The renowned architect discusses the future of the World Trade Center site
MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD:
A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID CHILDS
A World Premiere on The History Channel®
Sunday, June 27 at 7 pm ET/PT
NEW YORK, JUNE 25, 2004 - Host Roger Mudd speaks with architect David Childs about his remarkable career, his philosophy on design and his plans for the creation of the Freedom Tower, to be constructed on the site of the former World Trade Center, on the world premiere MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD: A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID CHILDS, Sunday, June 27 at 7 pm ET/PT on The History Channel.
MAKING HISTORY, which airs quarterly on The History Channel, features host Roger Mudd interviewing a leading American figure from literature, science, business, art, academe or another field - men and women whose work would still be viewed in 100 years as important and transforming.
David Childs is senior partner and chairman of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, one of America's top architecture firms. A designer of skyscrapers and high profile public projects, Childs has transformed cityscapes from Washington, D.C. to New York, and is leaving behind a substantial architectural legacy. His buildings include the Washington Mall Master Plan and Constitution Gardens, the Metro Center, and the U.S. News and World Report Headquarters in Washington D.C., the Bertelsmann Tower at Times Square, the new AOL Time Warner headquarters at Columbus Circle, and the proposed new Pennsylvania Station in New York City. At 63, he is now at the peak of his profession. His latest project is the Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center. Ceremonial groundbreaking is scheduled to take place July 4, 2004.
In the course of the hour, Childs discusses how he became involved in the Freedom Tower project, its obstacles and the challenges that come in creating a structure that must balance functionality and safety with reverence for the tragedy that took place there. "From the symbolic act of rebuilding...to the uses of the building and the way it is formed, I think we're on the track to creating a building that will be looked back on by future generations as a symbol of resiliency, and of American inventiveness," he says. "We must make a building that people look at and say 'Wow, this was the right solution.' It's not quite there yet, but I promise you it is going to be."
Childs admits he was never a big fan of the original Twin Towers design. "Those buildings were done at a period of time that was not one of the great moments of architecture or urban planning," he says. He adds that he was stunned that the terrorist act took down the buildings, because he said there had never been a steel structure before that had actually collapsed from fire.
Using a model of the Freedom Tower as a guide, Childs points out the many aesthetic and safety issues the building poses, and knows that the project will continue to be controversial. Commenting on the rancor caused by the winning design of the World Trade Center Memorial by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, he says, "They came up with an idea that flew in the face in many ways of the master plan that had been established. But they came up with a simple plan that I think will be very powerful."
Other topics that Childs touches on in the hour-long interview:
- On design: "Whether you design a city or a chair that we're sitting in, all of those elements of design are the same. They just change in scale."
- On the "David Childs style," or lack thereof:
"I am a great believer in reacting to a particular circumstance. I'm interested in finding new and modern ways that are inventive to solve problems in different ways."
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On the destruction of Pennsylvania Station:
"I was here as a young man to witness the destruction of Pennsylvania Station, which was maybe the country's greatest single building...And it was destroyed, it was cut down by its knees...and replaced by Madison Square Garden, not one of the greatest architectural wonders of the world."
MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD: A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID CHILDS is produced by Docere Digital Studios, Inc. for The History Channel. Executive Producer is Timothy E. Smith. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Susan Werbe.
The program's producer is Fae Moore. It was written by Ms. Moore, Roger Mudd and Tim Smith.
Now reaching more than 86 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®, "Where the Past Comes Alive®," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel received the prestigious Governor's award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History®" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at www.HistoryChannel.com.
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