Defining the WTC memorial

Looking to narrow the field of memorial options for the World Trade Center site, New York’s Lower Manhattan Development Corp. has issued a set of proposed guiding principles and elements, along with a draft mission statement to serve “as a compass to guide not only the creation of the memorial but also its evolution through the ages.”

The proposals, which are open to public comment until Feb. 2, aim to keep the memorial’s focus broad, omitting specific reference to the attackers’ motives or faith, stressing an atmosphere of contemplation.

But the draft list of elements calls for all memorial proposals to make visible the original footprints of the WTC towers and to include recognition of “each individual” victimized by the Sept. 11 attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania, and by the 1993 trade center bombing.

Once guidelines are adopted by the LMDC, they will be used as the framework for a memorial design competition, scheduled to begin this spring. The memorial competition is separate from the broader competition under which seven design teams in December unveiled nine proposals for the overall 16-acre site.

The LMDC statement called for a memorial that will “remember and honor” the victims; respect the “sacred” nature of the WTC site; and recognize the endurance of survivors, the courage of those who responded in the attacks’ aftermath and the compassion of all who offered support. Overall, the draft instructs that the memorial “reaffirm respect for life, strengthen our resolve to preserve freedom, and inspire an end to hatred, ignorance and intolerance.”

Apart from the WTC buildings’ footprints and individual recognition for victims, the draft building program includes an area for quiet visitation and reflection; a visitor area for victims’ families and loved ones; and a separate resting place for the unidentified remains from the site.