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Trade Center Site's Future Is a Prism of Plans
Sunday, January 13, 2002
By Josh Getlin
Times Staff Writer

"We've got to do the right thing here," said a Brooklyn teacher, gazing sadly at the wreckage below. "I mean, this is not just real estate."

Recovery: Opinions on what to build there range from a park to a museum to offices. The choice could set the tone for a nation's memory.

NEW YORK -- LA Times
It's a jagged hole in the heart of lower Manhattan, a 16-acre moonscape that continues to trigger fury, grief and numbing disbelief in those flocking to see it.

But the emotions flaring now at the World Trade Center site, powerful as they are, may be nothing compared to those ahead.

As the first phase of cleanup at ground zero nears completion, New York--and America--must confront a difficult question: What exactly should be done with the sprawling vacant lot? And how can the final decision, months or years away, possibly satisfy all those demanding to be heard?

On a recent wintry day, as chilling winds ripped through the crowds viewing the site, New Yorkers offered radically different suggestions. Some, shaken by the devastation, said the area is hallowed ground, a mass grave that must not be defiled with buildings. Others could barely contain their anger at the terrorist attacks, saying the area must be rebuilt--and quickly.
(More: LA Times News Source)
2002 © The Los Angeles Times.