"Initially I was a proponent of a memorial only, but I respect the interest in creating some very special architecture here.

"As a memorial, twin 1,353 feet tall, unoccupied, needle-like spires make the towers forever visible and are centered in pools shaped exactly the same as the footprint of each [collapsed] tower. A memorial to the victims is a mass of large tablets encircling the original plaza. Unique fountain designs serve as memorials to the rescuers and the airline passengers, while rings of trees offer shade and solitude. The museum features an interpretive exhibit with a 1:24 scale model of the World Trade Center and the story of what happened, and includes the distinct 70 foot tall section of the exterior wall that survived. A dramatic building 1,500 feet tall (with somewhat less floor area) is of a tripod design joined at its apex where an observation deck restores the views of lower Manhattan. The empty space between the towers symbolizes loss but also encompasses and 'protects' the site of the original World Trade Center."

-- Mark S. Miller in Portland, Maine