Recently, the WTC site architecture trio of Daniel Libeskind, Michael Arad, and Santiago Calatrava sat down together for the first time to discuss the future of the site. After some chatter about "architecture," moderator Leonard Lopate got to the heart of the big questions:
Lopate: Daniel, you originally had gardens in the open-air structure above the enclosed portion of the Freedom Tower. And you've taken them out. Do you know if David Childs is willing to drop the wind turbines which have upset so many bird lovers? Libeskind: No...
Lopate: But it might kill a lot of birds, I've been told, and that is a concern. Someone asked me if this is all a matter of symbols and how much was someone as hard nosed as Larry Silverstein willing to finance symbols?
Libeskind: Well you have to ask Mr. Silverstein, but I don't think that Mr. Silverstein does something because it is symbolic, he does things that are profitable.
Ohhhhhh. Now it makes sense.
· Libeskind/Arad/Calatrava Transcript [Gotham Gazette via Archinect]
· Larry Set for 2nd WTC Trial [NYPost]