1
Making Collective Memory Visible in Public Space: Reflections on the
Commemoration of 9/11 in New York City
The eventual shape of a memorial on the site of Ground Zero has become, in the
months following September 11, 2001, one of the biggest cultural and political
controversies facing New York City. Within days of the terrorist attacks, developer
Larry Silverstein who owned a lease to the Twin Towers announced his intentions to
build four 48-story buildings on the same site (McGuigan 62). Others advocated
resurrecting the fallen buildings using the blueprints of their ill-fated predecessors
(“Towers Have Power”). Many New Yorkers, including families of victims, have argued
that the sixteen-acre site constitutes hallowed ground and should serve no purpose
beyond a memorial (Campbell 37). Following the initial flurry of opinions regarding the
destiny of the space left following the destruction of the towers, some agreement,
however tentative, has emerged. Most parties agree that in a busy city like New York the
site ought to combine a memorial function with other civic and commercial aspects.
While the issues of urban development and economic revival of lower Manhattan
are bound to influence the destiny of Ground Zero, the symbolic and political value of
commemoration is also likely to impact the design of the memorial. Rebuilding the site,
as architecture scholar Christine Boyer has remarked, will be a “battle over images and
lost opportunities” as much as “about material form” (120). In this paper, we suggest that
the symbolic success or failure of this project will be determined largely by how well it
Page 1 of 22 
Convention