Modern Memorials

MAIN TITLE

MAIN TITLE

By Pavel Petrov

Contemporary Memorial Design A Closer Look at Modern Memorials

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CONTEMPORARY MEMORIAL DESIGN

A CLOSER LOOK AT MODERN MEMORIALS

BY PAVEL PETROV

World Gardens_LA 424 Dr. Susan Mulley March 20th, 2009

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contemporary Memorial Design 1 TITLE PAGE 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF FIGURES 4-5 INTRODUCTION 6-8 VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL - HISTORICAL PRECEDENT 9-14 OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL - CASE STUDY 15-19 MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE - CASE STUDY 20-24 WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL - CASE STUDY 25-26 CONCLUSION 27 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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IMAGE

CREDIT

Cover

Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_09.jpg

Title Page

Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_05.jpg http://okc.about.com/od/imageandphotogalleries/ig/OKC-National-Memorial-Pics/MemorialBEF1.htm http://www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/Yurburg/Berlin.html http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

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Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly Burgess. http://www.defenselink.mil/dodcmsshare/photoessay/2007-05/hires_1v.jpg

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Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_13.jpg

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http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6497212_dKDBk#412996874_Faehz

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelblanchette/1038561857/sizes/o/

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http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/comtrag/485038726/

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Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_10.jpg

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Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_06.jpg

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Lee Sandstead. http://sandstead.com/images/washington/vietnam_veterans_memorial/LIN_Maya_Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial_ded_Nov_1982_source_sandstead_d2h_12.jpg

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Oklahomacitybombing-DF-ST-98-01356.jpg

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http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/17553627.jpg

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Ken Lund. www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/2716164844/

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http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6497212_dKDBk#412996874_Faehz

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http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6497212_dKDBk#412996874_Faehz

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LIST OF FIGURES

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/65/The_Survivor_Tree_at_the_Oklahoma_City_National_Memorial.jpg

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http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/6497212_dKDBk#412996874_Faehz

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http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/2500068.jpg

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Memorial_to_the_murdered_Jews_of_Europe.jpg

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfgangstaudt/566300201/sizes/o/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/speakingoffaith/326969302/sizes/o/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanhadley/194533868/sizes/o/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/chdphd/3267859208/sizes/o/

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/chdphd/3267859208/sizes/o/

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Steve Ludlum, Pulitzer Prize Winning Photo 2002

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http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

Transition

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/MemorialRelatedImages_06.jpg

Conclusion

http://architecture.about.com/od/worldtradecenter/ig/World-Trade-Center-Plans/

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Figure 1 - Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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INTRODUCTION “Brought to a sharp awareness of such a loss, it is up to each individual to resolve or come to terms with this loss. For death is in the end a personal and private matter, and the area contained within this memorial is a quiet place meant for personal reflection and private reckoning.”

Figure 3 - Oklahoma City National Memorial

Figure 4 - Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Figure 2 - Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial

Figure 5 - World Trade Center Memorial

This quote by Maya Lin (Boundaries 2000) is discussing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; the design that set the precedent for modern memorial design. Death is a difficult event to come to grips with. Each person reflects on death differently from the next. As art critic Arthur Danto proclaims, “We erect monuments so that we shall always remember, and build memorials so that we shall never forget” (The Wall, The Screen, and The Image, 120). Each of the Memorials in this document is the result of a tragic event in history in which loss of life occurred. A memorial serves to honor those that lost their lives through the use of some artistic expression. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was built in 1982 and has set a standard for the way in which memorials should be designed. The use of symbolism, simplicity, organization and alignment, materials, and naming those lost are a central theme in honoring the victims in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The comparisons made will be from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the other case studies. This list includes the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and the World Trade Center Memorial. Each of these memorials will be evaluated in comparison to the historical precedent to determine the level of influence that it had on the current design. The determining factors will include scale, form, elements, function, context, symbolism or meaning, philosophies, design approaches, and most importantly how they are similar or different.

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Designed by Maya Lin

VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL

Historical Precedent

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HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

Figure 6 - “The Wall”

Background “I imagined taking a knife and cutting into the earth, opening it up, an initial violence and pain that in time would heal… “ The Vietnam War divided American society. With over 58,000 soldiers forever lost, Americans had mixed feelings in regards to the war. This sentiment generated a collective feeling of shame and denial throughout the country.

The soldiers that were killed in action needed to be honored and remembered. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was designed to honor those that served in the war. “…The need for the names to be on the memorial would become the memorial; there was no need to embellish the design further. The people and their names would allow everyone to respond and remember.”

-Maya Lin (Boundaries) The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was composed by Maya Lin (See Figure 6). Just a student in her

senior year at Yale, the young designer won the national competition for the controversial memorial. The design ended up setting a significant precedent while radically shifting the style of future memorial designs. The precedent set forth by the simple use of materials, symbolism, the names, and elegant form has been emulated in memorial design ever since. Commemorating a war of dispute and division is challenging in and of itself, but considering the highly questioned and ever-changing history of the war, the design had to go beyond the typical solution for commemoration. As Peter Ehrenhaus states, “The tradition of U.S. public discourse in the wake of war is founded upon the premises of clarity of purpose and success; when such presumptions must account for division, equivocation, and failure, and when losing is among the greatest of sins, commemoration seems somehow inappropriate” (Ehrenhaus quoted in Sturken, 2).

The Vietnam War stood for failure and shame in the collective eyes of Americans. Honoring those that fought would have to be done in an unconventional manner.

Memorial design prior to this event included honoring those who have had success or some greater influence over the country. Even in the greater context of the site surrounding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, there was a series of historically profound monuments of a grandiose scale directly adjacent to this memorial site. These monuments paid tribute to some of the most significant citizens of the country and even previous war efforts that were deemed a success. The Vietnam War did not fit into these categories of accomplishment and therefore deserved a fresh approach. An approach that would help people get past the war by remembering it. As art critic Arthur Danto proclaims, “We erect monuments so that we shall always remember, and build memorials so that we shall never forget.”

intact with no significant landscape changes. The two arms of the memorial point to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. The alignments are divided by 132 degrees, to form a wide V shaped form. By opening the memorial to those historical sites, the memorial encompasses the ideals of both monuments and raises the significance of the names engraved into the black granite. Maya Lin’s simple and elegant design for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has restructured the manner through which memorial design is expressed. This design has been copied and redone ever since the design was constructed in 1982. Her work set the standard for modern memorial and monument design. The design precepts that she used to distinguish her design include the symbolic meaning of the design, the alignment or spatial organization of the site, the materials used in the design, and the names of the service men and women that were honored.

The design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was intended to fit into the fabric of the existing setting. Excluding the memorial itself, the 2-acre site remained

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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HISTORICAL PRECEDENT

Figure 7 - Memorial Alignment

Figure 8 - Reflective Materials

Figure 9 - The Names

SYMBOLIC MEANING

SPATIAL ORGANIZATION + ALIGNMENT

MATERIALS

THE NAMES

The importance of the war is critical in the defining properties of this memorial. The symbolism that Maya Lin was able to pull out of the war itself shaped the design form and experience. The premise for her design is based around the healing process of a wound or a scar.

The design idea was to cut into the earth to create this wound that would over time scar and heal. The cut into the earth represents the war effort, the wound is the effect of the war on the soldiers, American Society, and the world, and the scar is the process in which we try to heal, recover, or make up for the doings of the past. Eventually through remembering we can begin to forget the terrible things of the past almost as a way of coping.

The order of the site and the layout of the design is done magnificently in the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site.

The slice is a simple gesture that speaks loudly about the war and those that served. The V-shaped Memorial is located on axis with the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial to align the monument with the history of those two pieces. The full length of the memorial spans 494 feet and 10 feet in height at the apex of the two wings to form a shallow basin. The memorial is set into the earth. The highest edge of the structure aligns with the level plane of turf behind it. Due to these layout specifications the memorial recedes from view. The monuments surrounding the Vietnam Veterans Memorial can also be seen from a considerable distance. By comparison, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a controlled or contained space. All of the views are restricted intentionally. This alignment is important to the identity of the piece. Maya Lin explains, “By linking these two strong symbols for the country, I wanted to create a unity between the nation’s past and present” (Landscape Design, 499). The Memorial is aligned with the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument (See Figure 7).

The minimal use of materials and space is a significant part of the beauty of the design. The memorial is comprised of polished granite slabs that are highly reflective (See Figure 8). The color of the granite is black, and done so intentionally by the designer. This aspect of the design was highly controversial at the time. The color choice made the memorial stand out on the Mall in comparison to the other memorials and monuments that were all white. The color is indicative of a negative connotation or outcome which was symbolically connected to the public perception of the war. Another vital component to the material selection was the intense reflective nature of the granite. The role of the reflectivity is critical. The black granite acts not as a mirror, but a window. The material creates a sense of two worlds, one that we are a part of and one we cannot enter into. The minimal use of materials has been emulated in memorial design ever since.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has the names of 58,132 service men and women engraved into the black granite wall (See Figure 9). The memorial serves as a marker of remembrance. This ensures that each individual shall be remembered for the remainder of time. The names are listed chronologically in the order that they were taken from us. Organized alphabetically within the context of each day their lives were taken, one can see the intensity of the battles on a daily basis. There is also no mention of rank next to the names. This was intentional to prevent the value of one’s life from being perceived as more important than any other. The only other words that appear on the memorial are 1959 and 1975 at the apex to recognize the beginning and end to the chaotic war.

Description of Design Precepts

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

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Designed by Hans + Torrey Butzer

OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL

Case Study

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CASE STUDY

Background History We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

The passage above is inscribed into the Gates of Time at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, killed 168 people, including 19 children, and injured more than 650 (See Figure 10). The memorial is a public/private partnership erected in their memory for the families, the survivors, and their rescuers (http://www. nps.gov/okci/). The Oklahoma City bombing was done

by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols in retaliation to the incident in Waco, Texas two years prior. Marking the second anniversary of the Branch Davidian Cult standoff, McVeigh parked a rented Ryder truck adjacent to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building with 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate in the storage hold. Most of the employees had already arrived to work that day and children dropped off at the daycare center. McVeigh left the keys in the truck and locked the doors, then went to a nearby alley and began to jog. The massive bomb went off and destroyed the entire north face of the structure at 9:02

am. The rescue search took weeks to find all 168 victims that included 19 children. McVeigh felt that the government, in particular the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) were merciless in handling the situation in Waco. The Brach Davidian Cult was at a standoff with the government officials at the compound in Waco. The government attempted to gas the complex to force surrender, but instead they unintentionally ignited the entire compound and killed 75 people many of which were children. Many Americans blamed the government for this, including McVeigh who wanted retribution to those involved. Of course his method of obtaining justice is obscene and flat out wrong. McVeigh was arrested 90 minutes following the attack on an unregistered firearm charge. He was pulled over by highway patrol for driving without a license plate but when the police officer saw the gun he became suspicious and arrested him upon learning that it was not registered. Prior to being released for this charge, authorities discovered his connection to the bombing by tracing all the purchases and rentals back to him. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997 he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed (http://history1900s.about.com/ cs/crimedisaster/p/okcitybombing.htm).

Figure 10 - Remains of the Federal Building Oklahoma City National Memorial

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CASE STUDY

Site Description

Design Precepts

The Oklahoma City National Memorial is located on the former site of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The design was conceived through an international competition process that had entrees from 624 teams. The winning design team was the Butzer Design Partnership who came up with the conceptual design while the Architect of Record was Sasaki Associates. The symbolic memorial was built along the edge of the former federal building on a three acre site. The design also converted an adjacent building used for Journalism Record into a museum and visitors space to inform people about the attack.

Another important site component was the creation of the Oklahoma City Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and Violence (O’Connell 2000). The elements within the Memorial include the Gates of Time (See Figure 11), the Reflecting Pool (See Figure 11), the Field of Empty Chairs, the Rescuers’ Orchard, the Survivor Tree, and the Children’s Area.

SYMBOLIC MEANING

Figure 11 - Reflective Pool + Gates of Time

The precepts of design for the Oklahoma City National Memorial include the symbolic meaning of the memorial which reflects the impact of violence, the material selection and minimalist form, and the chairs or the recognition of those directly affected and lost by the attack. The symbolism starts with the Survivor Tree which was an American Elm that was damaged but not killed by the blast. The tree stands as a symbol of endurance (O’Connell 2000). The Gates of Time and Field of Chairs are also symbolic within the design as Adam Knapp explains, “The Gates of Time frame the moment of the bombing with one gate symbolizing the innocence of 9:01, the minute before the explosion, and the other 9:03, representing the healing that began immediately after. The Field of Empty Chairs contains 168 bronze and stone chairs, some small in representation of the children and others large for the adults. They symbolize the absence felt for each life lost in the tragedy, each sitting up on

a glass base with the etched name of a victim” (About. com 2009).

The Reflecting Pool is set between the Gates of Time and North of the Field of Empty chairs. The pool reflects a healing calmness and serenity. The darkness of the water reflects mourning.

MATERIALS + ORGANIZATION The organization of the three acre site is critical in the context of what needed to be expressed following the tragedy so that the community could properly grieve and remember what had happened. The designer wanted to have a clear understanding of what happened as well as fill the site with various elements of remembrance. These elements include the Survivor Tree, the Reflecting Pool, the Gates of Time, the Field of Empty Chairs, the Rescuers Orchard, the Children’s Area, and the Museum space. The program is heavy in use, and reflects the complexity of how to honor those that died in such a tragedy. Also, because of the heavy programming, it was

important for the designer to use simple, elegant materials to prevent clutter. This allows the user to see and understand what happened. There is a consistent use of stone and bronze throughout the site. Even the Orchard is made up of the same tree to get a simple consistent form and color throughout. Locating the memorial along the former building footprint is also important in the alignment and organization of the memorial. The Reflecting Pool is also located along where 5th street used to be, creating a symbolic element on the site.

FIELD OF EMPTY CHAIRS The field of 168 Stone and bronze chairs display the amount of lives that perished during the attack. They vary in size to represent children that were killed. They create a visual element for the viewer to understand exactly how many people died, to be able to relate a number to a real scale. The effect of the chairs is powerful and critical to the design. Each person is honored and remembered that died with their names inscribed into each chair.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

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CASE STUDY

Design Precept Comparison The Vietnam Veterans Memorial designed by Maya Lin set the standard for modern memorial design. The design principles used in the memorial design for commemorating the Vietnam War have been reflected in work since that design was built. The elements of significance in that design include the symbolism, the spatial organization and alignment, the material selection, and the names of those that died. The Oklahoma City National Memorial has primarily the same precepts for design as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Although two very different memorials that represent two very different events in time, the way in which those that suffered are remembered is similar. Both memorials came about from dramatic events in history, and were designed through competitions. They both deal with grieving and loss of life in order to help people deal with death and help remember those that died. The two memorials approach honoring the loss of life in the same manner, listing every person that died and using reflectivity to symbolize mourning (See Figures 12 + 13).

Figure 12 - The Names

Figure 13 - The Chairs

Oklahoma City National Memorial

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CASE STUDY

Figure 14 - The Lit up Chairs

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial has a key element that is located centrally within the two acres. The black granite wall that is symbolic of a scar on the earth is the main focus of the entire site. The Oklahoma City National Memorial uses heavy programming though out the site. Even though the two are relatively the same size, 2 acres and 3 acres respectively, the Oklahoma City National Memorial engages the entire site to present its message as BunsterOssa explains, “their design was about a ‘place’ more than a monument, it engages the entire site as a landscape of remembrance, giving people choices about how to flow through it and ponder on the tragedy” (quoted in LAM, September 2000). The site is also located in the actual location of the tragedy. The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is located in the National Mall. It is directly adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

This placement among the most powerful memorials and monuments is a very symbolic gesture for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial because of the meaning of each of those separate entities. The design team was open to working with the families and survivors on the

process of developing a proper memorial. This is contrary to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial which did not include participation of Veterans which helped make that project very controversial. As Maya Lin exclaims about the lack of Veteran participation, “The fact that no veterans had been on the jury, the unconventionality of the design and the designer, and a very radical requirement made by the Vietnam veterans to include all the names of those killed made it inevitable that the project would become controversial” (Boundaries 2000). While the two projects vary in the process of including certain people or groups in the design development, they are similar in many ways. Both memorials list the name of every man or woman that died in the tragic event representative by that memorial. The way in which these names are presented are very differently however. On the Vietnam Veterans Memorial the names are engraved onto black granite slabs that make up the memorial structure. They names are only a piece of the various symbolic gestures in the Oklahoma City National Memorial. The names are presented in an empty field on custom made bronze and

Figure 15 - The Survivor Tree

Figure 16 - The Gates of Time

stone chairs that have one name for each chair (See Figure 14). The bottoms of the chairs are made of glass. As Kim O’Connell from LAM explains, “their forms are edgy, uncomfortable-looking, a subtle reminder of the violent nature of the event” (September 2000). There are 168 total chairs representing those that were killed in the attack.

The organization of the chairs is based in rows, O’Connell continues, “according to the floor on which the victims were working or visiting that fateful day. They cluster in the center and spread out, like debris from the explosion” (September 2000). This design strategy was powerful according to Rebecca Krinke, “both subtle and chilling, reminding one of the horror of this bombing. The chairs as an echo of the explosion is something I found myself thinking about and seeing in my mind’s eye again and again” (LAM September 2000). The way in which the visitor is presented with the information of how many people died is different in the sense as the chairs give you an exact feel for the amount of people while the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is overwhelming. It is too difficult to fathom just how many names are on the 494

foot structure. The chairs are isolated to the south of the reflecting pool which is located along where 5th street used to run. On either end of the reflecting pool are two gates which are called the Gates of Time. Adjacent to the Gates of Time is the Survivor Tree (See Figure 15). The Gates of Time are very large in scale, almost monumental in comparison to the human figure. This contrast brings a new level to the meaning of the gates. The scale is defined in a much grander scale which is the opposite of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which tries to blend into the land and be almost invisible. The Gates stand tall and consist of the same simple materials as the rest of the site, stone and bronze (See Figure 16). This is similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in using a simple materials palette to keep the design simple and elegant. The Gates are symbolic of the peaceful time prior to the explosion (9:01) and the other gate is symbolic of the mourning that began right after the blast (9:03). The reflecting pool in between the two allows you to gain perspective of what happened at 9:02 as you stare at the field of chairs reflecting back at you in the darkness of the water. The

Oklahoma City National Memorial

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CASE STUDY

pool also reflects the Oklahoma sky which is symbolic of heaven, while the blackness of the water can denote hell or the event happening on earth. The base of the reflecting pool is made of polished granite, and the water level rests only a quarter inch above to create a dramatic reflection in the water (See Figure 17). A person could walk across the pool in sandals and not get their feet wet.

The design is similar to the historic precedent because it uses reflectivity to allow you to do just that, reflect. The symbolism relating to how to deal with death is used on both memorials. However, water is not used in the Maya Lin memorial. Although the purpose of the water is purely functional in order to enhance the reflectivity of the object making it similar to the precedent in that sense.

The next symbolic piece on the site is the Survivor Tree.

This badly bruised American Elm survived the blast of explosives and has been a testament to endurance and strength. The tree was left in the same position it had occupied prior to the attack. The only difference made was the retaining wall surrounding it which reads, eternal gratitude. The statement refers to the help and support that the entire country gave Oklahoma City in the event of this tragedy. The wall is also composed of the same simple materials, bronze and stone. All of these elements are lit at night to provide a glow of gold and bring out the inscriptions of names and statements related to each piece of the memorial. In contrast, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is not intended to be used at night. There are only lights along the walkway that guide you in a direction. The Oklahoma City National Memorial also has an area devoted to the Rescuer’s and the Children. These two spaces are located north of the Reflection pool along Harvey Avenue and adjacent to the Museum. There is no doubt that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial helped shape the design in Oklahoma. The two projects vary in many ways, but are similar in many as well. The use of symbolism, materials, and the names are significant in shaping the form and identity of the Oklahoma City National Memorial. As Rebecca Krinke explains, “the Oklahoma City National Memorial exists because the bombing was important to nearly all of us – cutting across the American grain. Like the pool at its center, it reflects a dark chapter in our collective history, forcing us to remember” (LAM September 2000).

Figure 17 - Reflecting the Gates of Time

Oklahoma City National Memorial

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Designed by Peter Eisenman

MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE

Case Study

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CASE STUDY

Background History

Site Description + Design Precepts

“We wanted a silent field – a deafening silence in the age of noise” exclaims architect Peter Eisenman about his Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (Architectural Record 7/2005 126). The memorial was built some 60 years after the holocaust which some may argue was too late; others argue it is too soon. Either way the actions of the Nazi’s during the Second World War were inexcusable and morally wrong in every way, shape and form. Adolf Hitler, had plans to exterminate the Jews in what he called the ‘final solution.’ The leader of the Nazi party at the time, Hitler tortured, experimented on, and flat out murdered men, women, and children who were Jewish. He created internment camps to force Jews to work for the Nazi’s while they were being malnourished and brutally beaten and overworked. Under the guise of sending them to a nice place to simply protect them, he mislead the masses into these internment camps where many were killed upon arrival. The strong ones would be permitted to live and work for the Nazi’s. Hitler set up gas chambers where he would mass murder as many Jews as he could fit into the chamber. This is only a small part of the terror and horror that these people had to experience as Hitler attempted his genocide. Words cant possible explain the pain and suffering that the Jews had to go through and it is because of this sequence of events that has made this memorial so difficult to build over the last half of a century. There were over 6 million Jews killed during the Nazi reign. One of the initial controversies of the memorial was that it did not pay homage to gypsies and homosexuals who were also targets of Nazi’s.

Lea Rosh, a German television journalist responds, “The central goal of National Socialist genocide policy was the destruction of Jewry… The consummation of 2,000 years of anti-Semitism on this continent and the figure of six million Jewish victims demanded a memorial dedicated to Jews” (Architecture Record 7/2005 126-27). The memorial was designed by Peter Eisenman, a non Jewish American.

The memorial site was the former site of the Reich’s Ministry Gardens. The 30 million dollar project was designed on a 4.7 acre site which included 22,776 square feet of sub surface information centers, containing exhibition galleries, seminar space, offices, a bookshop, and all of which sit beneath the memorial of concrete slabs which create an undulating ceiling which is poured in place.

The above ground portion of the memorial includes concrete slabs which create topography by incorporating various heights that range from 2 feet to 15 feet. The slabs are 3 feet long by 8 feet wide and range in height depending on where they are located on the grid (See Figure 18). The grid is spaced 3 feet apart, which means each pillar is 3 feet apart from another pillar in each direction. The pillars are designed to be simple, without inscription or color of any kind. This is done intentionally by the designer as Suzanne Stephens from Architectural Record explains, “These elements – abstract forms, gridded plan, rolling terrain – adhere to the overriding theme of repetition with displacement, to create an immensely powerful kinesthetic, tactile, and visual experience” (126).

The design precepts for this design coincide with the historic precedent that Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial set. These elements include a simple use of materials, elegant and simple form, and symbolism, although limited the intentional lack of symbolism and names was an integral part of the design. Even though the design is notably distinct from the historical precedent, many of the elements and principles within the design are incorporated based off of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

These elements will be addressed in the case study.

Figure 18 - The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

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CASE STUDY

Figure 19 - The Slabs

Design Precept Comparison The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was designed by Peter Eisenman to represent a field of silent markers or abstract pillars, 2,711 of them to be exact (See Figure 19 + 20). The memorial is located in central Berlin. There are no signs designating the memorial, no sentimentality, no symbolism, no iconography of remembrance, no significance to the number of concrete slabs on the 4.7 acre site (Carol Salus LAM November 2006 42).

The field of ordered and nameless slabs creates a terrain or topography with a variety of heights. In regards to symbolism, Nicolai Ouroussoff from the New York Times explains, “The memorial’s grid, for example, can be read as both an extension of the streets that surround the site and an unnerving evocation of the rigid discipline and bureaucratic order that kept the killing machine grinding along. The pillars, meanwhile, are an obvious reference to tombstones” (May 9,2005 A Forest of Pillars, Recalling the Unimaginable). The visiting people can enter the forest of concrete at just about any time of day, as security guards are posted on round the clock shifts. Similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the site is open to people at

all times. The design of the memorial also came about through a design competition which seems to be a central theme in large memorials of this scale. Peter Eisenman and Richard Serra were finalists in an invitation only competition of internationally known artists and architects. However, Richard Serra decided to quit the collaborative design because of requests to alter his design, and as an artist he wanted no part of this (LAM November 2006). The original Holocaust memorial competition occurred in the late 1950’s, but after the assessment of 426 submissions from various designers, the jury failed to select a winner concluding that no one entry adequately memorialized a crime of such astounding proportion (LAM November 2006). The Holocaust was probably the worst of all the memorials studied in this document, and in that sense it is difficult to compare it to any precedent or other memorial. There are clearly similarities and differences from the precedent and current work. One of the differences are based around the entirety of the site.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial had one central element within the 2 acre site. The Memorial to the Murdered

Figure 20 - The Forest of Concrete Slabs

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

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CASE STUDY

Jews of Europe uses the entire 4.7 acre site for the field of concrete slabs and other site amenities. The scale of the two sites is relatively close in size, the site in Berlin is a little more than twice that of the Washington site. Both memorials are located in very significant locations in relation to their individual memorials. ‘The Wall’ is located along the national mall adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, which enhanced the importance and symbolism of the memorial. The Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe is located 328 feet from the buried remains of Hitler’s bunker, in the center of Berlin, which is significant because it is in the heart of the former governing body that was the Nazi regime. In regards to the actual memorial, the form and simplicity are also a common element between the memorial and the precedent. The simple and quiet concrete slabs are 3 feet by 8 feet and vary in height. The precedent is also a simple form in the shape of a V, which is comprised of one material, black polished granite. The slabs are also intended to disorient the person walking through the space depending on which part of the terrain they are walking through. The markers are covered in an anti-graffiti coating to prevent neo-Nazi sentiment. This created some controversy which the precedent is no stranger to, although this was for an entirely different reason. The precedent was controversial because of the lack of Veteran interaction in the design process and the fact that the designer was young, Asian-American, and a woman. The controversy surrounding the anti-graffiti spray lies with the company that creates it. Apparently, “the architect felt graffiti could benefit the memorial; later it emerged that the company supplying the agent once manufactured poison gas for use in Nazi death camps” (BBC 2005).

A very important discrepancy between the two memorials is in the listing of the names of those that died. Maya Lin’s design incorporates the names of each person that died, while there are no names found on Eisenman’s design (See Figure 21). He explains, “I fought to keep names off the stones, because having names on them would turn it into a graveyard” (BBC 2005). The memorial is not symbolic in the sense that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was, but it is similar in the overall simplicity and use of Figure 21 - Concrete Field

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

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CASE STUDY

Figure 22 - Perspective

minimal materials. The memorial makes a big statement without a word spoken (See Figure 22). The memorial intentionally creates a landscape in which people can get easily disoriented or lost (See figure 23). This makes it easy to reflect upon the massive loss of life. As Suzanne Stephens explains, “As visitors wander through the field, along very narrow paths, the steles loom taller in certain areas, and the ground sinks toward the middle to about 8 feet below grade. Soon the visitor may feel lost, or at least removed and isolated from the rest of the world. In this peripatetic journey, these various sensations merge into an aesthetic experience, where light and shadow and the smooth surfaces of the deeply rich dark gray concrete slabs create a singularly suggestive landscape” (Architectural Record 126). The spatial organization and layout, although nothing like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is organized and directly correlates the simplicity of that prior memorial. The field of slabs is very ordered, much like the direction that each V is pointing in. This memorial is not easy to understand, and by no means is it simple even though it appears that way in form. As

Max Page, assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts has written, “This is a memorial for adults and an adult nation. The design assumes a mature citizenry and a democracy that recognizes that responsibility for confronting a nation’s past crimes rests not only with the culprits but with the future generations as well. The memorial does not inculcate or preach. It challenges” (As quoted in LAM November 2006).

Figure 23 - Walkway within the Grid

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

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Designed by Peter Walker + Michael Arad

WORLD TRADE CENTER MEMORIAL

Case Study

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CASE STUDY Background + History The World Trade Center Memorial is the most recent of the aforementioned memorials. The history behind the memorial is tragic and terrifying. The chronology of events begins early on the morning of September 11th, 2001. The events are put together by CNN: 8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.

9:03 a.m.: A second hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston, crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes. Both buildings are burning (See Figure 24).

9:30 a.m.: President Bush, speaking in Sarasota, Florida, says the country has suffered an “apparent terrorist attack.”

9:40 a.m.: The FAA halts all flight operations at U.S. airports, the first time in U.S. history that air traffic nationwide has been halted.

9:43 a.m.: American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon, sending up a huge plume of smoke. Evacuation begins immediately.

10:05 a.m.: The south tower of the World Trade Center collapses, plummeting into the streets below. A massive cloud of dust and debris forms and slowly drifts away from the building.

10:10 a.m.: A portion of the Pentagon collapses.

10:10 a.m.: United Airlines Flight 93, also hijacked, crashes in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh.

10:24 a.m.: The FAA reports that all inbound transatlantic aircraft flying into the United States are being diverted to Canada.

10:28 a.m.: The World Trade Center’s north tower collapses from the top down as if it were being peeled apart, releasing a tremendous cloud of debris and smoke.

2 p.m.: Senior FBI sources tell CNN they are working on the assumption that the four airplanes that crashed were hijacked as part of a terrorist attack.

4 p.m: CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor reports that U.S. officials say there are “good indications” that Saudi militant Osama bin Laden, suspected of coordinating the bombings of two U.S. embassies in 1998, is involved in the attacks, based on “new and specific” information developed since the attacks.

The events of the day are chilling and unforgettable. The day is fused into my memory permanently no matter how much I try to forget. The constant visual of the towers collapsing and people jumping from the upper stories to their death is engraved in my head.

Those who lived through that experience know the shock that is associated with 9/11. The memorial has not been built yet. It is still in the process of being built, and therefore, is different from the other memorials in this document. This memorial has to remember nearly 3,000 people that lost their lives in a cowardly act of terrorism that will live in infamy. The entire country witnessed this event live on their televisions and this creates another dimension to the project. This event touches home to a lot more people than the other memorials might since there is so much actual footage of the event. Many have relatives or know someone who may have lost their lives and certain sensitivity to that must be incorporated. Then the question follows, what design style is appropriate if any? The other memorials are meant to remember those that died, but they were not located in the actual place where the event occurred. All of these elements were challenges to Peter Walker and Michael Arad as they came up with their design for the devastated site. Their concept was reflecting absence. They accomplished this by creating a field of trees that is interrupted by two large voids (World Trade Center footprint).

Figure 24 - Steve Ludlum 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning photo

World Trade Center Memorial

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CASE STUDY

Site Description + Design Precepts The description of the site is easily understood as Lower Manhattan in the former site of where the World Trade Center’s used to stand. The site will have two large voids that are the former building footprints of the World Trade towers and it will be surrounded by a forest of trees. The large voids will be immense fountains that flow beneath the surface. The site will be accessible under the surface and will remember those that died inside. The site is designed off of a grid pattern with the exception of the two voids. All circulation is based on a grid system as well as the trees and all amenities. The design precepts for the world Trade Center Memorial include simple and elegant form, materials usage, organization and spatial alignment, the names of those who died, and some symbolism.

Figure 25 - Master Plan

World Trade Center Memorial

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Figure 26 - Site Plan

CASE STUDY

Figure 27 - Rendering

Design Precept Comparison The comparison of precepts of design for the historical precedent and the World Trade Center Memorial is challenging due to the fact that the project is not complete.

It is one thing to compare the statements prepared by the designer’s and compare what is in actuality. According to the designer statements of intent, there are many things in common with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The layout and organization of the site is based on a minimal grid (See Figure 26). The style can be the first easily compared component. The simplicity of the design is intentional. Just like the design by Maya Lin it is striving for the idea that less is more (See Figures 27-29). However, because of the significant difference in events could it actually be achieving less is less? According to Clay Risen from the New Republic Online, “minimalism is particularly appropriate to commemorate the dead of a war about whose precise meaning there is little consensus. Veterans, war protestors, and grieving families can each create their own meaning on the blank canvas of the wall. For another, while the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is minimalist, it is not abstract. Black granite is a traditional funerary Figure 28 - Interior Rendering

Figure 29 - Interior Rendering

World Trade Center Memorial

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CASE STUDY

material, and the wall recalls an elongated gravestone.

The gently descending ramp is an obvious allusion to the netherworld – Hades, the kingdom of the dead. And one reason that the names are so moving is that there are more than 58,000. But there is nothing equivocal about what happened on 9/11. The nation was attacked, innocent people died, and others died trying to rescue them.

A World Trade Center Memorial should commemorate the dead, but not only the dead. It should say something about the event, about the nation that was attacked, and about its ideals. Minimalism is out of place here; what is required is meaning” (LAM March 2004 pg. 23-24). The issue with replicas is that they are never as good as the original. This design is trying too hard to be all the things that the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial is. It is too similar in so many ways. The use of materials is another way in which the two projects are similar (See Figure 30). The World Trade Center Memorial uses concrete like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial uses Granite. The names of those that died will be engraved into the concrete in the sub surface zone. This will be similar to the precedent in terms of listing all the people that died, not necessarily how it is done. Although significant, listing the names will not be as impacting as the precedent because it is 3,000 names in comparison to 58,000. The design does not properly represent the event; it only remembers those that died.

Figure 30 - Ground Level Rendering

World Trade Center Memorial

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A Cultural Precedent for Modern Memorial Design

CONCLUSION

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial set the trend for modern memorial design. The use of materials, symbolism, and elegant form helped create the precedent that modern memorials follow today. The original can never quite be replicated as nicely and effectively, however the memorials in this document are good in their own right as stand alone memorials. It is difficult to replicate something successfully because of process of design and all the thought that went in to the project originally.

The best one can do is take aspects that apply and recreate their own versions of them. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is truly a marvel and cant possibly be explained in any document sufficiently. To truly understand it, one must experience it first hand, and be moved by it. The memorialized tragedies in this document are significant events in course of history and must be remembered, not only for what they meant, but for those people that they took from us.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Berlin opens Holocaust museum. 10 May 2005. BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4531669.stm Ochsner, Jeffrey. A Space of Loss: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Blackwell Publishing. Journal of Architectural Education, Vol.50, No.3(1997), 156-171.

Freida Lee Mock .1995. Maya Lin - A Strong Vision. Documentary.

Ivy, Robert. 7/2002. Memorials, Monuments, and Meaning. Architectural Record. Pg 84-87.

Knapp, Adam. 2009. Oklahoma City National Memorial. http://okc.about.com/od/museumseducational/p/okmemorial.htm Lin,Maya. 2000. Boundaries. New York: Simon & Shuster.

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin. 2006. http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/berlin-memorial-tothe-murdered-jews-of-europe.htm O’Connell, Kim A. 2000. “The Gates of Memory” . Landscape Architecture Magazine. Vol. 90 Number 9. September 2000. Pg. 68-77.

Oklahoma City National Memorial. March 22, 2009. http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/index.php Ouroussoff, Nicolai. May 9, 2005. New York Times. A Forest of Pillars, Recalling the Unimaginable. http://www.nytimes. com/2005/05/09/arts/design/09holo.html National Park Service. March 22, 2009. http://www.nps.gov/okci/ Princenthall, Nancy. April 2004. Absence Visible. Brant Publications, Inc. Art in America. 39-45.

Rybczynski, Witold. March 2004. Less is Less. Landscape Architecture Magazine. Pg. 20-24.

Salus, Carol. Landscape Architecture, Nov2006, Vol. 96 Issue 11, p42-47 September 11th: Chronology of Terror. CNN. 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/09/11/chronology.attack/index.html Stephens, Suzanne. 7/2005. Peter Eisenman’s Vision for Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Architectural Record. Pg. 120-127.

Sturken, Marita. The Wall, the Screen, and the Image: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. University of California Press. No.35, Special Issue: Monumental Histories(1991), 118-142.

Ted Sampley. 1997. http://www.usvetdsp.com/maya_lin_wall.htm . Website.

World Trade Center Competition Site. http://www.wtcsitememorial.org/fin7.html

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