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Gothamist Hearts Santiago Calatrava
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 23, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 23, 2004
Modified Mar 6, 2008
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How unlikely is it that after the public fuss of choosing a new building and complex for the WTC site and a WTC memorial, the Port Authority now seems like the smartest city agency for simply choosing a brilliant designer to design the new transit hub? Daniel Libeskind seems like a tyrant, David Childs is Silverstein's man, the LMDC seems hopelessly caught between a number of constituents. Whereas Santiago Calatrava swoops in and proposes a transit hub that might be the most magical and rapturous structure that breathes life and brilliance into the WTC site. Maybe that's why Gothamist likes the transit hub better than Freedom Tower: It's at street level, where you can appraise it better, versus a tall building you just see from afar; it's for everyday use as a commuter station, versus an office building we may never work in. Thank you, Santiago Calatrava and Port Authority. And thank you, Daniel Libeskind, for graciously working with Calatrava to make sure his design fit in your master plan.
The Times, Post, and Daily News on the the Calatrava design, whose bird like wings will open on every September 11. The Times' Herbert Muschamp is a fan of the design as well: "With deep appreciation, I congratulate the Port Authority for commissioning Mr. Calatrava, the great Spanish architect and engineer, to design a building with the power to shape the future of New York. It is a pleasure to report, for once, that public officials are not overstating the case when they describe a design as breathtaking."
More on the downtown transit hub design.
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daily news
Daniel Libeskind
david
david childs
design
downtown
freedom tower
gothamist
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Governor Pataki
Herbert Muschamp
new york
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News: NYC
port authority
santiago calatrava
september 11
the future
the times
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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