Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 13:00:19 -0500 (EST) From: Louis Epstein Subject: WTC Rebuidling #140:More on Silverstein and Letters After a recent NY Post article on beams saved from the WTC Towers kept in a hangar at JFK airport,I sent this letter to the NY Post: ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 21:03:45 -0500 (EST) To: letters@nypost.com Subject: The Last Shall Be First? What a powerful statement of New York's resilience it would be if that last column taken from the base of the World Trade Center could become the first one to rise above the old 1368-foot roofline level when the Towers are rebuilt! The new towers may take more up-to-date alloys,and stronger design throughout,but I think an exception could be made for that one beam before it was covered with state-of-the-art fireproofing. Louis Epstein Carmel,N.Y. ---------- End forwarded message ---------- Today they printed an edited version in http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/letters/62637.htm that edited out the key point that would make the moment special: that the beam take the height of the building structure past the old Towers' roofline.(In the case of the Sears Tower,the beam that passed the height of the WTC was hoisted into place on March 6,1973 before topping out on May 4th). Still,this letter column was good,being unanimously pro-Towers even if they don't let us spell out the need for no retreat from the former height.And it's accompanied by a good editorial: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/62660.htm There are two news stories about the announcement of the new 7 WTC: http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/62684.htm http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/62701.htm Note that Post stories disappear into payment-required archives after about a week,but are often cached at Google for a while after that. Joe Wright has come up with the new address for Silverstein, who I urged people to contact yesterday: Mr. Larry A. Silverstein Silverstein Properties, Inc. 530 5th Ave. 18th Flr. New York, NY 10036 Tel: 212-551-7300 Fax: 212-687-0067 He also notes, "There's a very critical article in today's NY Sun about SOMs 7WTC. It is said to be an undistinguished building. And it is." Some rebuilders like the new #7 more than others. It is of course designed by the man (David Childs) who told Time magazine that the construction of the Twins was an act of vandalism and who came up with the empty-and-breaking-up-skeleton-top idea. But at least the precedent of being taller than what it replaces should be followed on the 16 acres as well! I note a recent Robert Fritz message board post that refers to the flammability of aluminum airplane parts and its role in the building fires...this must,of course,be an argument against the new Towers having aluminum exterior panels like the old! Someone has managed to start a pro-Towers topic on the Gotham Gazette board,the title refers to the underground mall. New posts to older rebuilding topics are still not being published. -=-=- The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again, at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.