WCBS 880 9/11 Series: The Design Of The 9/11 Memorial
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) - The 9/11 Memorial design centers on the acre-size reflecting pools set within the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood.
WCBS 880's Rich Lamb On The Story
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Around the edge of those pools, in bronze, are the names of those killed on 9/11 at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, and in New York.
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"One of the most striking milestones of the construction of the memorial was the very first time we turned these fountains on. I remember walking toward the pool with no idea of what the sound would be like. With 52,000 gallons of water cycling through the pools every minute, I had worried that the effect would be too loud, that it would take away from the peace of the memorial," said 9/11 Memorial president Joe Daniels.
But he says the falls within the footprints are just what you would hope for.
"They create a beautiful whisper, a sound envelope that drowns out the noise of the city as you're standing in front of the names and allows you to focus on the most sacred part," he said.
And that is the memory of the 2,983 individuals who departed too soon.
"The thing that makes this memorial different than any other memorial that's ever been built in the world, and I venture to say maybe ever will be built, is the way the names are arranged. Fundamentally, they're arranged by meaningful relationships. So, we have nine major groupings that correspond to the flights; to the Pentagon; to February 26, 1993; to the north tower and the south tower," he said.
Daniels said they went to the next of kin of each victim and asked them where they'd like to see the name.
"It's allowed us to have relationships reflected on the memorial. People that were best friends are together on the memorial. People that worked on a trading desk together for 15, 20 years are now together," he said.
The memorial is set to open this Sunday, on the tenth anniversary of the attacks.
Do you feel the arrangement of the names is appropriate? Share your feelings in the comments section below.
