"Freedom Tower" No More?

In the emotional days after 9/11, the owners of the World Trade Center land promised that the replacement to the fallen towers would be a monument to those who died, to be called "the Freedom Tower." This was presented as a way to honor the fallen - and prove our victory over the terrorists - without requiring a more formal monument or grave site. But now, the owners are backpedaling and apparently want to use the more humble "One World Trade Center" monicker.

The change from Freedom Tower was revealed Thursday at a news conference where the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced the signing of the first commercial lease in the building to a Chinese company. The building is expected to be completed in late 2013.

"We've referred to the primary building planned for the site as One World Trade Center -- its legal name and street address -- for almost two years now, as well as using the name the Freedom Tower," said Stephen Sigmund, a spokesman for the Port Authority, in a statement released to CNN. "Many will always refer to it as the Freedom Tower, but as the building moves out of the planning stage and into full construction and leasing, we believe that going forward it is most practical to market the building as One World Trade Center."

I understand the intent here, I think. First, One World Trade Center is highly descriptive and brings about a level of credibility to any business firm that chooses to do business there. And second - though this is unsaid in the article - avoiding the name "Freedom Tower" is probably seen as a way to avoid making the new tower a too-tempting target for politically-minded ne'er-do-wells, whether they be terrorists or hostile powers. But we need to understand that the blood of thousands has been shed on this site, and we also need to honor the dead with some kind of monument or memorial. Any attempt to return to business-as-usual without remembering those lost will simply make the building a pariah in NYC and for any who remembers the horror of those days.