'Worst pile of crap architecture I've seen.' (The Guardian)

[Up2Late]

(The Donald was on a roll, great quotes, "..."Why are we building this monstrous skeleton known as the Freedom Tower?" he asked. "If the Freedom Tower is built, the terrorists win...")

'Worst pile of crap architecture I've seen.'

Trump rubbishes Ground Zero design

Dan Glaister in Los Angeles
Thursday May 19, 2005
The Guardian

If he was in charge of picking a replacement for the World Trade Centre in New York, Donald Trump would know what to say to the architect: "You're fired."

Unfortunately for the bouffant-haired property magnate and latterday reality TV star, the project to build a new tower on the site is not under his control. But that didn't stop him from unveiling his own project to fill the void at Ground Zero.

Speaking at the eponymous Trump Tower in Manhattan, Mr Trump said that his own design of a replica of the original towers, or even a park, was preferable to the Freedom Tower, the project currently envisaged for the site. The plan, said Mr Trump, not one to mince his words, "looks like a junkyard, a series of broken-down angles that don't match each other. And we have to live with this for hundreds of years? It is the worst pile of crap architecture I've ever seen in my life.

"Why are we building this monstrous skeleton known as the Freedom Tower?" he asked. "If the Freedom Tower is built, the terrorists win. If someone knocked down the Statue of Liberty, you wouldn't put the Eiffel Tower in its place." Although Mr Trump has no official role in the process, he does have one formidable weapon. "I only have the power of persuasion," he said. "It's a very simple power, but sometimes it can be very strong."

(more at link above)

[truthisfreedom]

1. i think the freedom tower is ugly as sin.

but then again, so is Donald Trump's hair, so he's no authority.

[Spiffarino]

2. Who cares what Captain Combover thinks?

Just stick to what you're good at, Donald...namely, going bankrupt and whoring for attention.

[Scairp]

8. He is an asshole

But he also happens to be correct about this. And naming it the "Freedom Tower"?! How incredibly hokey. This doesn't effect my life at all, but as an American citizen, I have found this design to be less than aesthetically pleasing.

[pokercat999]

16. Ah...it's in NY NY how could that place be made uglier? I mean

get 10000 bulldozers and we can fix that place.

[skypilot]

22. What??

*

[LeighAnn]

23. NY Not Ugly

[CottonBear]

29. NY is one of the most amazing cities on the planet.

Beauty abounds there. Great architecture, great streetscapes, great parks, great museums, great history and great people.

I love NYC! BTW, I'm a native Southerner.

Edit: I totally agree with The Donald on this matter. My opinion, as a professional designer and land planner, is that the planning process was fatally flawed due to post-9-11 politics. The plan for the memorial plaza is especially hideous.

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

38. Deleted message

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[Media_Lies_Daily]

39. "Rural living is unnatural"?? I think I've heard everything now....

...and people living in rural areas rarely have any reason to drive anywhere since they are living in a way that is largely self-contained. Modern communications technology should facilitate living farther apart.

People living in large urban environments are a disaster waiting to happen through natural or man-made means. Additionally, it is only a matter of time before some pandemic takes a heavy toll of people packed into relatively small areas.

[geek tragedy]

47. Ann Coulter called. She wants her punchline back. eom

[Renew Deal]

50. I am reserving my very NY response.

But I'd rather live here than the shithole you came from.

[Hissyspit]

3. Trump: The Paragon of Enlightened Aestheticism.

Not.

[xxqqqzme]

4. I liked Olberman's

suggestion - rebuild the towers only one tower 2,983 inches shorter than the other - a visual memorial to the people killed and an explanation as answer to: 'why is one tower shorter than the other.'

[ngGale]

7. I liked Olbermann's suggestions myself...

at least it made sense.

[RobertSeattle]

5. Photoshop idea...

Have the Army Spc from West Virginia with the "thumbs up" pose standing behind a model of Freedom tower...

[Voltaire99]

9. Brilliant idea

And let's go further: let's build the actual Freedom tower in the shape of the good thumbs-up torture lady.

"Freedom" tower. Was ever there a greater misnomer?

[Robworld]

27. The whole concept of Freedom tower is just one big oxymoron

I forgot where I read this, but the writer mentions how could you have a freedom tower when freedom can not exist in its place. The so called Freedom tower would probably have more security then anything on the planet. Also the Patriot Act kinda takes away the notion of freedom, not "Bush freedom".

http://www.dumdumgoestothecircus.com /
Website updated

[DS1]

30. I'm on it

[Journeyman]

6. This model seems in keeping with BushCo's attitude. . .

[Gregorian]

28. US BIRD. Go Cheney yerself.

I absolutely cannot think of a better design. Man, you are on top of things Journeyman. Brilliant.

[cornermouse]

10. He's right. It is ugly.

[lumpy]

11. Ghastly,

like a bulky-knit sweater.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. Everybody forgets...

that the original WTC was butt ugly itself, and there was a mighty howling when it went up and people realized just how monstrous it was. Unfortunately, the means of its demolition was far more tragic than its design.

Be that as it may, the "Freedom Tower" doesn't quite follow the tradition of outrageous eyesore, but it's not exactly a thing of beauty. It's not the worst thing ever. Not nearly as bad as what a two story, metallic "Trump" did to make the simply bland and boring GM building the most hideous, blindingly ugly structure in New York since the Huntington Hartford museum made everyone who went through Columbus Circle faint dead away.

The only really bad thing about Freedom Tower is that ridiculous name. Why not "Ronald Reagan Memorial Just Because Not Enough Things are Named After Reagan"?

Can I say it once again... "Shut the Fuck Up, Donald!"

[xchrom]

14. yeah i remember the n.y. skyline pre wtc and post.

i loved the old skyline -- but i'm not a fan of modern corporate skyscrapers.

just blocky glass and steel boxes. not even reaching the lowest, most common elements bauhause aesthetic.

that being said -- the donald's taste is all in his mouth.
obviously.

[kskiska]

21. I remember the outcry on the ugly WTC boxes

Somehow they never caught on, either. No one had a really emotional attachment to those buildings until they came down. The Empire State Bldg. and the Chrysler Bldg. were much more popular at the souvenir stands. I'm ambiguous on the "Freedom Tower," but loathe the name, but I do think this is an opportunity to build something really dynamic and futuristic. The Guggenheim museum in Bilbao comes to mind, but something bigger is needed for the downtown Manhattan skyline.

[Up2Late]

34. I wouldn't say they never caught on, I'd say the last 5-10 years...

...I, and a lot of people, had finally started to like them. Their first 15 years though, they made me sick (I always liked the Empire State Building, they stole it's Glory).

I think, other than the loss of life and the loss of our civil freedoms and liberties, that was the most tragic part of it all.:evilfrown:

[burrowowl]

37. Yes they were

and poorly engineered.

"that the original WTC was butt ugly itself, and there was a mighty howling when it went up and people realized just how monstrous it was. Unfortunately, the means of its demolition was far more tragic than its design."

Make a greenspace since many skyscrapers do not have tenants. Fill the unoccupied skyscapers first.
Make a community garden or something useful.

[leftchick]

13. I don't think it looks that bad...

I just hate the name. The name SUCKS! It is like the chimp came up with it himself.

[musette_sf]

25. It's a tombstone

I say GO DONALD!

[Kolesar]

15. "Freedom Tower" dedicated to the RNC'04 protestors who were detained...

...without due process in violation of their rights under the First Amendment and the Fourth Amendment.

[SKKY]

17. It looks to me like a big, gaudy, letter opener. I don't like it one...

...bit and I'd have to agree with "The Donald" on this one. Rebuild the old towers but make them bigger, safer, and better looking. In fact, I've got a great idea on how to pay for this. Instead of the item on your taxes asking if you want to donate to the presidential election fund, why not have the option in stead of checking the "I would like to donate 25.00 to the rebuild the WTC towers fund" box. I bet dollars to donuts it gets funded in 3 years or less. Although since it is privately owned/developed, probably gonna have some sticky issues to work out.

[Kolesar]

18. The design does nothing for me either. But WTC 1&2 were no gems of design

Given the choice, I would take the latter. I think WTC 1&2 looked good from a distance, like the Verrazano Narrows bridge, but at the streetscape it was boring. This is the town that features the Chrysler Building. What a contrast.

[Benhurst]

19. Hasn't the owner been paid billions for the loss of the World

Trade Center? And you're suggesting taxpayers build him a new one? I think not.

[SKKY]

36. Did you read my entire post???

I'm not suggesting taxpayers "pay" for a new WTC per se in that Washington allocates funds to build a new one and it's a done deal. What I'm suggesting is that perhaps if given the chance to either donate to the presidential election fund (Or whatever that thing is called I always decline to donate to), or to build a new WTC, most might be inclined to donate to the WTC. At any rate, it's up to the individual tax payer. Quite different in my eyes from what you apparently think I meant.

[Benhurst]

44. Money donated to the presidential election fund comes out

of the taxpayers pocket,since the money diverted must be replaced.

I have reluctantly reached the conclusion that there should be no tax credits for "charitable" contributions, especially for contributions to "think tanks" and other dubious causes. And to be fair, one man's legitimate charity is another man's corrupt slush fund.

If such funds were used to build a new WTC, to whom would it belong?
As you pointed out, this will pose a problem. I, for one, am tired of the socialism for the rich/capitalism for the poor policies of our government.

I tend to agree with you about the presidential election fund; but it represented an attempt to get corrupt money out of the campaigns, a worthy goal. Unfortunately it has in effect helped saddle us with an unresponsive two-party government which, through fixed elections,is evolving at an alarming rate into a one-party one.

The WTC was a flawed commercial Enterprise, propped up by city, state and federal expenditures. If its multi-millionaire (billionaire?) owner wants to replace it, his insurance settlement should prove more than sufficient seed money for the project.

[alcibiades_mystery]

20. "Why are we building this black scar of a wall..."

- douchebags like Trump on viewing the design plans for the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.

The day I take design tips from the ultra-tacky Donald (we're talking about a guy that uses a definite article before his FIRST name) is the day I give it up. Stick to robbing old ladies in A.C. and toirturing the poor out of their houses, and leave the architecture to the experts. God knows what "the" Donald would say about the mind-shattering beauty of Liebeskind's Jewish Museum in Berlin. No doubt he would find it inappropriate for slot machines. Wanker.

[Terran]

24. I like the design

I find it interesting. The alternative is stupid and boring and derivative. And my opinion counts just as much as that New York putz's opinion.

[Tracer]

43. I agree Terran.

The design is powerful and innovative.

The name is a perversion, as another poster has mentioned.

Anyone who has seen video of Trump's grotesquely tacky apartment should realize that The Donald is the last person on earth who should be an arbiter of taste.

[rocktivity]

26. Here's where you can a side-by-side comparsion

http://216.71.115.221/wtc/twoplans/official.ours.htm

:headbang:
rocknation

[quiet.american]

31. I've said it before, I hate the name "Freedom Tower."

Bushco has so perverted the term "freedom," that every time I
hear a reference to "Freedom Tower" I think of the whole project as
nothing more than an ode to neocon brutality.

That area will always be the World Trade Center to this true-blue
New Yorker.

[DinahMoeHum]

32. I'll say it again. Whatever kind of high-rise that gets built there

had damn well better have provisions for rooftop rescues (and for that matter ALL the high rises in NYC - I understand Los Angeles has such plans)

And I DO NOT want to hear that such a plan cannot be done.

There is an organization called the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, started by a 9/11 mother and a 9/11 widow. They've been a thorn in the side of Bloomberg, Pataki, and the Port Authority.

www.skyscrapersafety.org


:grr:

[wallwriter]

33. Ooh, and Trump is a fine arbiter

of what does and does npot make great architecture. Actually, the Freedom Tower does suck at so many levels, but who wants to agree with Trump on anything?

[bunkerbuster1]

42. Well, Trump knows ugly, that's for sure.

as anyone who's strolled past the architectural monstrosities he's developed in NYC can attest.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

40. Perhaps it should be renamed "Target Tower"....

...because building a tower of that height is like waving a red flag at a bull.

[Mizmoon]

41. Trump is right

He's a schmuck, but in this case the man is right.

[hnsez]

45. NEOCON PLANS FOR NEW TOWER

[amazona]

46. why not something tasteful like the Taj Mahal, right, Donald?

Seriously, no one ever accused this dude of having good taste. Who cares what he thinks.

Easy for him to say he'd rebuild the Twin Towers. He wouldn't be working as a waiter for Windows on the World with a target painted on his head.

What a truly tacky way to seek publicity for this blowhard.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[geek tragedy]

48. Donald Trump has the worst taste of any human being on the planet.

His idea of quality is spending too much money on something. His residential building on the East Side is ugly as sin.

[marions ghost]

49. the donald's

proposal is a dud.

--totally insensitive to the fact that exact replication of the Towers would create further conflict. Building it back would imply a sense of 'erasure' to some, however much others may see rebuilding them as 'triumph.' You will never get agreement from the opposing camps.

The world will never be the same after 9-11 and to think you can just turn back the clock is delusional. Replicating the now infamous Towers is as macabre a project as anything in a waxwork museum. The Twin Towers are powerful symbols and will live in our collective memory banks forever...they do not need literal form again anytime soon.

Bad, very bad juju the arrogant donald is messing with.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

51. the freedom tower shuld NOT be built it is UGLY AS HELL