Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.

— Theodore Roosevelt

The Plaza

The sprawling memorial has given the so-called World Trade Center “campus” an ill-defined, hybrid quality. The resulting lack of reverence has often been seen as jarring and disrespectful. With a noble 9/11 memorial and glade concentrated at the west end of the site and the 9/11 museum next to it, the open spaces can become places of celebration and recreation. Umbrellaed tables opposite the Oculus would be popular gathering places before heading into the Performing Arts complex or back to work in the World Trade Center offices.

The centerpiece of the Plaza would be the converted ground level of the Pavilion, where the battered and beautiful Koenig Sphere would finally be back where it belongs. Set in a year-round oasis and Garden of Resolve, The Sphere would once again revolve every 24 hours in the center of a lovely fountain beside the two massive tridents and suspended Ground Zero flag in testimony to the resilient, heroic, American Spirit.