Monuments, Memorials

Stories

19 Stories

August 2008
- Cracked Tomb of Unknowns Draws Fire
  
  CNN | Aug 27, 08 2:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Cracks marring the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery are driving a spirited debate on how to return the marble monument to its original glory, CNN reports. On one side stand cemetery officials, who would like to replace the sarcophagus with a replica; on the other, stand preservationists, obviously infuriated by the idea and wanting it repaired. Difference in cost? $2.2 million versus $65,000. More »
- Cross Honors Heroes of Flight 93
  
  Associated Press | Aug 25, 08 1:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A 14-foot-high cross forged from World Trade Center steel was dedicated yesterday in a moving ceremony near the spot where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The 2-ton memorial was erected next to the Shanksville firehouse on a base shaped like the Pentagon. Flight 93 went down as passengers rushed the cockpit to prevent hijackers from flying it into its intended target in Washington, D.C. More »
July 2008
- Europe Seeing Rise in War Memorial Porn
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | Jul 28, 08 3:34 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Europe’s war memorials are seeing an uptick in obscene acts of desecration, the Telegraph reports, with the most recent involving a couple making a pornographic film at the Vimy Ridge memorial in northern France, which commemorates some of the 60,000 Canadians who died in the First World War. The couple was given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay a symbolic fine to Canada. More »
- Merrill Quits Talks to Move to Ground Zero
  
  New York Times | Jul 17, 08 6:33 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget, the project to rebuild Ground Zero took another blow as struggling brokerage Merrill Lynch—projected as an anchor tenant for one of four planned office buildings—ended talks with the Port Authority and developer Larry Silverstein, reports the New York Times . More »
June 2008
- WTC Project Years Behind, Billions Over
  
  Wall Street Journal | Jun 30, 08 5:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The problem-plagued World Trade Center rebuilding project will be completed years behind schedule and up to $3 billion over budget, reports the Wall Street Journal . Construction of the various elements of the $15 billion complex—which includes a sprawling 9/11 memorial, office towers, a performing arts center, and a transportation hub—have been poorly coordinated, triggering a cascade of delays. More »
May 2008
- Panel Rips MLK Statue, Says He Looks Like a Dictator
  
  Washington Post | May 9, 08 1:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A federal arts panel is demanding changes to a colossal statue of Martin Luther King Jr. planned for the heart of Washington because commissioners think King looks too "confrontational," almost like a dictator, reports the Washington Post . The 28-foot-tall statue is to be the centerpiece of a 4-acre King memorial scheduled to be finished next year, but the panel has the clout to hold things up. More »
April 2008
- WTC Blueprints Found in Trash
  
  New York Post | Apr 18, 08 12:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A vagrant sifting through a trash can found confidential blueprints for the Freedom Tower, the New York Post reports. Though the documents are not complete, they contain sufficient information, such as the thickness of the building’s concrete core and schematics of the ventilation system, to facilitate a potentially devastating terrorist attack. More »
March 2008
- What?! Tourist Arrested for Busting Ancient Statue's Ear
  
  Guardian (UK) | Mar 27, 08 11:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Finnish tourist is facing an imposing sentence for cracking an ear off one of Easter Island's ancient monoliths, the Guardian reports. A local woman saw him snap the ear off the 13-foot statue. It shattered in several pieces as it fell to the ground, and he fled with one of the bits clutched in his hand, said authorities. A Finnish diplomat said the man, 26, deeply regrets his "sudden, impulsive crazy idea." More »
- Moving Day for 9/11's Stairway to Freedom
  
  NBC 4 New York | Mar 10, 08 6:15 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A potent symbol of survival on 9/11—a 37-step staircase used by thousands to escape the Twin Towers—was temporarily moved yesterday as part of a compromise plan that will incorporate the structure into the World Trade Center memorial. The stairs were hoisted on a flatbed and shifted to another part of the site while rebuilding continues, reports WNBC-Channel 4 in New York. The stairs are the last remnant of the towers above ground. More »
January 2008
- Ground Zero Excavation Slow, Pricey
  
  New York Times | Jan 13, 08 10:37 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Ground Zero in New York City is a magnet for patriotism, skepticicm and frustration; underground, it continues to be a very costly challenge. Excavation preparatory to rebuilding is moving so woefully slowly that New York's Port Authority has accrued late fees of $300,000 a day since Jan. 1, with penalties of over $13 million due to Silverstein Properties, which will build two office towers on the site. More »
November 2007
- NAACP Blasts MLK Sculptor
  
  San Francisco Chronicle | Nov 28, 07 11:29 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - California’s NAACP chapter has condemned the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial planned for the National Mall, saying the choice of a Chinese artist “is in direct opposition to Dr. King’s philosophy.” Lei Yixin not only hails from the country “with the worst record of human rights violations,” the group says, but moreover is known for state-commissioned sculptures “glorifying Mao.” More »
- Tourists Stuck Between Plymouth Rock and Hard Place
  
  Boston Globe | Nov 16, 07 10:17 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Tourists traveling to Plymouth, Mass., this spring to see a giant rock will have to settle for a giant box instead, the Boston Globe reports. The famous Plymouth Rock, the controversial landmark the pilgrims may or may not have first stepped on, will be encased in plywood to protect it while the 86-year-old portico above is repaired. More »
October 2007
- African History Endures in Downtown NY
  
  New York Daily News | Oct 5, 07 6:34 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Concealed for centuries beneath what are now Manhattan skyscrapers, a burial ground uncovered in 1991 teemed with life today as a ceremony honoring African and African American people and their histories marked the dedication of a $50 million granite memorial. "Now we have an opportunity to right some of the wrongs of the past," said the monument's designer. More »
September 2007
- Six Years Later
  
  New York Daily News | Sep 11, 07 5:29 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Relatives gathered at a park near Ground Zero to remember the victims of the World Trade Center attacks today—the first anniversary without a clear blue sky, notes the New York Daily News. It was also the first time the memorial was moved away from the footprints of the towers. "Just so long as we continue to do something special every year," said one victim's aunt. More »
- In Pa. Field, 9/11 Memorial Takes Shape
  
  Philadelphia Inquirer | Sep 11, 07 9:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New York isn't the only city with a stalled, controversial 9/11 memorial. In Shanksville, Pa., site of the crash of Flight 93, the new memorial park's architect has proposed an arc of red maple trees around the crater formed by the plane. But, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, some conservative columnists and even one presidential candidate have bewailed the design: a red crescent, they say, signifies Islam. More »
July 2007
- Power Outage Traps Arch Visitors
  
  Associated Press | Jul 22, 07 10:29 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A power outage trapped around 200 people in St. Louis's Gateway Arch last night. About 80 people were trapped in halted tram cars, while another 100 were stuck at the top of the monument. Evacuating the structure took about 2 hours. A fire department spokesman told the AP the cause of the equipment failure was unknown. More »
June 2007
- Push to Reopen Liberty's Crown
  
  Associated Press | Jun 27, 07 1:27 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The House wants Lady Liberty's crown reopened to visitors intrepid enough to make the climb, and for the second year in a row has set aside $1 million for the National Park Service to figure out how to do it. Since 9-11 only the pedestal at her feet has been accessible; officials say the narrow staircase to the top is a fire-hazard and terror risk. More »
- Solstice Shines at Stonehenge
  
  Associated Press | Jun 21, 07 4:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Spiritually inclined crowds converged on Stonehenge this morning to celebrate the summer solstice, greeting the dawn of the longest day of the year with dancing, drumming, and drinking. The mystical monument shone with floodlights and the glow of the rising sun as more than 20,000 druids, pagans, and other revelers frolicked about, some in cloaks and antlers. More »
May 2007
- Taj Mahal Needs a Facial
  
  BBC | May 16, 07 6:52 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taj Mahal doesn't have any problems that couldn't be cured by a day at the spa. Centuries of pollution have left the enormous mausoleum with a yellow tinge; to restore its marble to pristine white, India is considering applying a clay mask. More »