They could, but the ground is hollow beneath where the sphere would be, and I don't think it would be wise to place 45 tons on the memorial meant to hold a lot less. Removing the trees would probably void the design of the memorial and start another lawsuit we don't need(unfortunately unless Michael Arad is willing to change the design then it's not going to happen).Quote:
Originally Posted by ZippyTheChimp
OK, if it requires re-structuring the plaza then it won't ever happen.
Seems the same requirement of adequate structure would pertain to the site that's been discussed for the new Liberty Park above the VSC. Anyone know if that area is being structured to hold 45 tons?
Seems to me that the statue should have been placed either inside or near the memorial museum. It's a crime to put it in storage.
I think it's more like 20 tons. Still heavy, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by lofter1
Did the PA and the Memorial clear things up? They were pouring concrete on top of the pavilion.
I just discovered this blog via Twitter, which has already been posted on the WTC Tower One thread. This photo perhaps conveys the (now ill-conceived?) intent of the landscaped areas. Respectfully austere is one thing, but uninvitingly barren is another.
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Co...otoblog900.jpg
http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news...w-of-manhattan
It looks different on the ground. They had to accomodate large numbers of people (heavy foot traffic) so putting in too much grass would have created maintenance problems over time. It definitely doesn't look barren at ground level, especially when the trees are in bloom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BStyles
They are going to be putting hundreds (thousands?) of tons of dirt and trees on there, and it's going to be strong enough to drive trucks on. In fact there is already a crane driving around up there, which must weigh at least 20-25 tons. I doubt another 40-50 tons makes a difference.Quote:
Originally Posted by lofter1
And the VSC will be even stronger, it needs to be blast-resistant. You could probably sit the Intrepid on there without bending anything :)
That mobile crane is sitting on top of some steel beams that they installed prior to the last concrete pour, which is probably displacing its weight.
On the space provided(which has not been driven on by trucks) thousands of tons of dirt are spread out around an 8 acre radius, not in one heap in the middle of the site. Something that's stationary, and planned to be permanent (and placed almost directly on the center of the arch in the PATH hall) doesn't accommodate for the weight, or the design. The VSC is being used as a reference, because it uses steel members that accommodate large loads.
I don't want to have to see the sphere being placed in the hangar with the rest of the WTC artifacts, but they're going to have to do a major overhaul of the design if they want to place it on the memorial park.
Away, but It’s Unclear Where
By DAVID W. DUNLAP
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David W. Dunlap/The New York Times
Darryl Poindexter of San Francisco photographed LaVerne Poindexter
and Jackie Dedrick in front of the “Sphere” on April 19.
For the last 10 years, Fritz Koenig’s 25-foot-high “Sphere for Plaza Fountain,” which survived the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings all around it, has been among the most public of memorials to 9/11. Hundreds of people see it daily in its prominent location at Battery Park, meaning that hundreds of thousands have taken the time to study its fissures and dents and scratches and bruises. It is an eloquent emblem of the city’s hours in the crucible and a symbol of its endurance.
Soon, however, the “Sphere” will be removed to accommodate a long-planned renovation of Battery Park. When exactly? Officials will not say. Where will it go? Officials will not say. When will it return? Officials will not say. Where will it be reinstalled? Officials will not say.
In other words, if you’d like to take one last look at the “Sphere,” you should hurry down to Battery Park at your earliest convenience. Or not.
The director of operations for the Battery Conservancy, Pat Kirshner, was quoted last month in a post by Julie Shapiro on DNAInfo.com as saying, “They have until April 30 to remove it.” The deadline has come and gone.
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David W. Dunlap/The New York Times
“Sphere for Plaza Fountain” has been in Battery Park for 10 years.
The conservancy, which manages Battery Park and developed the master plan into which the “Sphere” does not fit, referred an inquiry to the Parks Department.
The Parks Department, which is financing and supervising the $16 million, 18-month renovation project, referred the inquiry to the mayor’s press office.
The press office of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who attended the installation of the “Sphere” as an interim memorial in March 2002, referred the inquiry to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the sculpture.
The Port Authority issued this statement through a spokesman, Steve Coleman: “We are continuing to explore options for a new temporary home for the Koenig ‘Sphere,’ where it will reside once we move it from Battery Park.” Period.
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David W. Dunlap/The New York Times
Damage sustained on 9/11 is clearly visible.
Among the Port Authority’s options is moving the 22.5-ton bronze to Hangar 17 at Kennedy International Airport. That is where many large-scale artifacts of 9/11 have been stored. The problem is that Hangar 17 is far from ground zero and off-limits to the public.
Perhaps the government is keeping quiet because it is too embarrassed to acknowledge that it hasn’t figured out in 10 years what to do with the “Sphere” and is instead scrambling to make arrangements at the last possible moment. It is no easy to task to pinpoint a plaza or sidewalk that could safely accommodate the mass and the weight of the sculpture.
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Beth A. Keiser/Associated Press
Fritz Koenig with his sculpture on March 11, 2002, six months after 9/11,
when the “Sphere” was dedicated in Battery Park as a temporary memorial.
Among the more outspoken champions of the “Sphere” is Michael Burke, the brother of Capt. William F. Burke Jr. of Engine Company 21, who was killed on Sept. 11, 2001. He wants the “Sphere” returned to the trade center plaza, squarely in the midst of the 9/11 Memorial. His petition to that effect, Save the W.T.C. Sphere, has collected more than 7,200 signatures. But the notion of bringing the “Sphere” back was long ago rejected by the memorial foundation, controlled by Mr. Bloomberg.
“This is a denial of history,” Mr. Burke said in his petition. “America has no more vital historical artifact than the W.T.C. ‘Sphere.’”
In an interview on Thursday, he elaborated. “You should have a 9/11 experience when you’re standing on the site of the attacks,” Mr. Burke said. The “Sphere,” he said, is “not just a symbol of grief and terror,” he said, but also “a monument to world peace and cooperation” — as Mr. Koenig intended.
“I hope they treat it with dignity and respect,” Mr. Burke said. “But hope is a difficult word at ground zero.”
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David W. Dunlap/The New York Times
A photo opportunity on Thursday morning, with 1 World Trade Center in the distance.
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/20...unclear-where/
From the 90th floor of One World Trade Center.
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http://i.minus.com/i0GiEVSmZFYsW.jpg
Great photo!
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Taken by me Wednesday from Greenwich St
^2nd one looks like a CGI movie! :D
I agree 100% with Mr Burke. The Sphere should be front and center on the grounds of the WTC Memorial. It is very powerful.