Revised illustrations of the 'bowl'. PDF document
Posted on 12/01/2005 2:52:44 PM PST by new yorker 77
Colorado Pilot Killed In Crash
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, officials announced Wednesday.
The new design 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 site, where they can then walk to a large circular field ringed by 40 groves of red and sugar maple trees, symbolizing the 40 passengers and crew who died on the plane.
Officials say the circle enhances the earlier design by putting more emphasis on the crash site, according to details in the Flight 93 National Memorial's November newsletter. A break in the trees will symbolize the path the plane took as it crashed.
"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.
The original design for the memorial 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.
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 captain of the flight was Jason Dahl, a Colorado resident. He wanted time off to celebrate his fifth wedding anniversary on Sept. 14, so he agreed to take the Sept. 11 flight.
Copyright 2005 by TheDenverChannel.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ping
Nice touch.
Great work Tancredo.
And still an abomination. The designers of this memorial should be treated as enemy saboteurs.
A step in the right direction. I wonder if the change was made because donations dropped in protest against the crescent shape?
The designers and the people who hired them. I believe there was Heinz Foundation money involved here, too. Figgers, don't it?
Now it has 44 translucent blocks memorializing the 40 passengers PLUS the 4 terrorist hijackers.
I still don't like it. I especially don't like that it took much fussing for these idiots to change the design, and most unfortunate that they designed it to begin with.
Having said that, it's better than the original I suppose and Tancredo deserves yet another pat on the back.
yes, that's why I still don't like it. It's not all that different from the original. The only thing that would be appropriate at this point is for these yahoos to be scrapped from the project altogether, but I suppose that isn't going to happen.
...except that the new design is a minor tweak of the old one. Still has a crescent. Still honors terrorists.
I remember when memorials used to look simple and elegant like this.
AP's not too strong on their facts...
They need to scrap this whole design and get different designers.
It should be 40 blocks only, for 40 people.
The 4 terrorists were sub-human and don't count as people.
Tell the a-hole making this (r@ppy monument to either make a warmonger one and get rid of the fooking crescent or go home.
Politely of course, some 9/11 families still don't know what the fuss is about.
And he can take his d@mn blocks and shove it. We don't glorify terrorists here in the U S of A.
Ok liberals and Demons do but they are stupid, treasonous, and evil and don't count as Americans.
The crescent is still there. Tancredo is a fool if he thinks we're going to fall for this nonsense.
http://tancredo.house.gov/
DC Office
1130 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-0606
202.225.7882
commies getting themselves in powerful places. I bet the original designer fumed that he got busted.
Reality check!! Tancredo had nothing to do with the Flight 93 Memorial design. He was appalled when he saw the original crescent and tried to get the architect to change it. As you can see by the Islamofacist shrine link, the architect pulled a fast one in his "redesign".
Direct your comments to the architect and the National Park Service. They are the appropriate contacts.
Does Tancredo support the "re-design"?
If they put extra blocks for the creepy damned terrorists, all read blooded Americans should make it their duty to drive their trucks their with chains and drag 4 of those things off. Do it everytime they replace them.
I trust my fellow FReepers to maintain decorum in writing to Mr. Murdoch, and suggesting a less, ah, treasonous design.
Who knows -- probably a waste of time, but it might do some good to let him know what folks think of this.
Paul Murdoch Architects:
Office Address
5150 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 504
Los Angeles, California 90036
Phone
323.931.2271 Office
323.931.9203 Fax
Information and Resumes:
info@paulmurdocharchitects.com
It was that hard-hitting email I sent them that got the job done! </kidding>
I haven't heard his comments, if any, on the redesign.
However, since it includes 44 stones for the 44 who died, INCLUDING THE %^*#(#$*$ MURDERERS, I will bet you that he would not support the redesign either.
Tancredo is not the type of politician who would overlook that sort of disrespect to the victims. I believe he is the only Congressional Representative who took the time to do something about the Memorial travesty in the first place.
checked the by-line. Yup, AP. Why am I *not* surprised? Contrary to what the AP implies, I can assure you that the complaints from those living in the area, along with at least some of the flight 93 families were quick, loud, and long as soon as the "design" was unveiled locally. ;)
AP makes it sound like Tancredo was the *only* critic and single-handedly got the design changed, which is far from the truth. :(
Red Maples in a crescent? Calling all Freepers with chainsaws!
Osama, is that you? Troll.
I should be surprised that Tancredo is claiming all the credit but alas, I'm not. He is such a megalomaniac he will claim credit for anything while at the same time doing his best to stonewall important issues like immigration reform.
Tancredo cares about one thing and that is getting as much attention for himself as possible.
The analysis linked to in post 6 above shows beyond reasonable doubt that this is not just any crescent, but an explicitly Islamic crescent.
But even if it were just a coincidental choice of shape, it shows monumentally bad judgement (pun intended).
Tancredo is the media's third favorite "Republican" behind John McLame and Pat Buchanan. They can always count on him to bash Bush or other Republicans if it will get him attention so they love to stroke his overinflated ego.
Head Fake
Since Dec 1, 2005
Kitty smells food!
Tom Tancredo helped a lot but many applied pressure to change this memorial to the better.
Of course Tom is great on illegal immigration and was great when he had the guts to say Mecca Medina should be on considered for nuclear retaliation should an Islamic nuke be detonated here.
Where is Tancredo claiming credit for the redesign?
Source please.
Did YOU support the original design?
He is also not "stonewalling" immigration reform. He is trying to get immigration to serve the interests of the American people, not Mexico or big corporate interests.
You can tell a lot about a person by their choice of enemies. It is interesting that you heartily dislike someone who is willing to stand up to the open borders crowd.
I agree. Evidently it still points to Mecca, and is a natural guage of when to pray if your a Muslem adherent. What the hell was this designer thinking.
Evidently he counted the terrorists in the body count to be memorialized too.
Tar and feathers come to mind...
ping!
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Thanks for that. We live in PA and wanted to visit it when it was finished. I will write them.
Kinda like the po'ed dad when they built crosses fro the Columbine killers...
I'm in. :\
No sir, this was an unfortunate DECISION on your part to begin with. One wonders the motive frankly to use that design.
As to something memorializing the 4 terrorists? How about a 4 hogs roasting on a spit? Something feeling the heat of an eternal flame to symbolize the 4 terrorist bastards burning in hell.
Maybe a crescent shattered into four flaming pieces dug into the hole where the plane crashed, surrounded by an elevated halo shape made up of glowing glass spheres, one for each of the passengers. It could be called "The Final Destination".
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