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Tizzy Over Downplayed "Freedom" At 1 World Trade Center
By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 27, 2009
Modified Mar 28, 2009
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By
Jen Chung
Published Mar 27, 2009
Modified Mar 28, 2009
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After the Port Authority announced it would refer to the signature building at the World Trade Center site as 1 World Trade Center, not Freedom Tower, implying it would be easier to market the building by its legal address, there was quite a reaction.
The Post called it "Free Dumb" on its cover. Former governor George Pataki, the man who dubbed the 1,776-foot skyscraper (including antenna) "Freedom Tower," said, "The Freedom Tower is not simply another piece of real estate and not just a name for marketing purposes. In design and name, it is symbolic of our commitment to rise above the attacks of Sept. 11. Where One and Two World Trade Center once stood, there will be a memorial with two voids to honor the heroes we lost. In my view, those addresses should never be used again." The Daily News offered a blistering editorial, calling the Port Authority "imperious," but said it wasn't a big deal anyway, since the Port Authority has screwed up every deadline promised and lied about costs.
Relatives of 9/11 victims weighed in. Rosemary Tallon, whose firefighter brother died, said, "My gut reaction is calling a building the World Trade Center when it really isn't the World Trade Center is pretty creepy," while Debra Burlingame, sister of a pilot whose plane crashed into the Pentagon said, "If we can't say the word freedom out loud, God help us. I understand the decision from a marketing point of view. But it saddens me that it's no longer economically viable to declare who we are."
So far, 88% of our readers believe that 1 WTC is a far better address—if you haven't voted in our poll, you can:
Mayor Bloomberg said on his radio show this morning, "I would like to see it stay the Freedom Tower, but it’s their building and they don’t need me dumping on it. If they could rent the whole thing by changing the name, I guess they’re going to do that and they probably, from a responsible point of view, should."
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Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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