Crescent design for Sept. 11 memorial replaced

Centre Daily & AP ^ | Nov. 30, 2005 | JENNIFER C. YATES

[neverdem]

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - Designers of a Flight 93 memorial have made a circular, bowl-shaped piece of land its centerpiece, replacing the original crescent-shape design that some critics had said was a symbol honoring terrorists.

The new design, announced Wednesday by the memorial planning committee, features most of the same details of the original, which was unveiled in September after a worldwide design competition.

A tower with 40 wind chimes welcomes visitors to the crash site near Shanksville. There, they can walk to a large circular field ringed by 40 groves of red and sugar maple trees, symbolizing the 40 passengers and crew who died when hijacked Flight 93 went down on Sept. 11, 2001.

The circle enhances the earlier design by putting more emphasis on the crash site, according to details of the new plan, contained in the Flight 93 National Memorial's November newsletter. A break in the trees will symbolize the path the plane took.

"It is the convergence of the land's beauty and power with the strength and sacrifice of heroic, personal action on September 11th that gave the memorial site its unique sanctity," according to the plan.

In September, Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., criticized the design in a letter to National Park Service Director Fran Mainella. Tancredo said many questioned the shape "because of the crescent's prominent use as a symbol in Islam - and the fact that the hijackers were radical Islamists."

Paul Murdoch, president of Paul Murdoch Architects, which designed the memorial, had called the criticism of the crescent an "unfortunate diversion," but said they were sensitive to the concerns.

In the newsletter, he describes the new design as an "evolution" of what was announced two months ago. The changes reflect comments from the public, the competition's jury and others, he said.

"In the months to come, the design will continue to develop as more implementation issues are identified," Murdoch wrote in the newsletter.

Flight 93 was flying to San Francisco from Newark, N.J., when it was hijacked and crashed. The official 9/11 Commission report said the hijackers crashed it as passengers tried to take control of the cockpit.

The original design was selected by a jury of 15 made up of design professionals and family and community members and was narrowed down from a pool of 1,011.

Besides the circular bowl, the memorial consists of a Tower of Voices at the entrance of the memorial with 40 metallic wind chimes for each victim. There will also be pedestrian trails and a plaza from which to view the crash site. The victims names will be inscribed there on a white marble wall.

AP reporter Kimberly Hefling contributed to this story from Washington.

ON THE NET

Flight 93 Memorial Project: http://www.flight93memorialproject.org

[neodad]

he describes the new design as an "evolution" of what was announced two months ago

Sounds more like "intelligent design" won.

[DoctorMichael]

........Paul Murdoch, president of Paul Murdoch Architects, which designed the memorial, had called the criticism of the crescent an "unfortunate diversion," but said they were sensitive to the concerns...........

What were they thinking to begin with? These guys are supposedly paid for not only the logisitics, materials, and manner of building an object but also the Aesthetics of that object.

aes·thet·ic or es·thet·ic    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (s-thtk)
adj.

1. Relating to the philosophy or theories of aesthetics.
2. Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste: the aesthetic faculties.
3. Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty.
4. Artistic: The play was an aesthetic success.
5. Informal. Conforming to accepted notions of good taste.

n.

1. A guiding principle in matters of artistic beauty and taste; artistic sensibility: “a generous Age of Aquarius aesthetic that said that everything was art” (William Wilson).
2. An underlying principle, a set of principles, or a view often manifested by outward appearances or style of behavior: “What troubled him was the squalor of [the colonel's] aesthetic” (Lewis H. Lapham).

I'm partial to definition #2 (ie. "good taste".

[Former Dodger]

Sounds like the petitions and phone calls worked...

Power to the People PING!

I am truly amazed that the National Park Service changed it...they are not known from common sense decisions, I have a few friends in the NPS...

[irons_player]

>>worldwide design competition<<

Why?

[TomGuy]

Flight 93 National Memorial

Revised illustrations of the 'bowl'. PDF document

[Piranha]

The "tower of voices" doesn't by any chance call the faithful to prayer five times a day, does it?

I'm just asking.

[Thombo2]

"The design will continue to develop as more implementation issues are identified."(typical leftwing double talk)Translation:We had to get rid of the red cresent/tribute to islam design.

[USF]

Thanks for the ping to the great news, FD.

It's amazing to see how much time and effort had to be used to get a neutral memorial in the first place, where as the "hate America first" LLL crowd always seems a step ahead.

If it had anything perceived to be remotely critical of islam, it would probably have been altered in a nanosecond.

[fella]

a circular, bowl-shaped piece of land its centerpiece, replacing the original crescent-shape design

NOW IT"S A CRATER? Did these people break into the drug evidence locker at the police station?

[peyton randolph]

The Circle of Islam?

Tradition has it that the Muslim, Nureel Mobeen, escaped imprisonment on Robben Island and hid in the caves of the Apostles. His kramat (tomb of a Muslim holy man) is now a shrine at Oudekraal.

The six kramats - one on Robben Island, one at Somerset West and four on the Peninsula - form what Muslims refer to as the sacred Circle of Islam. They believe that those who live within the circle are protected from natural disasters such as fire, famine, plague, earthquakes and tidal waves. History of Cape Town, Myth and legend in Cape Town , the Cape settlers

Ka'bah and the Holy Mosque

 

[randog]

Whatever happened to just plunking down a big chunk of rock and affixing a plaque to it that describes what happened? Something that'll last for centuries without 50 Park Service employees needed to maintain it? Why does everything have to be "interpreted"? Just tell us what happened there, who the players were and who got their asses kicked over it.

[Dallas59]

These frickin idiots are really out of touch with the American people.

[tophat9000]

I would still likes to know if this things is still orientation to face Mecca....

To be honest it doesn't look all that changed and the orientation to Mecca is what inclined me to think this was a deliberate fast one on the designer part to incorporate secret Muslims sacred imagery and idea's from mosques ..(his little secret aid to help reconciliation and peace I guess)... I don't trust the guy

[apackof2]

Ditto on that

[peyton randolph]

Here are the Towers of Voices. Never Forget.

 

[Necrovore]

I don't see where you get intelligent design from this. The design went from a Muzzie crescent to the shape of an impact crater. Both designs are a slap in the face to our citizens who died on that flight.

[Leatherneck_MT]

I would have voted to keep the crescent actually.

But there should have been a blacktopped walkway slashing diagnonally, all the way through it as an added feature.

[Lakeshark]

Good news ping.

[PAR35]

So the crescent was changed to a circle with a piece out of it? It sounds like they wouldn't even have to change the appearance to meet the new description.