Questions and Answers about the Design, the Partners and the Future

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Who are the partners for the Flight 93 National Memorial that were involved in the memorial design process?

Four organizations partnered to organize and implement the process for choosing a memorial design. 

·     The Families of Flight 93 is a nonprofit organization of family members of the passengers and crew who died on the flight. 

·     The Flight 93 Advisory Commission was created by Congress to prepare “a report containing recommendations for the planning, design, construction, and long-term management of a permanent memorial at the crash site.”

·     The Flight 93 Memorial Task Force serves as the Commission’s operational arm and includes Flight 93 family members, community members, first responders, educators, and other local, regional, and national stakeholders. 

·     The National Park Service is the federal agency charged with administering Flight 93 National Memorial.

How was the design selected for the Flight 93 National Memorial?

The design was selected through a deliberate, open, and transparent public process.

·     Over 1000 design entries were received from design professionals, amateurs, and ordinary people from 48 states and 27 countries. The designs were exhibited and available for public comment in Somerset, Pennsylvania and were posted on the flight93memorialproject.org website.

·     The juries were composed of some design professionals but mostly family members, first responders, and other people who were directly and personally affected by the loss of loved ones.

·     The selection process: 

1.  The Stage I jury analyzed over 1,000 submissions and forwarded five finalist designs to the Stage II jury. 

2.  The five finalist designs were again exhibited for public comment in Somerset, Pennsylvania, and were posted on the flight93memorialproject.org website.

3.  The Stage II jury, which was composed of noted design professionals, Flight 93 family members, and community leaders, reviewed the public comments and evaluated the designs against the memorial’s mission statement.

o    The Stage II jury decided that they would select the winning design through a democratic process and took a vote. The design with the most votes would be selected as the winning design.

o    The jury voted and selected Mr. Murdoch’s design.

o    To reinforce their support of the design, the Stage II jury took a second, unanimous vote to support the design created by Mr. Murdoch.

What is the shape of the memorial?

The natural topography of the area is a bowl with higher elevations to the north and west so the landform provides the circle shape of the memorial. The circle is broken in two places that mark the southeastern path of the plane to the crash site. The circle is broken at the entry to the memorial and at the crash site.

Where does the memorial focus attention?

Attention is focused on the location of the crash site. The memorial has not yet been sited on the land. 

Is there Islamic religious symbolism incorporated into the design of the Flight 93 National Memorial?

No.

How do you know?

When questions were raised about the design, they were taken very seriously. The National Park Service and the Flight 93 partner organizations investigated the issues and consulted with university and religious scholars, all of whom concluded that the memorial design does not imply or depict religious iconography. 

What do the Families of Flight 93 have to say about the design of the memorial?

They support it. In a November 9, 2007 letter to Congressman Tancredo they wrote, “The Families of Flight 93 overwhelmingly support the design and the design process, and reaffirmed that support by a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors as recently as two months ago.”

What do the Families of Flight 93 have to say about the perceived Islamic symbolism in the memorial? 

The Families of Flight 93 sent this letter to Congressman Tom Tancredo on November 9, 2007 in response to his criticism of the design.

What are the next steps?

The partners and the National Park Service are committed to a national memorial that conveys the full honor due to the heroes of Flight 93. We continue to work together to build the memorial and commemorate those heroes who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.