World Trade Centre Tributes
What happened was absolute outrage to the civilized world that should never be forgotten. I worked at the WTC and was fortunate to escape. My thoughts and prayers are for all the people and families that were involved-- Anonymous (New York)

This week they solemly removed the last debris from the site of unspeakable terror and loss. In the end there was created at that site a beautiful silence that spoke so loudly, finally an oasis amid the cries for war, revenge, anguish, grief.

An ironic calm to a disaster that began with so much noise, chaos, dust, and insane murder.

The absolute and silent ending of the deafening attack and collapse of the twin towers symbolized, for me, an architect, the 'duality' the WTC always represented.

Also, as a fraternal twin myself (the towers were not identical, one was 6 feet taller than the other) I reacted to their destruction very personally, having lost my twin sister Patricia almost 20 years ago when she was in her mid-thirties.

A twin-less twin, now I experience NYC twin-towerless, adding to the grief that I must accept, with great difficulty.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.-- Tim (Easton, Pennsylvania)

I do not have words for the disgust and shock that I feel. My heart and prayers go out to the victims and their families. The whole of the country shares your grief. -- Brian H. (England)

I think that discrimination, insolvency, religion, and being illiterate, all contributed to the tragic deaths of the United States heroes in N.Y.C. I think we can, however, take advantage of this instability in the world, and become a leader in building bridges for cultures, and bringing the world together as one. It is then that we can achieve true love and peace, as God intended! -- Anonymous

I feel sad. I wanted to visit the WTC ever since the 7th grade; they were my favorite skycrapers in the world. Now I guess they will only live in my heart.-- Anonymous

It was a shock to the comfort we felt in America. We are no longer comfortable, even in our own homes. It jolted us out of the fantasy that we lived in and showed us the horror of reality.-- Anonymous

I've always loved the Sears tower in Chicago. I've seen it many times. I always thought I'd have a chance to see the WTC someday too. I guess I'll go see the memorial they someday put there instead.-- Ryan (Minnesota)

Life has a funny way of signalling our love and attachment to something, after its demise. Oft times I glanced at the towers with contempt, thinking them unimaginative and plain. Now, as I look upon the void where once they rose, I realize how important in my life they had become, how beautiful to me they had grown. Twin sentries, their lights now extinguished, their great spirit enduring and challenging us as a people. Shall all for which they stood, rise once more...-- Anonymous

Los pilares de la tierra, pero la arquitectura se ha quedado huerfana.-- Anonymous

As an architect, I was deeply shocked and voiceless when hearing the news. A real blast for the city of New York and the many lives that passed away innocently. -- Salah E. (Algeria)

In every ordeal there is a solace. Had the planes plowed the towers closer to the ground, the number of casualties would have been greater.-- Anonymous

All mixed feelings inside, sad, angry, afraid, but all make us stronger...-- Anonymous

I grew up in New York. The WTC towers were a fixture in my life. They were always...just...there. When I think of all the innocent lives abrubtly, unfairly ended, it is difficult to not cry. Even after 3 months. But I find that when I reflect on the towers themselves I am brought to tears. They were a grand statement. My city. My home. The place where I grew up was saying something. Something bordering on hubris, I suppose. This city is a part of me. But now it's missing a piece. So am I.-- Anonymous

Being a civil engineer, mere watching the great towers was a feeling of pride. Clearly, they were one of the greatest of all structures. Their non-existence leaves a feeling of hollowness. I convey my respectful regards to all people who were a part of the great towers.--Anonymous

When I saw the WTC buildings being attacked, I felt angy, mad, and at the same time, I felt helpless. It's something that my kids will ask me about ten years from now, and I don't think that even then will I stop feeling that pain I feel now as an American! Our President said it best, "God Bless America".--Norberto

Noi preghiamo per tutti coloro che sono morti nel disastro e per tutti i familiari che sono nel dolore. Dio vi benedica..--Anonymous

Destruyeron los edificios más impactantes del mundo; destruyeron las vidas de miles de personas inocentes; destruyeron parte del corazón de una hermosa gran ciudad. Un horrorífico acto sin nombre que jamás se borrará de la memoria de todos aquellos que lo presenciamos.--Ismael

It's been over a year, and I still cannot believe that those buildings are gone. I was just wandering around downtown, and I still look for them anytime I go outside. Those buildings were one of the little prizes you got when you lived in New York.

Those buildings should not have come down. The terrorists themselves did not intend or even imagine that they would destroy the buildings.

For whatever those buildings represented before it happened, to me they are now symbolic of the frailty of our so-called "great buildings," and they are symbols of the arrogance that goes into constructing them. The Twin Towers were once icons of capitalism or global finance. Now they represent the transparency of human ambition and the fragileness of its results.--Mark T. (www.sorabji.com)

The videos of the towers burning and then falling still strike me like a blow to the gut every time I see them. I will always have a special spot in my heart for New York City, and for all those New Yorkers who stood tall on Sept.11 and afterwards. I wish I'd been able to see those towers in real life - from the photos I've seen, there was something proud and splendid about them, I think; they simply danced with the light, and with each other...

I just hope that something worthy will eventually rise on the site - I'd love to see at least one living, working skyscraper rise soaring - tall, strong, proud, and breathtakingly beautiful - this would be as harmonious a commemoration of the hopes and dreams of all those who died as the memorial itself.

The courage of all those who ran back into the infernos to save others should be remembered as long as we still write history...--Liz L.
World Trade Centre
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