Philip K. Howard, chair of the committee behind the March 2002 debut of the 9/11 “Tribute in Lights,” recalls his sense of wonder as the twin beams first climbed into the heavens.
“It was just astonishing,” said Howard of the now-annual memorial’s debut, when the lights rose above Ground Zero as the city remained an open wound six months after the World Trade Center toppled. “Much more beautiful than we hoped for. It’s just, you know, quiet. It’s powerful, because it’s so tall and it conveys a sense of infinity.” With the 20th anniversary of 9/11 coming next year, Howard wants to see a permanent home established for the annual memorial. The concept proposed by architect Richard Nash Gould involves a site at Ground Zero where the lights would remain housed in a subterranean home and raised above ground around each September 11.