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Full News Story
LOWER MANHATTAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION RELEASES WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE MEMORIAL CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE
DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS
Draft Recommendations for Memorial Center Developed by Committee of Victims' Family Members, Residents, Survivors, First Responders, Historians, Preservationists and Curatorial Professionals
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation today released draft recommendations for the creation of the World Trade Center Memorial Center. The final recommendations will help guide the creation and evolution of the Memorial Center dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993 below-grade at the southwest corner of the memorial site. The draft recommendations will be subject to public comment until July 1, 2004.
The draft recommendations were developed by the World Trade Center Memorial Center Advisory Committee, convened by the LMDC and comprised of victim's family members, residents, survivors, first responders, historians, preservationists and curatorial professionals. The committee visited the WTC memorial site and Hangar 17 at JFK Airport, where many artifacts from the World Trade Center are being stored, and met with professionals to learn from their experience in creating exhibitions. The Advisory Committee also reviewed an expansive list of archives and resources relating to the attacks. Through a series of facilitated meetings, the Advisory Committee produced these draft recommendations.
Governor George E. Pataki said, "I want to thank the members of the committee for sharing these draft recommendations that will help us move forward with the creation of the Memorial Center at the World Trade Center Site. Now we will engage the public and ask for broad-based input to help ensure that the Center properly reflects and honors the events of September 11th and the World Trade Center bombings."
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, "Today, a committee of dedicated volunteers including many family members of September 11th heroes, released draft recommendations for the development of the World Trade Center Site Memorial Center. I thank them for their hard work; they have provided us with a framework to create an historical perspective of the tragedies of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993, and focus our attention on the individual stories, the lives of victims, survivors, first responders, area residents and witnesses."
LMDC Chairman John C. Whitehead said, "The distinguished Memorial Center Advisory Committee has worked long and hard to identify a broad range of the most important elements for the memorial honoring the memories of the victims of September 11th and trying to put a unique perspective on the events of the day. Reaching out to the public has been the hallmark of the LMDC since its founding and we are looking forward to receiving invaluable ideas and comment from the many stakeholders who have contributed so much in the past."
LMDC President Kevin M. Rampe said, "These draft recommendations will guide the creation of the Memorial Center on the World Trade Center Site. The Memorial Center Advisory committee has done their work. We now look to the public to share their views on how to tell future generations the stories of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. "
Members of the Advisory Committee included:
Virginia Bauer, Executive Director, NJ Lottery; Cantor Fitzgerald family member (LMDC Families Advisory Council)
Gerry Bogacz, Member, Organizing Committee, Survivor's Network
Paul Browne, Deputy Commissioner, Public Information, NYPD
Michael Burke, Member, 9/11 Advocates
Gordon Campbell, Secretary, 9/11 United Service Group; CEO, Safe Horizon
Salvatore J. Cassano, Chief of Operations, FNDY Bureau of Operations
Andrew Dolkart, James Marston Fitch Professor of Historic Preservation, Columbia University
Sharon Dunn, Senior Instructional Manager for the Arts, New York City Department of Education
Tom Eccles, Director and Curator, Public Art Fund (LMDC Memorial Mission Statement Drafting Committee)
Bruce L. Ehrmann, Chair, Landmarks Committee, Community Board 1 (Section 106 Consulting Party)
Mary Fetchet, Board, Coalition of 9/11 Families; Co-founder, Voices of September 11th (LMDC Families Advisory Council)
Tom Finkelpearl (Downtown Resident), Executive Director, Queens Museum of Art
Raymond Gastil, Executive Director, Van Alen Institute (Section 106 Consulting Party)
Kathy Gupta (BPC Resident), Chief Administrator Development and Communications, Henry Street Settlement
David Harvey, Vice President for Exhibition, American Museum of Natural History
Ken Jackson, Professor of History and the Social Sciences, Columbia University; President and CEO, New-York Historical Society
Meredith J. Kane, Partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP; Member NYC Landmarks Commission; Resident (LMDC Memorial Mission Drafting Committee)
David Lim, Port Authority Police Department, Police Officer, K-9 Division
Ken Lustbader, Preservation Consultant, Lower Manhattan Emergency Preservation Fund
Michael Macko, 1993 family member, (LMDC Families Advisory Council)
Tom Roger, Director, Families of September 11, Inc. (LMDC Families Advisory Council)
Richard J. Schwartz, Chairman, New York State Council on the Arts
Nanette Smith, Chief of Staff to Deputy Mayor for Administration
David Stanke (Financial District Resident), World Trade Center Residents Coalition
Nikki Stern, Executive Director, Families of September 11, Inc (LMDC Families Advisory Council)
John Kuo Wei Tchen, Director & Historian, Asian/Pacific/American Program & Institute, NYU
Robert B. Tierney, Chair, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
Resource Group:
Sara Bloomfield, Director, United Stated Holocaust Museum
J. Max Bond Jr., Partner, Davis Brody Bond, LLP; Architect for the Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and Malcolm X Memorial (LMDC Memorial Program Drafting Committee)
Ric Burns, Historian/ Filmmaker; President, Steeplechase Productions
Sarah M. Henry, Deputy Director of Programs, Museum of the City of New York
Robert Kuhn, State Archeologist for Government and Public Policy, NY Historic Preservation Office
Jan Seidler Ramirez, Vice President & Museum Director, New-York Historical Society
Mark Schaming, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs, New York State Museum
The meetings were facilitated by Todd Jick from Center for Executive Development (CED).
The LMDC is accepting public comment on the draft recommendations on LMDC's website, www.RenewNYC.com, and via regular mail. A copy of the draft recommendations is attached.
WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE MEMORIAL CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MEMORIAL CENTER
PREFACE
In January 2004, LMDC unveiled the winning World Trade Center Site Memorial design, Reflecting Absence, by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. LMDC and Studio Daniel Libeskind, working in collaboration with the memorial design team of Michael Arad and Peter Walker, established a new location for a below grade Memorial Center dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993 at the southwest corner of the memorial site.
In April 2004, LMDC announced the formation of a Memorial Center Advisory Committee to make recommendations for the Memorial Center. The Advisory Committee- victims' family members, residents, survivors, first responders, historians, preservationists, and curators-visited the WTC memorial site and Hangar 17 at JFK Airport, where many artifacts from the World Trade Center are being stored, and met with professionals to learn from their experience in creating exhibitions. The Advisory Committee also reviewed an expansive list of archives and resources relating to the attacks. Through a series of facilitated meetings, the Advisory Committee produced these draft recommendations.
During the course of their meetings, members of the Advisory Committee debated a number of issues. One issue was the breadth of the Memorial Center's subject matter, particularly with respect to the terrorists and their ideology. The Committee agreed that some information regarding the terrorists and who they were should be provided, but refrained from recommending information beyond the facts. Another issue was the level of specificity to give in relation to the inclusion of artifacts within the Memorial Center. The Committee ultimately agreed that recommendations for the inclusion of artifacts should be more general (i.e., recommending categories of artifacts as opposed to specific artifacts) to leave room for curatorial expertise and allow for changes to the exhibits in the future.
Next Steps
LMDC will reach out to stakeholders in the form of electronic and hard-copy mailings of these draft recommendations. The draft recommendations will also be posted on LMDC's website (www.RenewNYC.com) along with a comment form during a formal public comment period. After the close of the public comment period, LMDC will assemble and analyze the public comment and will consult with the Memorial Center Advisory Committee to revise this document. The revised draft will then be presented to the LMDC Board in final form for adopting as formal recommendations. The final recommendations for the Memorial Center will serve as a resource for development of the Memorial Center. All ideas and responses gathered will be preserved as additional resources in the development of the Memorial Center's program.
MEMORIAL CENTER ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
The purpose of the Memorial Center should be to commemorate the extraordinary events of September 11, 2001 by:
- preserving and transmitting the history, magnitude and global impact of the events of that day;
- drawing upon the power and authenticity of the World Trade Center site;
- providing an appropriate sense of the context, background and aftermath of the terrorist attacks;
- conveying the individual and collective stories of the victims, survivors, responders, area residents and witnesses; and
- serving as a place of ongoing dialogue about the meaning and impact of the events of that day, and as a gateway for information that will expand and contribute to the evolving perspective of these events.
The centerpiece of the Memorial Center should be an exhibition focused on the events of September 11, 2001, which should incorporate the individual stories and perspectives of victims, survivors, responders, area residents, and witnesses. The narrative of this multi-layered, multi-media exhibit should be conveyed through primary sources and artifacts - including salvaged remnants of the buildings, physical objects, oral histories, film, video and audio footage, photographs, posters, handbills, memorabilia, signage, and personal effects.
Supporting exhibits—which will deepen, broaden and contextualize a public understanding of the attacks—should present and explore:
- the personal stories of and tributes to each and every victim of the attacks using a variety of media, with significant consideration given to incorporating personal objects paired with images and other biographical information to give a tangible sense of that person's life;
- the bombing of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, including the stories of the victims and the nature of the response;
- a factual presentation of what is known of the terrorists, including their methods and means of preparation;
- the history of Lower Manhattan and the World Trade Center, evoking the importance and meaning of the site;
- a day in the life of the World Trade Center at the turn of the millennium, evoking the tenor of the time and the human and physical character of the buildings;
- the extraordinary impact of the attacks, locally, nationally, and around the world, and the breadth and variety of the response;
- the spontaneous memorials, improvised rituals, public commemorations and other expressions of support and response created in the hours, days and months following the attacks of September 11, 2001;
- the evacuation, rescue and recovery efforts, including the stories of those involved in those efforts and the many forms of recovery;
- the clean-up and rebuilding of the site, chronicling the individual and collective achievements that went into clearing the site in the eight months following the attacks, and the complex process of planning, designing and re-building; and
- the evolving significance of the attacks over time for the City, the nation, and the world.
The Memorial Center's exhibits should:
- provide a signpost and icon for the Memorial Center at or above street level through the use of a powerful, visible, artifact, such as a remnant from the buildings or complex;
- convey the authenticity of the Center's historic location by preserving and providing for reasonable and appropriate access by Memorial visitors to 1) portions of the western slurry wall on the WTC site, and 2) truncated box beam column bases outlining portions of the lower "footprints" of the former Twin Towers;
- incorporate physical reminders of the World Trade Center, such as salvaged remnants from the buildings, art work, and other architectural elements that were part of the World Trade Center complex, along with evacuation, rescue, and recovery artifacts and various response memorabilia.
- convey the transformative and unprecedented nature of the attacks;
- relate the extraordinary scope and scale of the events - the awesome scale of the buildings themselves; the surprise and horror of the attacks; the magnitude of the chaos and fear they engendered; the apocalyptic impact of the towers' collapse; and the loss of life;
- contrast the horror and chaos of the day to the outpouring of heroism, sacrifice, and human ingenuity during, and in the aftermath of, the attacks;
- acknowledge the worldwide impact and significance of the events by providing ways for visitors to participate in the understanding and interpretation of those events, and to connect their own experiences to the experiences conveyed by the exhibits;
- present information in a clear, accessible manner, so as to speak to the broadest possible audience; and
- create a synergy (both physical and programmatic) between the Memorial and the Memorial Center.
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