As we approached the tenth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I watched a few of the related television specials with deep interest, especially those that discussed construction of the Freedom Tower. I found a series called “Rising: Rebuilding Ground Zero” on the Discovery Channel to be particularly interesting from an architect’s perspective. As we said a decade ago, we will never forget, so it is useful to be reminded.
It has been very difficult for me to recapture the sense of shock, disruption, and sadness that day brought with it. Within the first week, I wrote some of my thoughts for a newsletter I was editing at the time. The article seems a bit unfinished, and perhaps it is. However, I wanted to share it with you in the hope that it evokes your memories of that day.
For architects, engineers, and contractors, the events of 9/11 have brought some of the most significant changes to our approach to construction, and protection of building occupants, since the inception of building and fire codes after the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire 100 years ago. The documentaries on the Freedom Tower offered valuable insight into how these changes are being implemented near Ground Zero.
To give you some context, I was performing full-time construction observation on a large project at Ohio State. My office was a tiny construction trailer and my usual attire was jeans and a hard hat. My wife worked in the communications section of the Attorney General’s Office, and my son was in his first few weeks of public elementary school. A year before, I had been appointed to an open seat on our City Council, so I was in transition from private citizen to public servant.
“I had just dropped my son off at school and got back into my truck for the drive to work, when the radio reported that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.
“The reporter indicated it appeared to be a twin engine Cessna aircraft. He couldn’t have been more wrong. Now, I’ve been to New York and know how big the towers were, and I know how big a twin engine Cessna is. Based on that information, I made the assumption that everything would be fine. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
“I dropped off a roll of permit drawings at the University Architect’s office and gave an old professor a call on my cell phone on the way out of the building. I wanted to discuss a job opportunity that had been weighing heavily on my mind. At the time, it seemed important.
“While I was sitting in his office, he received a phone call, and informed me that the second plane had hit, and that it was a jet airliner. By this point, it became clear that the first crash was no accident.
“I casually observed a copy of the book “Why Buildings Fall Down” on his desk, not realizing what a strange omen this would prove to be. I commented on it and we discussed the fact that we hadn’t heard any planes from Port Columbus even though OSU is directly in the flight path. Then he received a call that indicated that the FAA had grounded all flights across the country.
“As I left his office, I had a very strange feeling that the day was going to be a little different than any other. For the first time in my lifetime, the United States had been attacked.
“As I pulled out of the parking garage, I heard the news that the Pentagon had been struck. I had to pull over to the side of the road. My cousin had recently been appointed director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and worked in the Pentagon. I took a few deep breaths, pulled back onto the road, and headed for the field office across the river. I later learned his office was with 60 feet of the initial point of contact.
“When I got there, the first thing I did was fire up my internet browser and tried to load a news site that had details of the morning’s events. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. The webpage timed out and I began making phone calls.
“First, I made sure that my son was safe and wasn’t being sent home from school. I’d heard on the radio that a few schools were considering early dismissal. Thankfully, the superintendent and his staff had calmly decided to keep them in place, but locked the doors as a precaution.
“My wife was with the Attorney General at a media event near Cleveland, and not in the Rhodes Tower. Still I was concerned about her and was very relieved when she called. She said that she was able to go straight home and I told her to drive carefully.
“I called the office and discussed whether to postpone the weekly project meeting, and we decided to keep the schedule in spite of the day’s events. The University had locked the doors on most of the buildings and it was questionable if we could even get into our room.
“As we sat in the meeting, we discussed what was of utmost importance to us the day before. It just didn’t seem that important anymore. The world had changed…”
See you soon.
