With little notice of the odd coincidence, two of the most significant events in the history of modern architecture very recently happened within a few days of each other. On April 27, official construction began on the controversial replacement for the Twin Towers, the so-called Freedom Tower. On May 1, the Empire State Building celebrated it's 75th Anniversary.
What is most remarkable about these two milestones is that from the day of excavation until completion, the Freedom Tower is estimated to take almost ten years. From the day of excavation until the official opening on May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building took 410 days, just over one year.
The Freedom Tower will stand an insignificant 322 feet and eight stories higher than the Empire State Building.
Even if you allow for the almost five years of politics that delayed the start of construction, the Freedom Tower will still take four years longer to build than the Empire State Building.
I wonder what this says about the current state of American innovation, ingenuity and spirit.
I'm sure they could build it faster, but it's likely they just want to milk the tit for all it's worth.
Posted by: Chino | Thursday, 04 May 2006 at 10:30 AM