
On the morning of
September 11, 2001, 19 terrorists from al-Qaeda, hijacked four commercial
airplanes and crashed two of the planes into the upper floors of
the Twin
towers. The attacks killed nearly
3,000 people from 93 nations. 2,753 people were killed in New York.
Ten years later, on the 10th anniversary of the attack the September 11th memorial opened. The centerpiece of the memorial, called Reflecting Absence, is a pair of pools that correspond to the vacant footprints of the old Twin Towers. Although officially described as “reflecting pools", they are not exactly pools but two subterranean waterfalls.
The waterfalls are surrounded by the names of all the victims of
the 2001 and 1993 attacks. The two fountains together make up the nation’s
largest manmade waterfalls. Memorial was designed by the Israeli-American
architect Michael Arad, who, in collaboration with the landscape architect
Peter Walker, won the competition in 2004. Ten years later, on the 10th anniversary of the attack the September 11th memorial opened. The centerpiece of the memorial, called Reflecting Absence, is a pair of pools that correspond to the vacant footprints of the old Twin Towers. Although officially described as “reflecting pools", they are not exactly pools but two subterranean waterfalls.
The competition began April 28, 2003. Invitation to Compete, signed by Pataki and
Bloomberg, said: "Dear Competitors, On behalf of all New Yorkers, we
welcome your participation in the World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition.
This is the most significant public memorial project in our City’s recent
history, and we are depending on the creative community for your vision and
insight".
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Contest entry from Dominican Republic |
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Contest entry form Moscow, Russia |
• Provide
an area for quiet visitation and contemplation
• Provide
an area for the families and loved ones of victims
• Provide a
separate accessible space to serve as the final resting-place for the
unidentified remains from the World Trade Center Site
• Make
visible the footprints of the original World Trade Center Towers
The contest garnered 5,201 entries from 63 nations and 49 US
states out of 13,683 registrants from all 50 US states and 94 nations, making
it the largest design competition in history.
The jury consisted
mostly of architects and artists. The
honorary member was David Rockefeller Sr., the oldest living member of
the Rockefeller family and family patriarch. David Rockefeller is 100 years now
and he is the world's oldest
billionaire. In 1960 David Rockefeller presented a plan for a world trade
center along the East River of Manhattan.

The winners Michael Arad, the Israeli-American architect and
Peter Walker, landscaping designer—were
announced on January 14, 2004 in
a press conference at Federal Hall in New York City.

The trees that were selected almost all come from within 500
miles of the WTC complex, the rest harvested from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and
areas impacted by the attacks. The swamp white oak was chosen specifically for its
longevity—living, on average, 300-350 years—its natural beauty, with leaves
that change to pink and gold in the fall, and its impressive height and tough
nature.

A heating system will keep the water from freezing in winter
and the waterfalls will be carefully regulated, particularly when there is
heavy winds. The entire volume of each
fountain will circulate through the system every 22 minutes. And the fountains
are designed to filter out coins in the likely event that visitors toss them
into the pools of water.
Each day before the memorial opens to the general public,
the staff places a white rose on top of the name of each victim who has a
birthday. There's at least one birthday
for every day of the year, and six on Sept. 11 itself. The victims of the 1993
World Trade Center bombing will also have the same honor.

The idea came from staff and volunteers as they thought of
more ways to personalize the memorial for each of the victims, said Anthony
Guido, communications manager at the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum. The birthday
roses cost $2,500 a year, an expense that's built into the memorial's budget.
A visit to memorial
is a must for any first time visit to New York City.
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