Sacrifice
statement by Austin/ Pihlak for the Flight 93 Memorial Competition - January 2005
Moving through lowland and forest, a fieldstone wall encircles the Sacred
Ground, the heart of this memorial. Two slender bands extend from the Sacred
Ground and claim the landscape.
An empty field traces the flight path. Piercing the horizon, an invincible pillar marks the painful descent. Atop the pillar, forty windpipes sound. Bordered by hemlocks, the field narrows to proclaim the impact site. Existing buildings, rebuilt as stone solids, are eternal witnesses.
Turning from the flight path, a second line, filled with undulating blue meadows and red oaks, radiates hope and strength. Near the Sacred Ground, a single oak echoes the blue contour. Two oaks, then three, then ten assemble until a grove of hundreds signals the powerful resolve of passengers and crew. An expanse of healing coneflowers (September-blooming perennials embrace the dragline, ponds, visitors, and all who travel Lincoln Highway.
Defined by a partial edge of hemlocks, a four thousand-foot circle touches the fieldstone wall and moves in a wide arc towards the dragline. The spontaneous placement of the flag was born of a fervent desire to honor the heroes. A hilltop plaza receives the dragline's shadow and chronicles the moment of united self-sacrifice.
The forest sweeps across the raw landscape. Paths lead to small clearings. Here, engraved quotations from literature, selected by families, invite reflection. Viewed from above, from a vehicle, or closely explored, this memorial honors the sacrifice.
Adjacent to Lincoln Highway, generations will assemble. All living in freedom are challenged to,
"take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion."
Ten Features Adopted / July 2008
Press Release / July 21, 2006
View High Resolution Image
An empty field traces the flight path. Piercing the horizon, an invincible pillar marks the painful descent. Atop the pillar, forty windpipes sound. Bordered by hemlocks, the field narrows to proclaim the impact site. Existing buildings, rebuilt as stone solids, are eternal witnesses.
Turning from the flight path, a second line, filled with undulating blue meadows and red oaks, radiates hope and strength. Near the Sacred Ground, a single oak echoes the blue contour. Two oaks, then three, then ten assemble until a grove of hundreds signals the powerful resolve of passengers and crew. An expanse of healing coneflowers (September-blooming perennials embrace the dragline, ponds, visitors, and all who travel Lincoln Highway.
Defined by a partial edge of hemlocks, a four thousand-foot circle touches the fieldstone wall and moves in a wide arc towards the dragline. The spontaneous placement of the flag was born of a fervent desire to honor the heroes. A hilltop plaza receives the dragline's shadow and chronicles the moment of united self-sacrifice.
The forest sweeps across the raw landscape. Paths lead to small clearings. Here, engraved quotations from literature, selected by families, invite reflection. Viewed from above, from a vehicle, or closely explored, this memorial honors the sacrifice.
Adjacent to Lincoln Highway, generations will assemble. All living in freedom are challenged to,
"take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion."
Ten Features Adopted / July 2008
Press Release / July 21, 2006
View High Resolution Image
