What an awful looking edifice!

[busterbrown]

So we memorialize one of the worst tragedies our country has ever experienced by building this?

The Reflection pool surrounded by the trees plus the museum is wonderful homage and was all that was necessary...

The skyscraper represents nothing but our obsession with being the best, biggest and most expensive...

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/12/21421315-one-world-trade-center-crowned-the-tallest-building-in-us?lite

[Cooley Hurd]

1. the building is just a building. They don't use the term Freedom Tower anymore

[busterbrown]

3. Just because they scrapped the name off it......

Location, Location, Location....

[TroglodyteScholar]

2. I hate to agree...

But you're totally right. What a monstrosity.

[maxsolomon]

4. What did the original WTC represent?

Man's noblest aspirations?

A skyscraper is an economic venture 1st and foremost. Money talks, bullshit walks, and guess what the "Freedom Tower" part of the reconstruction was?

Blame the developer and their taste based on the Lowest Common Denominator. They picked one overrated Starchitect, Leibskind, booted him, and wound up with this compromise.

But look around you at post-war Generica. This is par for the course.

[northoftheborder]

5. I wouldn't call it a monstrosity, but it is rather mediocre in design.

The original architect's plan was scrapped, lots of controversy over it - one could write a book on that part of it's design, (one could say it was a design by committee). All of the really progressive new design is taking place in the Far East - places like China, Dubai.

[busterbrown]

6. I get it...Not much you can do architecturally when the goal is to..

obtain as much real estate as possible going up...

[geek tragedy]

7. Meh, the old WTC were two of the ugliest buildings on the planet. nt

[busterbrown]

8. Never understood why that was discussed more.

So ugly, they were scary..

[rudolph the red]

9. Couldn't agree more

They were like anti-architecture.