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6

First Response

As the recovery operation progressed and clearing Ground Zero became the focus of energy, we were approached by a local builder to suggest a form of temporary enclosure for the site. This was to physically protect the public from the perilous process underway, to cordon the workplace from intrusion, and to accommodate the large numbers of people pressing to visit. Our initial proposal was for a large earthen berm surrounding the site. Since we felt it was important both to secure and to mark the place, this enclosure took the form of a circular crater. It had an obvious symbolism while still being substantial enough to remain in place for as long as it took to agree on a future for the site. Concerned about acting in haste, we wanted to mark a place of reverence and deliberation, not solve the “problem” of Ground Zero. With that in mind, we contemplated more durable materials for the project, including stone and brick. We wanted to create views from the rim of the crater down into the void that would be left. We felt a discussion of what should be done to recover the place had to exceed the limits of the site and extend, not just to the rest of downtown, but to the city as a whole. We also imagined that the temporary enclosure could have effects beyond Ground Zero. The initial notion was for it to become a point of origin for greening and pedestrianization, for the healing ministrations of nature, and for a network of human connections, leading both to and from the place of tragedy.

2001