WTC Records Folder 0123 Clippings label, Sept 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Why the Art Commission is More Important Than Ever

In the wake of the September I l destruction of the World Trade Center, New Yorkers who care about issues of urban design and the renewal of downtown have been spontaneously organizing committees, workshops, exhibits, and lectures to address the issue of how and what to rebuild. This frenzy of activity is a tribute to the energy, creativity, and vision of the many talented professionals in our city. Channeling this energy, many respected non-profit institutions are working together to issue recommendations for how the city and the state should proceed with the rebuilding.

Although the Port Authority, which owns the World Trade Center site, is ajoint entity of the states of New York and New Jersey, a common sense consensus has been building that New York City should share equally in responsibility for, and direction of, the rebuilding effort. After all, the Trade Center site is deeply lodged within the heart of New York City and is critical to the effort to rejuvenate the entire downtown community.

Some of the emerging guidelines recommend a special commission with extraordinary powers to cut through bureaucratic red tape; they set a high priority on speeding up the process on the assumption that public reviews would necessarily stall the rebuilding to an unacceptable degree. However, while speed is important, the more important factors in assuring the success of the rebuilding are the careful programming, creative design, and thoughtful integration of the site and any memorial into the remaining fabric of downtown.

There already exists a civic agency that is vested with the mandate to review the design excellence of projects constructed by and for the city of New York. It is the Art Commission of the City of New York, founded in 1898 with the express purpose of reviewing the quality of proposals for public art, including memorials. The mandate of the agency has been expanded to include design review of all proposed construction and renovation of buildings, landscapes, and street furniture on city property. The Commission holds public meetings and thereby also serves as a forum for citizens to comment upon proposed designs which will impact their communities.

The composition of the Art Commission, as spelled out in the city charter, includes the sort of professionals one would recommend to evaluate design quality. They are: an architect, a landscape architect, a painter, a sculptor, representatives of three major civic institutions ( the Metropolitan Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, and the New York Public Library), as well as three lay members and a representative of the mayor.

There are many facets to the complex tangle of issues involved at the World Trade Center site, including a maze of legal, zoning, land use, transportation, and construction details which are bound to slow down the reconstruction process. Because even the most expedited rebuilding process will take many years, we do have the time, and must take the time, to assure that a design of extraordinary quality is built.

We must retain the most talented designers to envision a project which not only incorporates the right mix of office, residential, and retail space, but which is enlivened by a significant urban open space or park and ennobled by a transcendent memorial. As an established city agency which represents the arts and design communities of New York, the Art Commission can assure that public review serves to inform and inspire the design of this historic project, which is crucial to the future of our city.

Jean Parker Phifer, ALA President, Art Commission of the City of New York

NYC-WTC 000137003