Eric Szuter
The impending construction on Ground Zero presents an incredible opportunity to send a message and to teach. The end result should be so meaningful and so uplifting that it could almost be said that those who have died in the attack gave their lives so that a greater goodness could come to America and the world. We have in our hands the power to make sure that these people did not die in vain.
Two half-mile-high towers
New twin towers must be constructed. The design should embody an imaginative and dramatic new concept of heroic proportions. It should make the strongest, boldest statement possible. It should encompass the most fantastic project conceivable and the underlying theme need be philosophy. It should proclaim to one and all, “I am the Eighth Wonder of the World.”
The tower to the left would be “The Tower of Reason.” On the cornerstone, below its name, would be the motto: “From rationality does truth emerge.” At the very pinnacle would be inscribed the word, TRUTH. The basement would house a large museum dedicated to the great thinkers who have made major contributions to the rational realm of philosophy—science—including a special place honoring Isaac Newton.
The tower to the right would be “The Tower of Love.” On the cornerstone, below its name, would be the motto: “From goodness does beauty emerge.” At the very pinnacle would be inscribed the word, BEAUTY. The basement of this tower would house a large museum dedicated to the great thinkers who have made major contributions to the intuitive realm of philosophy—the humanities—including a special place honoring Immanuel Kant.
A side-by-side arrangement of two, half-mile high towers inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s mile-high concept would be a suitable design that could meet the above-stated criteria.
A design that suggests “goodness”
The side-by-side arrangement is suggestive of the spires of a cathedral. This implies a certain quality of sacredness or Godliness and, therefore, goodness. This seems perfectly appropriate, considering the great loss of life and the overall purpose of the project. However, at the same time, this feature would also serve to convey to the world that, as the aftermath of September 11th clearly demonstrated, the goodness of Americans described in 1831 by de Tocqueville lives on.
In the early evening just before sunset, the towers together with their crossover connection project an image of a golden “H”, which stands for HUMANITY. Its arms reaching for the heavens, this gigantic “H” would serve as a reminder that if we wish to realize our full humanity, we must hold fast in our hearts the belief of Henry David Thoreau that goodness is the only investment that cannot fail.