# Presentation: 182521

## FLIGHT 93 NATIONAL MEMORIAL

*“**A common field one day. A field of honor forever.”*

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**

Let’s start our design presentation, with a refresher, if you will.
Some of you have never seen Paul Murdoch’s slides and the actual renderings of what will be built.  For others, it will be a reminder of the beauty, the dignity, and the serenity of the memorial to honor the 40 heroes of Flight 93.
This is a panoramic view of the site envisioned as the memorial landscape
At a heroic scale commensurate with the actions of the 40 heroes on board Flight 93, the memorial highlights the common field one day that became a field of honor forever.

## Site Plan; Flight 93 National Memorial

**Site Plan; Flight 93 National Memorial**

**Field of Honor (the Bowl)**
**Sacred Ground (plaza & parking area)**
**The Portal, Overlook and Visitor Center**
**Ring Road**
**Entrance Road**
**Tower of Voices**

- 1

- 2

- 3

- 4

- 5

- 6

- This view shows the full extent of the 2,200 acre park
- To the north, entry occurs at Route 30 with a memorial feature, the Tower of Voices  (6).
- The approach road (5) crosses through mining areas to arrive where the flight path crossed the large, circular-shaped landform called the Bowl (1).  In the memorial design, the bowl becomes the Field of Honor. A visitor center will be framed by two walls where the plane initially crossed into the Bowl (3)
- A road provides access (4) around the Bowl to the impact site, which has become know as the Sacred Ground (2).
- Perimeter properties will provide viewshed protection and buffer the memorial  from abrupt commercial uses.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
This view shows the full extent of the 2,200 acre park
To the north, entry occurs at Route 30 with a memorial feature, the Tower of Voices
The approach road crosses through mining areas to arrive where the flight path crossed the large, circular-shaped landform called the bowl
In the memorial design, the bowl becomes the Field of Honor 
Its focal point is the impact site, within what has become known as the Sacred Ground
Perimeter properties will provide viewshed protection and buffer the park from abrupt commercial uses.

## BOWL

- The centerpiece of the memorial landscape is the
- landform known as the Bowl
- The memorial design frames the Bowl, as a
- Field of Honor, with trees circling the entire bowl in a
- national gesture of embrace that orients visitors
- toward the Sacred Ground.
- During the first phase of construction to be completed
- by September 11, 2011,  the bowl
-  will be graded, and the ring road will be built, taking
- visitors down to the sacred ground.
- Visitors will encounter multiple landscape experiences
- as they  drive around the Bowl on their way to its focus,
- the Sacred Ground.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
The centerpiece of the memorial landscape is the landform known as the Bowl
The memorial design frames the Bowl, as a Field of Honor, with trees circling the entire bowl in a national gesture of embrace that orients visitors toward the Sacred Ground.  You cannot build a memorial that is more compelling or respectful than the resting place of the 40 heroes of Flight 93.
You can see the flight path of flight 93 depicted in two places – first where the plane came over the bowl, and second where the plane came to rest.
These two places are the exact locations over which the 40 heroes forced the plane down, and therefore not reaching its intended target – Washington DC.  These flight path locations depict a victory over terrorism, where our heroes wrestled their way to victory.
During the first phase of construction to be completed by September 11, 2011, known as Phase 1A, the bowl will be graded, and the ring road will be built, taking visitors down to the sacred ground.
Visitors will encounter multiple landscape experiences as they  drive around the Bowl on their way to its focus, the Sacred Ground.

## SACRED GROUND

- The Sacred Ground, the final resting place of the passengers and crew,  will also be part of the first phase of memorial construction to be built by September 11, 2011.  Visitors will be able to approach the edge of the crash site, but not enter.  That will still be reserved for families.
- Set against a backdrop of hemlock trees that absorbed the impact of the crash, the Sacred Ground will be planted  in wildflowers that will bloom from Spring through Fall.
- On one of the walls the names of the 40 heroes will be inscribed on a band of white stone.  September 11, 2001 will be inscribed on the other wall.

- PROGRESS PRINT

## SACRED GROUND

- A ceremonial gateway for family members will occur along the fight path between two walls,
- depicting the very location where the heroes of Flight 93 fought and overcame the terrorists.
- The demarcation of the flight path,  honors the actions of the passengers and crew.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
A ceremonial gateway for family members will occur along the fight path between two walls, depicting the very location where the heores of Flight 93 fought and overcame the terrorists, having that plane go into the ground, and winning the battle.  This flight path, this demarckation, honors the actions of the passengers and crew.

## ENTRY PORTAL

- During the second phase of construction, the entry portals and visitor center will be constructed.
- Large memorial walls will frame the sky where the plane flew overhead as the passengers and crew bravely fought their
-  winning battle to not have the plane continue to DC
- Here, visitors will enter along the flight path and get their first view of the expanse of the Bowl and the crash site below
- Between these memorial walls will be the park’s interpretive center, the visitor facility.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
During the second phase of construction, that which we are calling Phase 1B, the entry portal and visitor center will be constructed. 
Visitors will arrive at the location where the flight path crossed that first edge of the Bowl
Large memorial walls will frame the sky where the plane flew overhead as the passengers and crew bravely fought their winning battle to not have that plane continue to DC
Here, visitors will enter along the flight path and get their first view of the expanse of the Bowl and the crash site below
Between these memorial walls will be the park’s interpretive center, the visitor facility

## 40 MEMORIAL GROVES

- Embracing the Field of Honor will be a tree-lined walkway on a raised earth form, built at the same time as the portal walls
- and visitor center.
- This “allee” will be flanked by 40 memorial groves comprised of 40 trees, one  grove for each of the 40 heroes.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
Embracing the Field of Honor will be a tree-lined walkway on a raised earth form, built at the same time as the portal walls and visitor center as part of Phase 1B.
This “allee” will be flanked by 40 memorial groves, one for each of the 40 heroes 
Each grove will have 40 trees of various native species in a formal arrangement.  As we’ve told you previously, the NPS, the partners, and Paul Murdoch are working with a group of arborists, foresters and horticulturists to determine the best mix of trees, so that a monoculture would not be planted and be susceptable to disease and pests. 

## WESTERN OUTLOOK

- At the western edge of the Field of Honor is an area overlooking the Sacred Ground.
- This area offers some site history, from mining operations to the forensics investigation following the crash .
- A trail through this area and planted trees will allow visitors to return to the entrance while experiencing where the families
- were first brought after the crash. This part of the memorial will also be built at the same time as the portal walls and the visitor center.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
At the western edge of the Field of Honor is an area overlooking the Sacred Ground
This area offers some site history, from mining operations to the forensics investigation following the crash 
A trail through this area and planted trees will allow visitors to return to the entrance while experiencing where the families were first brought after the crash.
This part of the memorial will also be built during Phase 1B.

## TOWER OF VOICES

- Finally, the Tower of Voices will be built in future years.  The Tower serves as a landmark from the highway,
- marking the gateway to the park.
- Set among rings of pine trees, the tower houses 40 wind chimes that present through sound a living memory of the
- passengers and crewmembers.  The last memory of many was through their voices on calls from  Flight 93,
- and of the rushing wind.

- PROGRESS PRINT

**Notes:**
Finally, the Tower of Voices will be built in future phases.
The Tower serves as a landmark from the highway, marking the gateway to the park
Set among rings of pine trees, the tower houses 40 wind chimes that present through sound a living memory of the passengers and crewmembers
The last memory of many was through their voices on calls from United Flight 93, and of the rushing wind.

***Timeless in simplicity and beauty,***
***like its landscape, both stark and serene, ***
***the Memorial should be quiet in reverence, yet powerful in form,***
***a place both solemn and uplifting.***
***It should instill pride, and humility.***
***The Memorial should offer intimate experience, yet be heroic in scale. ***
***Its strong framework should be open to natural change***
***and allow freedom of personal interpretation.***
***We want to restore life here,***
***to heal the land, and nourish our souls.***
***In this place, a scrap yard will become a gateway ***
***and a strip mine will grow into a flowering meadow.***

***But more than restoring health, ***
***the Memorial should be radiant,***
***in loving memory of the passengers and crew ***
***who gave their lives on Flight 93.***

- PROGRESS PRINT