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Contact:
 Beverly Willis
Rebuild Downtown Our Town
212-344-0400
bevwillis@architect.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Saying there is no memory, no tears, no history there
R.Dot rejects the 8 Memorial designs


(New York City, NY December 2, 2003). Saying there is no memory, no tears, no history to be discerned by the 8 memorial designs presented by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation recently, Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot) at its monthly meeting today rejected all 8 Memorial designs. The group recognized the ingenuity of the 8 design teams' work but said all the designs lack the ability to represent an important historic moment and to touch the heart. The group recommended that many more of the competition's design submittals be presented to the public.

The group also recommended to the L M D C that the time for the final selection of the memorial design be postponed until more designs can be reviewed and a public consensus grows in support of a single design. "We need another Listening to the City event," said Roland Gebhardt, R.Dot Steering Committee member.

"The present designs are not relevant, not New York City, and they do not mark the event or its history," said Susan Szenasy, Co-Chair of R.Dot and Editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine.

John Lynch, spokesman for the Coalition for 9/11 Families, addressed the R.Dot meeting and in response to questioning he said that his group would not oppose a design of a great public space or a roof over the Twin Tower footprints as long as the footprints went 70 feet below the surface (the historic bedrock on which the towers were built) and the historical artifacts that mark the site were preserved. He also commented that an underground Memorial Museum or one on the surface 40 feet above within the 4.7 acres dedicated as a Memorial area would be appropriate.

This statement led Beverly Willis, co-chair of R.Dot and President of the
Architecture Research Institute, to observe that this approach could lead to a two level design that simultaneously could be joyous, contemplative and honor the lives lost there.

The group concluded that whatever the memorial, it must reinforce the Daniel Libeskind plan.


Architecture Research Institute - Rebuild Downtown Our Town
The Architecture Research Institute (ARI), a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization is a think/act tank whose mission is livable cities. One of the Institute's interests is strengthening urban neighborhoods, as well as providing environmental justice, and social equity. Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot), a division of Architecture Research Institute, a coalition of Lower Manhattan residents, businesses, artists, designers, colleges, professionals, planners, and architects, together with public officials and appointees meets regularly to create a diverse and inclusive 21st century, 24-hour, living, working, and sustainable environment that enhances its multicultural society. Leading scholars and practitioners are brought together to consider critical issues in architecture and urban planning in large cities and to envision alternatives to current practices through innovative combinations of theory and practice.

Architecture Research Institute (ARI) - Rebuild Downtown Our Town (R.Dot)
29 Broadway, Suite 1100, New York, New York 10006
Tel 212.344.0400 Fax 212.344.4370 e-mail: director@architect.org