Renaming of 'Freedom Tower' in New York prompts criticism

Saturday 28th March, 05:44 AM JST

NEW YORK —

The owners of the skyscraper being built at Ground Zero ran into controversy on Friday with the decision to strip the building of its patriotic unofficial name “Freedom Tower.”

“No more freedom,” read the front page of the Daily News, declaring in an editorial that the site’s owner, the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, was “erasing history.”

“Freedom is out of fashion at Ground Zero,” rival tabloid the New York Post said.

The Port Authority announced that the planned 1,776-foot building, now barely above its foundations, will instead be known by the same name as one of the twin towers destroyed in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks: One World Trade Center.

Port Authority Chairman Anthony Coscia made the announcement Thursday, saying: “As we market the building we will ensure that the building is presented in the best possible way…. One World Trade Center is its address, it’s the one that we are using.”

The spat coincided with the signing on Thursday of the building’s first commercial tenant—a 21-year deal with China’s Vantone Industrial Company.

The Chinese company will take up the entire 65th and 69th floors and part of the 64th with a business and cultural facility dubbed the China Center.

Following a series of delays, the building is not scheduled to be ready for occupancy until 2014.

Susan Regenhard, the mother of one of the firefighters killed on 9/11, along with nearly 3,000 other people, said the Port Authority cared about marketing more than memories.

“It’s all about marketing, all about PR, all about them making money,” Regenhard saidP.

Regenhard said she was never a fan of the “Freedom Tower” name because the the mammoth project is allegedly riddled with unsafe work.

“What’s in a name? It’s about the nature of these buildings,” she said. “This is the number one terrorist target in the world.”

Former New York Governor George Pataki, first to coin the name “Freedom Tower,” reacted defiantly.

“The Freedom Tower isn’t going to be One World Trade Center, it’s going to be the Freedom Tower,” he said in comments broadcast on NY1 television.

“I think One and Two World Trade Center are sacred names which should never be used again,” said Pataki.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 22 Total Comments Show All

tclh at 02:31 PM JST - 28th March

World Trade center is fine and correct name for the building because Freedom & Democracy is much more higher and represents the whole nation, the US of A.
smithinjapan at 03:49 PM JST - 28th March

Helter: "likeitis would like it to be named Mohamed Atta Tower."

Why do you say that, because he thinks 'Freedom Tower' is childish? Boy, you really can't take criticism of something you adore, can you? I think what he intended is merely that 'Freedom Tower', or people feeling like they MUST stuck with such names, is childish, plain and simple.

One World Trade Tower is a fine name, and a strong one. 'Freedom Tower' is a joke, and smacks of many of the disasters the last US administration pushed on the world.
Triumvere at 11:23 PM JST - 28th March

Personally, I think they should have rebuilt the damn thing exactly the same as it was (with the addition of a memorial, of course) and gone back to calling it "The World Trade Center." I can think of a better way to say FU to terrorists than showing that they don't matter.
rtrhead1 at 11:57 PM JST - 28th March

i am an american and i thought that "freedom tower" was a ridiculous, half-baked, silly sounding name. one world trade center sounds a lot better.
SuperLib at 01:38 AM JST - 29th March

I like One World Trade Center. I don't really care what terrorists or foreigners think.
teleprompter at 01:53 AM JST - 29th March

Name it after the bravest man to have worked in the original:

http://www.medaloffreedom.com/RickRescorla1.htm
Bento at 04:49 AM JST - 29th March

and who is a foreigner to you? all those with a functioning brain?
SuperLib at 12:21 PM JST - 29th March

To me a foreigner is someone who isn't an American.

Moderator: Your remark is irrelevant. Please stay on topic.
smithinjapan at 01:32 PM JST - 29th March

"To me a foreigner is someone who isn't an American."

Says the guy on a Japanese news site. You sound like the Japanese who say they want to speak to 'foreigners abroad'. Leave your close-minded thinking at the door, particularly since the building, and much of the country for that matter, are more or less owned by 'foreigners' (see first tenant of new building). You, although not as bad as others, continually try to use this 'you're not American' line to suggest the opinions of others don't count on issues relating to the US.

Anyway, again, 'Freedom Tower' was a ridiculous idea for the tower name, since the word is used solely for propaganda purposes. Are you all aware that in Pan-Mun Jon on the DMZ North Korea has a building called 'Freedom Building', which was built and named to mock the South's 'Freedom Building' (I think the name on the South's side differs slightly, but it uses 'freedom')? Just pointing out how silly it is that it's 'not patriotic' to put such an overused and abused label on it.
Gombei424Canada at 02:05 PM JST - 29th March

ClassWarUK:"Americans are so soppy and sentimental, Freedom Tower indeed, a childlike name which glady shall not be used"

Bang on, my fine friend. Some excellent posting there, and I like your use of modals! Well,it really is too funny to watch the few remaining bush loyalists here desperately throwing around the word "freedom" even though bush, who was the WORST president in history from the get-go, is religated to the pages of said history.

New flash, my American friends who live in a black and white world of American versus foreigner and probably are'nt even aware that the word foreigner is FOREIGN (it comes Latin! ha ha ) , New York is the center of world finance,HENCE the name WORLD trade center.

Well, anyways, I think we can all agree that One World Trade Center is the name that will make the warmongerers on BOTH sides stop and think about what I and Ghandi KNOW is true:war never solves anything.
sailwind at 02:12 PM JST - 29th March

Heck, they might as well re-name the Statue of Liberty also while they are at it.
TexasAggie at 03:58 PM JST - 29th March

It seems that the first paying tenants, the Chinese (imagine that) don't like the word "Freedom." So money talks louder than patriotism.
SuperLib at 09:05 PM JST - 29th March

smithinjapan: You sound like the Japanese who say they want to speak to 'foreigners abroad'. Leave your close-minded thinking at the door, particularly since the building, and much of the country for that matter, are more or less owned by 'foreigners' (see first tenant of new building). You, although not as bad as others, continually try to use this 'you're not American' line to suggest the opinions of others don't count on issues relating to the US.

Wow, you've insulted both Japan and the United States. Wonderfully open minded. And I really don't see why not really caring about the opinions of foreigners regarding the name of a building in my country is really all that shocking. Get over it.

Anyway, again, 'Freedom Tower' was a ridiculous idea for the tower name, since the word is used solely for propaganda purposes. Are you all aware that in Pan-Mun Jon on the DMZ North Korea has a building called 'Freedom Building', which was built and named to mock the South's 'Freedom Building' (I think the name on the South's side differs slightly, but it uses 'freedom')? Just pointing out how silly it is that it's 'not patriotic' to put such an overused and abused label on it.

See the above. And while you're at it see my other post where I say One World Trade Center is a good name. But really, in the end, it's for Americans to decide. You're more than welcome to provide your own opinion (criticism), but it doesn't mean it will be very relevant to me.
Bento at 11:42 PM JST - 20th May

it appears relevant enough for you to respond to it..
Den Den at 11:54 PM JST - 20th May

Right on Gombie and Classwaruk, we need to get back to reality...