Two interim WTC memorials planned

NEW YORK, March 5 (UPI) -- Two World Trade Center temporary memorials were unveiled Tuesday in New York City -- one consists of two parallel towers of light called the "Tribute in Light," and the second consists of a global sphere from the plaza that survived the terrorist attack.

"The intention of the interim memorials is to provide all New Yorkers with a place to pay tribute to the memory of those we have lost in the tragic events of Sept. 11 and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing," said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Our hope is that the 'Tribute in Light' memorial provides a small amount of respite, and that 'The Sphere' memorial serves as a place to mourn and reflect."

The twin towers of light have been discussed and planned since September and consists of two beams of light which will shine for 32 days beginning on April 11, the six-month anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks.

The twin beams of light consists of two banks of 44 spotlights which will rise an estimated one mile into the air near "Ground Zero" from Lot 26, bounded by West Street, Murray Street, Vesey Street and the Embassy Suites Hotel in Battery Park City.

"It's a fitting tribute and we are pleased so many people have worked so hard to make it reality," Chris Widmaier, of Dan Klores Communications and spokesman for the Municipal Air Society in New York City, told United Press International.

"The Municipal Art Society coordinated the effort by getting the artists together to collaborate on the memorial and to anticipate any concerns of residents, the victims' families, the city, the state, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for air traffic and even the Audubon Society to consult on bird migrations."

According to the Municipal Art Society, the Tribute in Light will cost $500,000 which was raised by the arts organization through donations by individuals, corporations and foundations.

"In addition to a donation, the General Electric Corp. provided the xenon bulbs that cost $1,200 each and Consolidated Edition is providing the electricity for free for the 32 days," Widmaier said. "The creative team for the project included John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Marantz and Paul Myoda with artistic support from Creative Time."

The intense beams of light will shine from dusk to 11 p.m. and will be turned off when there are very low clouds, if there is fog or if the lights interfere with bird migrations, according to Widmaier.

Originally dubbed the "Towers of Light" the name was changed after some of the 2,833 victims' families said the memorial should be about the victims and not the buildings, so the name was changed to Tribute of Light.

"The trouble is that when you leave Manhattan and see the skyline, you try to place where the Twin Towers stood and it's very hard to pinpoint where they were," a Columbia professor who didn't want to be identified told UPI. "They were the landmark from where we placed everything else."

Those who contributed to the Tribute of Light memorial were: Deutsche Bank, AOL/Time Warner, Agnes Gund, Alliance for Downtown NY, Covington & Burling, The Rudin Foundation, Mark Fletcher & Tobias Meyer, Robert Wood Johnson IV, MetLife, David Rockefeller, and Sullivan & Cromwell.

The second interim memorial, "The Sphere," a 15-foot diameter, 45-000 pound, steel and bronze sculpture created by sculptor Fritz Koenig in 1971; will remain in place until a permanent World Trade Center memorial is decided upon and erected.

The Sphere, a monument designed by Koenig to foster peace through world trade, sat atop a granite fountain in the center of the five-acre World Trade Center Plaza before the attacks and sustained a gash through its center but remained structurally intact.

"When you think about all the things that survived this incredible disaster it's so ironic that this globe which represents peace around the world survived," said Christy Ferrer, the mayor's representative to the victim's families and the widow of Neil D. Levin, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Sphere will be placed in Historic Battery Park, on the Eisenhower Mall, near Bowling Green and adjacent to the Hope Garden. It will be framed by rows of trees and park benches on either side.

The memorial will be inaugurated Monday at a ceremony at 8:46 a.m., the exact moment six months since the first of two hijacked jetliners slammed into one of the trade center's Twin Towers.

"'The Sphere' is a fitting centerpiece for the interim memorial," said Lower Manhattan Development Corp., Chairman John C. Whitehead. "It has always served as a symbol of world peace and now it will stand as a testament to our resilience in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy.

"The interim memorial in the park will provide a respectful and contemplative place for families, survivors and the general public, while the creation of a permanent memorial is pursued," he added.

Both memorials express the power of art to heal and serve as a symbol of the spirit and courage of America and the resilience of New York City," according to Bloomberg.