9/11 Memorial Should Evoke More Than Loss

Re “9/11 Memorial Needs a Heroic Touch,” Commentary, Dec. 9: Catesby Leigh, a well-respected author on the subject of the dumbing-down of memorial architecture and monuments, has hit the nail exactly on the head. The 9/11 memorial must evoke passion and thought. The blood of thousands, and the tears of millions, must be profoundly represented in a work that a century from now will still strike at the hearts and minds of those observers for whom 9/11 will be but a page in history. To do so requires courage. Truly evocative memorials strike at our minds and our hearts, creating discomfort for some and great inspiration for others.

Fear of that conflict should not stand in the way of creating a timeless and symbolic memorial site.

Mike Post

Winnetka

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I agree with Leigh’s conclusion that the problem of the 9/11 memorial selections can be traced to a jury focused on a single vocabulary of design: minimalism. Minimalism, by its very definition, is ably equipped to express loss. But the 9/11 memorial also demanded a triumphal expression and a historical context that, as the commentary rightly points out, the eight designs presented to us fail to convey.

Literal expression using statuary and patriotic symbols can certainly convey a triumphal expression. But if we go too far in that direction, it will not convey the sense of loss nor will it provide the historical reference. The best approach may be a balanced one: using different design languages to express the differing requirements of the 9/11 memorial. A multifaceted design that fluidly satisfies all the requirements of the 9/11 memorial on the nearly five-acre site will be the beginning of a great memorial.

Stephen H. Argue

Lockport, N.Y.

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I couldn’t agree more with Leigh’s proposal to restart the 9/11 memorial competition. Here’s my thought: Alexander Hamilton is buried near ground zero in a little churchyard next to the New York Stock Exchange. Why not a majestic memorial to Hamilton grieving the loss as our memento of this terrible tragedy? What Aaron Burr took away, we can somewhat replace with a fitting monument to this member of America’s greatest generation (sorry, Tom Brokaw). After all, the World Trade Center was just a more recent symbol of the financial genius Hamilton brought to America.

Thomas F. Crosby

Santa Ana