Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2005 23:39:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuilding #380:New FT Tomorrow...Be Prepared! The officials have barely made one of their deadlines. Wednesday morning at 10 AM,the new design for the FT will be formally unveiled (with Pataki,Bloomberg,Whitehead,Silverstein,Childs,and Libeskind all there saying it's just fine) at "a hotel in lower Manhattan",according to WNBC. Pataki's close stooge Gargano raved about it to WNBC,saying it would be reminiscent of the Washington Monument,and reports say a "crown of light" will be a leading feature and replace the turbines. Pictures will be on websites before the formal event,a news story is http://www.nynewsday.com/news/local/manhattan/nycbz-free0629,0,3201120.story but I have not found the exact location or whether the event would be open to the public (with opponents able to buttonhole the press). This new tower will be a square,but a smaller square than the Twin Towers were,and more vulnerable because of issues of scale. I will of course report details as learned to prime informed criticism of the plan. Silverstein has hired Peter Walker,landscape architect of the Arad memorial design,to do similar duties around the FT,according to Architectural Record,not that there seems much opportunity for landscape architecture there. The Daily News had an editorial on cultural blunders with regard to the International Freedom Center, http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/322012p-275157c.html commenting on a story http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/321914p-275263c.html , and when Pataki issued a warning to the IFCenter and Drawing Center http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/322357p-275583c.html another News editorial http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/322224p-275507c.html applauded that. Skyscraper code recommendations from http://wtc.nist.gov/ are being issued,one story in such coverage being http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/322076p-275281c.html . The Times has had stories on these issues too. One letter to the Daily News proposed a gigantic pyramidal tomb dominate the WTC site: http://www.nydailynews.com/06-26-2005/news/story/322474p-275712c.html . However,most relevant letters there have been mainly on the excesses attributed to the International Freedom Center. A Post regional news article about memorialists is 49206.htm . With the new FT unveiling the focus of debate should shift back from perfecting the memorial to perfecting the office towers, and we all know two bigger towers with higher roofs are the real answer rather than this skinny shrimp with a funny hat and its smaller siblings that no one would ever consider landmarks and haven't wasted any time talking about. No new news about Margaret Donovan's Central Park rally but I hope things will move ahead;likewise,anything from the Twin Towers 2 organization will be reported as appropriate. Any other rebuilders' proposals or news...please inform me! See you on the 111th floor on 9-11-11! -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.