The debate over Ground Zero

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue host David Shuster has been expressed his opinion many times over the course of the years on MSNBC about what to do with Ground Zero. Read some of his past responses below from the archives.

February 17, 2005

America's Freedom Tower?

I consider part of lower Manhattan to be hallowed ground.  Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the World Trade Center towers... and for that reason alone, our nation should make absolutely sure that what gets built on "Ground Zero" is an inspiring tribute to all who loved the Twin Towers, worked in them, and died there.

For much of the last year, I have been following the twists and turns of the Freedom Tower — the announced office building replacement for the towers destroyed on 9/11.  But I regret to report that this proposed skyscraper, instead of standing for freedom, is fast becoming a symbol of incompetence, deceit, political cronyism, and shame.

Let's start with the basics:  The Freedom Tower office/skyscraper was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind (who never built a skyscraper before) and embraced by New York Governor George Pataki.  (I will get to Pataki down below.)  One of their selling points was that this would be the world's "tallest building."  But that's only true if you include the hollow windmill turbines, the eccentric spire, and the broadcast antennas.   Only 70 stories of the Freedom Tower will be occupied.   New York's Empire State building, finished in 1931, is occupied through 102 stories.

Then there are the engineering "realities." The New York Times recently reported that the offset spire planned for the Freedom Tower  may not be possible. Engineers aren't sure how the eccentrically shaped and located spire will behave in high winds during the construction phase or afterwards.  (Yes, tall buildings get windy at the top.) The windmill turbines are running into engineering and cost issues... never mind that the turbines are only supposed to power 1/5 of the building anyway.  Furthermore, it now appears the TV antennas (which are necessary for this building to be the "world's tallest") may be impractical.

The reason the WTC twin towers were able to support heavy TV antennas was because of "mass."  It's a physics issue.  The twin towers, with their solid square design, had a lot of mass at the top... the Freedom Tower does not.  Furthermore, even if you get past that problem, broadcast organizations aren't certain the off-set antennas, shadowed by part of the building and next to a metallic spire, would even work.  And if they aren't going to work, they will not be paid for.

Those are just the problems at the top.  At a recent public meeting, officials representing the Freedom Tower (and a related group called the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation) were informed that the concrete already poured at the base may not allow for some of the 21st century gadgetry one would expect underneath a tall new building.   Oops.

But let's just assume that all of the engineering issues are fixed and somebody finds the extra money to pay for them.  What about the design itself?  I don't know anybody (aside from friends and family of Daniel Libeskind and George Pataki) who is really excited about the design... not one.   Take a look for yourself.  Is this design something you are proud of?  Does it send the proper message to those who want to terrorize and scare our nation?  Consider the major players in New York: Former mayor Rudy Giuliani is not camera shy.  But he has been notably absent from nearly everything associated with this project.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems about as enthusiastic as somebody about to get a root canal.  The New York City police and firefighters?  Ask them and you will get an earful.  Most of New York's "finest" seem to despise the freedom tower. 

And then there is Governor George Pataki.  Let's "follow the money."  One of Governor Pataki's most prominent political and financial supporters is a man named Ron Lauder. (Lauder is an heir to the Estee Lauder cosmetics empire.)  In the late 1990s, Lauder gave New York's Pataki controlled GOP more than $200,000.   In 2002, Lauder reportedly gave Pataki's wife $40,000 in "consulting fees."  In 2003, those "consulting fees" doubled.   But back to 2002.   According to New York's State Board of Elections:  On September 26, 2002, Ron Lauder gave $30,000 to a campaign fundraising committee called "Friends of Pataki."  On that same day, Sept. 26, 2002, "Friends of Pataki" received $28,000 from Lauder's wife.   On that same day, Sept. 26, 2002, "Friends of Pataki" received $10,000 from Lauder's daughter.

September 26, 2002 was also the day that the Pataki controlled Lower Manhattan Development Corporation quietly narrowed down more than 400 entries in the WTC replacement "design contest" to seven semi-finalists.  One of the semi finalists was a close friend of the Lauder family, an architect named Daniel Libeskind. 

Did Governor Pataki, in exchange for the Lauder campaign contributions, pressure the LMDC to select a design by Lauder friend Daniel Libeskind?

Governor Pataki's office refused to comment and directed me to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.  A spokesperson for the LMDC called the theories "bizarre" and said, "we went through an unprecedented worldwide selection process.  Stories that suggest anything to the contrary are absurd."  Regarding the engineering challenges, the LMDC spokesperson said, "we are working through the process."