The brief discussion last week on 9/11 led me to think about what effect the WTC had on the NYC skyline. The original towers were a staple part of 80s and 90s NYC. Like so many NYC buildings they projected American confidence and resolution. The towers were immense, imposing, and impersonal. The size of each tower and the fact that there were two of them was essentially their entire design. Architecturally, compared to the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge they were not wonderful but they did have a charm of their own. They were simple and to the point, which went along the lines of, “big things happen here.”
At the time of their construction they were the tallest buildings in the world.
Looking back, the two towers do make tempting targets. It is not a stretch of the imagination to see one of them toppling and inflicting mass casualties. This was probably the purpose behind diving the planes into the middle of the towers. The tops could have fell and did a lot of damage. The 1993 attack attempted to destabilize the towers for a similar effect. In retrospect Americans could consider themselves fortunate that the towers instead cascaded downwards.
The new world trade center tower is expectedly controversial.
A lot of thought has gone into the symbolism of its design. It is subtle and composed yet dignified. It appears to pay homage to American values of freedom and American perseverance. This is a much more subtle choice. It does not appear to effectively fill the gap left by its predecessors and this is probably a source for criticism.
The twin towers stood as symbols of American confidence and dominance. Standing at a symbolic 1,776 ft the new tower represents American perseverance and commitment to its core values in an uncertain future.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=etWKNAU7jN8
