Memorial Center Advisory Committee Recommendations

In January 2004, LMDC unveiled the winning World Trade Center Site Memorial design, Reflecting Absence, by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. LMDC and Studio Daniel Libeskind, working in collaboration with the memorial design team of Michael Arad and Peter Walker, established a new location for a below grade Memorial Center dedicated to the events of September 11, 2001, and February 26, 1993 at the southwest corner of the memorial site.

In April 2004, LMDC announced the formation of a Memorial Center Advisory Committee to make recommendations for the Memorial Center. The Advisory Committee- victims' family members, residents, survivors, first responders, historians, preservationists, and curators-visited the WTC memorial site and Hangar 17 at JFK Airport, where many artifacts from the World Trade Center are being stored, and met with professionals to learn from their experience in creating exhibitions. The Advisory Committee also reviewed an expansive list of archives and resources relating to the attacks. Through a series of facilitated meetings, the Advisory Committee first produced a set of Draft Recommendations for the Memorial Center. These recommendations were released for public comment on June 2, 2004.

During the public comment period, the Draft Recommendations were available for download on the LMDC website along with a comment form that could be completed on-line or downloaded and mailed to LMDC. The LMDC sent the Draft Recommendations and comment form to over 5,000 family members and performed additional email outreach to available family databases. In addition, the LMDC presented the Draft Recommendations to the LMDC Families Advisory Council, which consists of representatives from several family organizations that actively work to include their respective constituencies in the public process. Draft Recommendations and comment forms were also sent to local elected officials, area community organizations, and other established outreach partners to disseminate throughout the area. Public comment was accepted through July 1, 2004.

By July 1, 2004, when the public comment period on the Draft Recommendations ended, the LMDC had received submissions from over 400 individuals constituting a total of 1,070 comments (many individuals commented on several topics-these were counted as separate comments). LMDC then prepared a Summary Report describing this response and analyzing its substance.

On July 20, 2004, the Memorial Center Advisory Committee convened to discuss the public comment on the Draft Recommendations and consider areas where a review, clarification or revision to the Draft Recommendations might be necessary. Each member had received copies of the Summary Report on the public comment via email prior to the meeting, and copies were again available at the meeting along with the full text of all 1,070 comments. Committee members were moved by the public's response and thoughtfulness, noting that many comments echoed some of the committee's own. The committee concurred with the Summary Report's analysis that a great majority of the public comment was supportive of or encompassed by the ideas and values expressed in the Draft Recommendations, and therefore made no major changes to the document. With respect to comments opposed to including a factual presentation of the terrorists, no changes to the document were made, as the committee felt that these comments were relatively few (2.4%). With respect to comments stating that the stories of the victims should be the top priority or centerpiece, no changes were made to the document, as the committee felt that these comments were relatively few (2.9%), and that victims' stories would be prominent in the recommended centerpiece exhibit about the events and impact of the day. The changes that were made reflect the committee's consideration of the following as a result of the response by the public:

• The great number of comments expressing support for the inclusion of individual stories, images, and personal objects (representing a majority of total comments received); and
• Comments expressing a desire on the part of many families for space to commune with their loved ones; and
• Some confusion evident in the public comment over the nature of the recommended supporting exhibit presenting and exploring "the personal stories of and tributes to each and every victim of the attacks" as distinct from the space described for the families in the Memorial's Mission and Program.

These changes were reviewed and accepted by the LMDC Board Memorial Working Group.

Next Steps

The final Recommendations for the Memorial Center, along with the complete record of the public comment, will serve as a resource for the interpretive experts (curators, public historians, exhibit designers, and others) hired to develop the Memorial Center's program in the coming months.

• Download .pdf of Final Recommendations
• Download .pdf of Resource List
• Download .pdf of Public Comment Report
• Download .pdf of Draft Recommendations
• View Press Release