as we know it.".
———
    on Obama's Elitism and Hypocrisy.
———
Archives
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
  • August 2006
  • July 2006
  • June 2006
  • May 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • January 2006
  • December 2005
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • September 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • May 2005
  • April 2005
  • March 2005
  • February 2005
  • January 2005
  • December 2004
  • November 2004
  • October 2004
  • September 2004
  • August 2004
  • July 2004
  • June 2004
  • May 2004
  • April 2004
  • March 2004
  • February 2004
  • January 2004
  • December 2003
  • November 2003
  • October 2003
  • September 2003
  • August 2003
  • July 2003
  • June 2003
  • May 2003
  • April 2003
  • March 2003

  • Complete Archives
  • Categories
  • Category Archives
  • All articles: emphasis added unless otherwise noted.
    Quotation for fair use welcomed. Links appreciated.
    Copyright © 2003 - 2008 Vik Rubenfeld.
    HostingMatters_button.png
    ExpEng.png

    May 22, 2005

    Rebuild the Twin Towers, and Do it Right (The “Freedom Tower” WTC Design Must Never Be Built)

    The previous design for a new World Trade Center is an abomination, as I’ve noted before. Take a look at it:

    image

    Can you believe that? The proposed new buildings appear to lean, as if they are about to fall over. They’re a reiteration of the threat of the terrorists to the people of the city: they say, "Look out, these buildings are about to fall on you." And they say it for as long as those buildings remain standing. The people of New York would pay to have them torn down. The new design is a nightmare. It should never be perpetrated on that great city. It should never be built.

    Trump wants to see the Towers rebuilt in a fashion similar to what they were, but stronger than ever:

    image

    May 17, 2005-ALBANY – Donald Trump, escalating his war against the "empty skeleton" Freedom Tower, will offer his own design for a rebuilt 111-story "World Trade Center" at Ground Zero at a press conference tomorrow.

    "We have a beautiful model that has been built, a very big model," Trump told The Post yesterday.

    "We took the original World Trade Center design, brought it into the modern age, made it more beautiful than ever before, made it one story taller, made it higher lined, and took out the architectural weaknesses that were there.

    "We also strengthened the building internally so that what happened on 9/11 could never happen again," Trump added.

    ..."The design for the Freedom Tower is an egghead design, designed by an egghead, which has no practical application and which, frankly, didn’t look very good.

    "I’ve gotten great reviews on my buildings. I’m somebody who believes strongly in great architecture and this [the Freedom Tower] was a design that is just not a good design," Trump added.

    ...Trump said he had a "huge" reaction to his initial proposal to dump the Freedom Tower, receiving over 1,000 letters in support of rebuilding the WTC.


    Update 6-30-05: The new design for the Freedom Tower is more acceptable.

    Update 9-13-06: More on the new design: Four new towers instead of two!


    Replies: 17 comments

    Your comments are welcome. Abusive remarks and trolls may be deleted. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of The Big Picture.

    Robert   on  09/13/06  at  11:43 AM   United States  #1

    Rebuild the Twin Towers



      on  12/18/06  at  12:06 AM   United States  #2

    Freedom Tower are nasty. Freedom Tower are not belong
    to rebuild to ground zero. No new design of four instead two.
    Why just rebuild new twin tower instead because it represent
    the world peace and tall tower? 120 stories on each both
    towers. I want twin towers of wtc to be rebuilt? Please
    rebuild new twin towers by 120 stories instead and forget
    rebuild freedom tower plus four new design towers?



      on  12/18/06  at  03:31 PM   United States  #3

    As a native New Yorker and one who lost many friends and business associates on September 11th, I don’t understand why we need to build gigantic towers at all! It’s simply a matter of hubris and bravado.

    Who will rent/fill them? There was enough problem trying to fill the office space in the original Twin Towers!

    It seems illogical to build towers where escape is difficult, even from an electrical fire or a black out situation.

    Additionally, the current design is frightful and looks like a broken bottle tops. By the time it is completed, that style of architecture will be passe and indulgent. The sentimentality attached to the Freedom Tower is too maudlin.

    Let’s face it, the original Twin Towers, although iconic, were quite ugly, so I wouldn’t recommend rebuilding them.

    Why not plan something splendid and architecturally eternal on the scale of the original plan of Rockefeller Center?

    As a point of interest, most of the best, brightest, and innovative architects did not bother to enter the competition for a myriad of reasons; dealing with too many well-meaning amateurs and the paltry prize money that would not have covered the planning costs were two of them.

    It is altogether outrageous that there is so much haggling about the buildings as well as the memorial itself.  (St. Paul’s Chapel has the best memorial imaginable and nowhere near the nearly 1 billion pricetag.)

    Ther’s simply too many people involved!

    I’ve been following the so-called progress of Freedom Tower and the memorial and have seen very little intelligence or dignity attached to the projects, just knee-jerk reactions.

    New York, New Yorkers, the victims and their families deserve better than that.



      on  12/18/06  at  03:42 PM   United States  #4

    Rebuilding the Twin Towers restore what was taken from America. Building anything else says to the world, “We are afraid.”



      on  12/18/06  at  04:25 PM   United States  #5

    Robert,

    That’s the sort of in-your-face, knee-jerk reacton that I find offensive.

    I don’t care what the world thinks or doesn’t think!  That’s their problem. We shouldn’t stoop to a ‘dare’ or be slave to world opinion.

    We have to do what is right for New Yorkers.

    Let’s be sensible and build something safer, on a much more human scale, which is responsive to the future tenants. The building should be as beautiful as many of the outstanding neighbors erected during the first half of the 20th century.

    The Twin Towers were a brutal intrusion into an architectually vibrant area.  There was nothing splendid or gracious about it. Thankfully,Cesar Pelli actually framed the buildings with his World Financial Center which added to the essentially baseless towers - at least for those viewing the buildings from the New Jersey side.

    It’s not the size that counts, it’s the civic pride of place and remembrance which should transend all other considerations; and that is something that can never be taken away!



      on  12/18/06  at  04:28 PM   United States  #6

    The latest design for the towers is a substantial improvement over the one shown here.



      on  04/09/07  at  02:38 PM   Great Britain (UK)  #7

    Great Britain shouts!!!
    Are you stupid? no no, we mean are you so irresponsable and ill mannered to rebuild a threat to society where already thousands lost there live’s.
    If America is anything like GB it will build the Trade Centre else where and build a memorial where the towers once stood.
    In GB you will find memorials and great statues where people died.
    Its not about showing the world you are not scared, its about showing American’s (your people) you care and are as hurt as they are. Do you honestly think people will want to work in such a high risk area. Terisoum will never end no matter how much you kid yourselves.
    From my heart to all American’s I truly hope you do not have to learn this the hard way, can you not see that the 9/11 attacks were hard enough.
    Its not about getting your design picked so it becomes famous. It is a resting ground, HAVE SOME BLOODY RESPECT!!!!



      on  04/09/07  at  06:36 PM   United States  #8

    This native New Yorker agrees. I think thought, there should be some buildings around on a smaller scale to revitalize the area, but these two gigantic monstrosities are not the way to go.

    The wrangling and price of the memorial is objectionable.

    The exhibit at St. Paul’s Chaple is so much more eloquent than the architect’s self-serving vision.



      on  07/31/07  at  01:44 PM   United States  #9

    Rebuild The Twin towers but stronger then ever , I think we should learn from our mistakes and fix it not build a different building that alot of people dont like and in honor of people that died on 9/11 we should rebuild the towers exacly how they were.



      on  07/31/07  at  04:06 PM   United States  #10

    The families of those who were lost will not allow any building where the two towers once stood (’footprints’).

    Most people I’ve spoken with don’t want to see a carbon copy of the towers for a variety of reasons.

    The land is too valuable not to build anything.

    The area does need some economic revitalization.

    The landlord, real estate developers, city planners, architects, inspectors, environmentalists, politicians, families of those lost, and the general public are all fighting amongst themselves and making demands.

    Enough!

    It’s offensive that the memory of those who perished have been eclipsed by all this wrangling.

    The current design to me is ugly, granted, but let’s just get it built ASAP and get on with our lives.



      on  09/18/07  at  08:38 PM   United States  #11

    Minoru Yamasaki must be in disgust. More and more I’m seeing crapy architects ruin a city skyline. I bet the structural engineers hate the architect for this building. I say bring the twins back and 20 stories higher! To hell with this tooth pick building!



      on  09/20/07  at  04:36 PM   Great Britain (UK)  #12

    20 stories higher are you mad?
    This now is a resting ground for those who lost there lives, There bodies and there souls are in the soil. Let them rest.
    Great Britain would never do something like this, a classic example to get through to those who dont understand is: If someone close to you dies they cannot be replaced. Just like the WTC in cannot be replaced. I cant stress enough how the british public are so dissapointed that the american goverment is allowing the rebuild of the buildings well to a similar spec anyway.
    i think people are missing the key point people are dead and all the goverment want to do is rebuild the landmark. The new building will not bring fame, glamour and most certainly will not be a land mark I would want to visit. It will be a building of fear and remembrance of 9/11. I like to think in this world America and England are the same, we both have the same morals and respect so I am appoligising if this note is threatining to your beliefs.



      on  09/23/07  at  09:59 AM   United States  #13

    Hubris rather than consideration is the driving force behind these monstrosities.



    Daniel C James   on  09/23/07  at  11:51 AM   Great Britain (UK)  #14

    I dont mean to sound judgemental but what do you lot think will happen in 10, 20 or x amount of years down the line.
    Perhaps a copy cat attacker will destroy NYC yet again. The land has a bad reputation now that will never be lost. Stop playing god and wake the #### up!!!
    Last Comment from this part of the globe as quite frankly I’m disguisted at those poor peoples resting ground is going to be trampled all over. Its like building on a grave yard. SICK!!!!



      on  02/09/08  at  10:56 AM   United States  #15

    as a new york person and losing a relative in the trade center you have my full support on rebuilding the twin towers, it makes the city shine, the freedom tower design looks nasty and out of place and shouldnt belong in NYC.



      on  02/09/08  at  11:08 AM   Great Britain (UK)  #16

     
     He must bloody barney about rebuilding the two towers again...in the same spot
     and already a wonderful memorial is building there. Why does he rebuild them
     somewhere else.



    face   on  05/02/08  at  08:37 AM   United States  #17

    The twin towers should be rebuilt. I am a NewYorker and I agree with the towers being rebuilt.





    Enter a New Comment Here.
    Smileys



    Name:

    Email:

    URL:

    Remember my personal information

    Notify me of follow-up comments?


    This helps us keep spammers from commenting. Thanks for your help!
    Please submit the word you see below: