Kit, Stonehenge isn't very big, but it's a big mystery as to how those rocks were tipped up with the tops all level. They're not really hewn. Rainman can use a crane or pour in place.

I agree, everything has been done! I think we'll see a "Stonehenge" like memorial design come out of the Flight 93 memorial competition. The site is huge and really calls for something large and grand - such as the Stonehenge monument.

/m7656. Rainman, don't fret that Stonehenge has already been done-NOTHING IS ORIGINAL, it's all been done before.
All that's left is clever ways to re-invent. Do you think that names on a wall is original to the Vietnam Memorial or reflecting pools with waterfalls is some new idea?

I like the idea of 40 massive columns, rough hewn or sleek, arranged in a circle. A circle or ring is an ancient universal symbol of a bond, among other things. No beginning or end. There's no archichoke that can improve on the geometry. The problem is a size and shape that is dynamic, powerful, pleasing to the eye, and feasible.

By the way, FLW's "Falling Water" was ahead of itself in relation to the available technology. It hasn't weathered well.

Rainman, that was a long post. If your cat hadn't tossed a hairball, your post was going to be a book. All kidding aside, it is easier and faster to go in a straight line for a Flight 93 Memorial.

The first step is to focus on the Memorial Mission statement: "A field of Honor Forever."
Next Step is to ask a question: What is Honor? The best way to get an answer (with wisdom and vision) is to go to the Bible. There are free concordance dictionaries on the internet. Type in Honor in the concordance. There will be over 100 references to Honor in the Bible.

The tough job is to read every paragraph that contains the word -- Honor. When finished, you will have an excellent answer to the question: "What is Honor?" Then, focus on a way to have Honor --- Forever!!!

When you have done that, you will have the wisdom to choose the best Memorial -- because your knowledge came from God. If you are not a Christian, then follow the same strategy in your religion. If you are an athiest, then you are on your own to answer the question: "What is Honor?"

I'm sick and tired of seeing slick, sanitized, hi-tech, computer-created, hard-edged memorial designs. Forty people died a horrible death. Don't sugarcoat it with 40 placebo-like units of memory. Create a tribute in harsh, powerful testimony. Make the edges rough and the sight lines as disturbing to the psyche as possible. And leave much of what happened on 9/11 unsaid. Don't dot all the i's and cross the t's. Let the visitor fill in the blanks. For once I'd like to see some textured, natural forms, and craftsmanship, as opposed to all the pre-fab crap that makes today's memorials so boringly sterile. It's too bad today's distinguished jurors don't have the balls to prominently display artifacts -the kind that make you stop what you're doing and take notice of the real world.

If Stonehenge hadn't been built, I'd submit something along those lines -truly monumental and full of mystery.
Something with an unfinished look meant to stir the mind to wonder and imagination.

New-age materials I would keep to a minimum, obviously, modern restrooms instead of outhouses, but unassuming -blended into the surrounding area, as Frank Lloyd Wright's "Falling Waters" proved was both an artistic and functional example of craftsmanship. In short, I would want the environment to play a critical role in the visitor experience. Cold, wind, rain, snow -Wear the proper garments and deal with it! Feel the discomfort. Get mad. Get angry. Be outraged. But then appreciate the value of those 40 lives lost.

I picture a huge burial mound covered with wild grasses, stones and boulders strewn randomly everywhere, and hard-packed paths meandering through the hemlocks and down to that large pond in the SE corner. There I would build a complex of rough-hewn log and stone cabins, seemingly abandoned but open to the public for contemplation. Entrance into that mound would reveal a well-lit, vast dome-shaped structure for viewing the impact site and paying respects.

I would want the families to let us openly share in their loss, so that a meaningful measure of comfort and closure might be all the inspiration we really need -basic human contact- not some artsy, divisive new-age symbolism that does nothing but remind us of the technologies that have sadly complicated the simple life.

But you asked for a goofy memorial, didn't you? The type the jury will most likely settle on, given the fact our nation is more divided than ever over politics, religion and the war. Ah, yes, the reluctant jury.

Well, my first thought is that it will try to fit into the landscape but ultimately appear forced, not natural. The cost of maintenance and security will probably result in
a claustrophobic visitor experience (not unlike the WWII memorial), a total waste of 2,500 available acres. Winable but lousy?

Someone will rim the crash site with a circular, poured concrete wall festooned with 40 plaques. (Or polished granite, same thing.) The souls of the deceased trapped forever in another symbolic hole in the ground. Forty blue beams will fill the night sky because it worked so well in NY. And during the day the public will wonder what all the fuss was about. An American flag will wave it's red and blue lines in the breeze. This memorial will fail to unify
a fearful nation, nor inspire us to change the way we do business with each other. All show and no substance.

I can go on for hours, but I just heard one of the cats throw up a hairball in the living room -his memorial to my wife and I.

Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City Address

Today, I'm also directing the Economic Development Corporation to explore with our partners at the State, and you have Charlie Gargano here, and with the Downtown Alliance, potential incentives for Lower Manhattan that would replace expiring Federal programs. They ensure-yes-and we're going to ensure that existing companies stay -- and new companies are attracted -- downtown.

New York is at the dawn of a major new era of construction and development.

And because we've thoroughly reformed the School Construction Authority, we've reduced bid prices by one-third, without sacrificing speed or quality.   That's a product of the ethic of accountability we have established -- for the first time -- in New York's public schools.

The progress we're making in reforming our schools, in reviving our economy, in driving crime down, and in enriching our quality of life, didn't just happen.   It's the product of independent leadership, a commitment to the kind of government New Yorkers deserve. And that includes keeping the workings of government above reproach.   Six years ago, the voters said that campaign contributions from those who do business with the City should be disclosed and restricted. We're working with the Campaign Finance Board to fulfill that mandate from the voters.   And I challenge every elected official to join us in ending "pay-to-play."Pay-to-play taints policy decisions.   It breeds cynicism.   And it shortchanges taxpayers. It isn't about how much money you can spend.   It's about what you owe if you take the money. New Yorkers want reform.   They voted for it.   They've waited long enough.   It's time to deliver. People elected us to deliver...to deliver opportunities…to focus on problems, not play politics…to produce results, not press releases…and most importantly, to give every New Yorker the opportunity to dream. Many of you in this room know about that.   You've lived it.

Post /m7611 got me thinking, what would be a winable but lousy design? I mean, something that could actually win, but would be dull like the Pentagon, Kitchy like Oklahoma City, 1950's crap like Jersey, or elitist drek like R.A.?

If you've got an idea, then let's hear it. But no goofy stuff, it's got to be something someone would actually send in and that a bunch of officials, university types and idiots at large would go Oooooo! over. Yeah, I know, after Memorial Cloud where do we draw the line on goofy? I'll be back with my ideas, hoping all the time nobody actually sent one of them in or we might be doomed.

REBECCA... whoever you are??? man? woman? boy? girl? child? adult? old man or old woman? Your comments on a thread about a memorial design for the dead -- shows you've got a BIG MENTAL... PROBLEM. You should see a doctor -- soon, very soon! Your life will be happier when you do it!

I know... it's time for me to receive your insults. It's not a perfect world -- see a doctor, the world will look a little better, you will feel better too.

My package has been delivered! It was signed for by Mesko.

Edited by author 01-10-2005 03:51 PM
I like "Hunt for the top boards and point out the flaws." No. 4 is a perfectly brilliant assessment of stuff to come. If Jesus entered the competition, he'd lose. They'd nail him for having too much religious content, not enough secular. Pity the poor bastard who wins this thing. He or she (I'm thinking, landscape, Mother Nature, a she) had better be wearing a hazmat suit to protect them from all the crap that's going to come their way, or a perpetual smile. If lucky, the chosen one will already have a disgustingly affable, cartoon persona like Libeskind. How come nobody authentic ever wins these competitions???

Thanks, News Link. I wonder what "comments, appropriately presented to the Jury" means. Commenters will need some rules, and they can try these

1) Don't use words like "brilliant" or "perfectly" when you plug your own design.

2) Hunt for the top boards, and point out the flaws.

3) If you can't find flaws, go PC and say the design is "insensitive." That's bad.

4) Create false competitors by praising some really weak designs. If they're nothings, say they preserve the naturalness of the setting. If they're catch-all's, then they address all the guideline requirements. If you see draglines, then praise the recognition of regional heritage. If you can't figure out what they mean, say the design allows room for our own thoughts. You can be creative, because there's no limits on spewing this kind of junk.

5) plant comments about your own design in the comments of other designs. Under #1322 say "The forty statues along the ridge are highly significant, but #1764 does it better by putting them on the grassy hill, where the family members viewed the crash area." Design #1764 is yours of course. By doing this a dozen times you should be able to praise every feature of your own board.

All the ultracompetitive types won't care about this list because they're all way ahead on this stuff. Have at it.

And don't take this seriously, I'm just poking fun.