Halfway there

I've blogged previously about why I'm not a big fan of Daniel Libeskind's Freedom Tower design, which had been expected to be built on the site of the former World Trade Center towers.

The NYPD had some reservations, too. It seems Libeskind's plan would have left the tower too vulnerable to attack by terrorist truck bombs, and also would have been difficult to evacuate in an emergency.

Now, the New York Times reports on the new, improved design, by architect David M. Childs, unveiled yesteday at a press conference:

Libeskind design	Childs design

Much better. Childs' version has a sense of proportion, heft, and majesty that was sadly missing from Libeskind's ill-conceived effort. But it's still missing something: an identical second tower standing right next to it.

Donald Trump, who has lobbied to rebuild the towers exactly as they were, only taller, understood the psychological importance of once again seeing two buildings rising majestically from the ashes of Ground Zero. One tower, no matter how well-designed it may be, cannot help but remind us of its missing twin.