Libeskind’s plan has jagged towers, a spiky spire and a dramatic void all the way down to bedrock for a memorial site; now he may have to make that void smaller and shallower. THINK has a pair of spectacular open towers (eventually with cultural facilities inside), but one tower’s footing must be re-engineered because of its proximity to the underground transit system. Changes are inevitable in a project so complex, but each team must preserve the core of its own visionary idea. So far–thanks in part to public vigilance–officials picked the two best schemes. Now they have a clear if tough choice. (Already the knives are out. The New York Times’s editorial page tilted toward Libeskind, while its architecture critic called his plan “kitsch.”) But commercial and political forces could compromise the winning scheme. In the months to come, the public shouldn’t blink.
