Lost 2002 Ground Zero Visions Resurface for 9/11 Anniversary

In a recent essay for The New York Times, architecture critic Paul Goldberger revisits the question of what Ground Zero should have been, prompting a reflection on a 2002 design competition. On December 18, 2002, nine visionary proposals for rebuilding the World Trade Center site were unveiled, and journalist Herman reported on them for MSNBC. That report has since disappeared from the website, now known as MS.Now. Herman has republished the original text as a lost document, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The original report expressed skepticism about the proposals, a tone not reflected in its headline. Notably, a much-modified version of Daniel Libeskind's plan was realized in 2013 with the completion of One World Trade Center, commonly called the Freedom Tower. Herman's postscript adds a sardonic remark about including a reference to the 'Bullshitter-in-Chief' in the report, likely a political jab.