As New York prepares to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, MAS is arranging for its annual presentation of Tribute In Light. A world-renowned symbol of commemoration and healing, Tribute In Light’s majestic beams of light will illuminate the lower Manhattan sky beginning at dusk on Saturday, September 11, and fading with the dawn of Sunday, September 12.

Funded by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, with the generous support of Con Edison, the project was co-founded by MAS and Creative Time. Tribute In Light was first presented on April 11, 2002, six months after the attacks. Continue Reading>>

Last Friday, on the eighth anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center, MAS contributing level members and higher joined MAS staff and directors to view the illumination of the Tribute in Light® from the downtown rooftop that houses the great battery of lights, accompanied by a brief lecture from architectural historian Francis Morrone on the tradition of using light as commemoration. Though the lights were partially obscured by low cloud and inclement weather, many of the images in the slideshow were taken during this year’s illumination.

The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial. The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison.

To learn more about the history of the project and how it is put together annually, click here to watch a narrated slideshow.

This Friday the Tribute in Light will illuminate the skies over Lower Manhattan for the eighth year to commemorate the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Tribute in Light honors those who were lost on September 11, as well as those who worked so hard to get our city through its greatest trial.

The idea for the lights was independently conceived by several artists and designers, who were brought together under the auspices of the Municipal Art Society and Creative Time. The Tribute in Light is now produced annually by the MAS on the September 11th anniversary. It was designed by John Bennett, Gustavo Bonevardi, Richard Nash Gould, Julian Laverdiere, Paul Myoda and lighting designer Paul Marantz. Tribute in Light is made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and with the generous assistance of Con Edison. Continue Reading>>

Julie Menin, founder and board member of Wall Street Rising, and Vin Cipolla, president of the Municipal Art Society of New York, announced today a strategic alliance to bring new planning and public programming resources to Lower Manhattan. Wall Street Rising was established immediately after the September 11, 2001 to help restore vitality to the financial district.

“With the explosive population growth that has occurred in Lower Manhattan over the past several years, the community is facing enormous infrastructure challenges,” said Ms. Menin, Chairperson of Community Board 1. “After considering several organizations, the board of Wall Street Rising was delighted to partner with MAS, the city’s premier planning and advocacy organization, as we begin to focus attention on new planning initiatives.”

The WSR-MAS alliance has been accomplished through a transfer of stewardship in which Mr. Cipolla succeeds Ms. Menin as president of Wall Street Rising. Ms. Menin remains on the board. She also serves on the MAS board. Wall Street Rising’s financial assets of approximately $1 million will be available to provide funding for joint projects, including strategic planning initiatives and public programming and walking tours that celebrate the history, development and culture of Lower Manhattan. Continue Reading>>

Port Authority officials have developed a simplified plan for the transit hub at Ground Zero, allowing the 9/11 Memorial to be complete in time for the tenth anniversary of the attacks, says the  New York Times; the plan must still be approved by the Authority commissioners.  The proposed alterations to the transit hub are underneath the memorial and would retain architect Santiago Calatrava’s bird-like design for the street level building.  MAS is still searching for funding to continue the “Tribute in Light” memorial to the 9/11 attacks as well as a permanent location for the installation.

Meanwhile, the New York Sun reports that the Port Authority may miss a deadline to hand over Tower 2 of the World Trade Center to the developer Silverstein Properties, incurring even more penalties.

In other news, Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for the New York Times, considers the redesign of 2 Columbus Circle, which opens this weekend. Continue Reading>>

Earlier this month, we invited you to contribute your photos of Tribute in Light – two great beams of light that shine in the skies over Lower Manhattan every year to honor those who were lost on September 11 – to our Flickr photo pool.

Many thanks to all who shared their pictures with us. There were a great many beautiful shots, but there can only be one winner. Congratulations to James Kirk/ec1701e, who wins a gift voucher to Urban Center Books for the shot above. You can check out all the photographs submitted in the slideshow after the jump, and if you didn’t share your photos with us yet, you can do so at any time here.

Tribute in Light is made possible by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and Con Edison. In the first several years of the memorial, Con Edison provided us with invaluable advice and assistance on supplying power to the lights, and in successive years, they have made a generous annual donation to support our efforts. Continue Reading>>

A select group of MAS donors gathered last night on the roof of the Battery Park Parking Garage where Tribute in Light is installed to watch the illumination up-close. Architect’s Newspaper reports from the roof, where MAS Chairman Philip Howard, President Kent Barwick, and Senior Vice-President Frank Sanchis spoke describing MAS’ role in bringing Tribute in Light about both initially and now annually. Representatives of Space Cannon Italia, producers of the 7000watt xenon-bulb lamps, then described how the lights work and are arranged and focused to produce the strongest beams of light ever aimed from Earth into the sky.

For more details about the lights themselves, click here to watch a short video, or here to read a FOX news report on the technology that produces this remarkable sculpture in light.

To add to yesterday’s news coverage that the residential population of lower Manhattan is growing since September 11, 2001, a new study reported in Crain’s New York Business today shows that the amount of public space is shrinking dramatically.

In other news, the number of visitors to Governors Island has almost doubled this year. Continue Reading>>

On this, the seventh anniversary of Tribute in Light, MAS Senior Vice-President Frank Sanchis describes the origins of tribute and how the memorial is put together annually on September 11.

Tribute in Light will be visible from dusk this evening until dawn tomorrow in the sky over Lower Manhattan. It is produced annually by the MAS and made possible by a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation.

If you are taking photographs of Tribute in Light this year, or took some great shots in previous years, please visit www.flickr.com/groups/til and share them in our Flickr pool. The best shot, selected by a panel of MAS directors, will win a $50 voucher for Urban Center Books.

Photographers captured Tribute in Light a day early as engineers tested and refocused what are actually several lamps that make up the two beams (New York Sun) ; MAS produces Tribute in Light with funding from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation annually. The New York Times covered the testing of the lights today and Capital News 9 reports on the City’s preparations for the anniversary.

In other news, several cultural institutions are seeing a change in leadership this year, including MAS, says Crain’s New York Business. Also, though progress at Ground Zero is slow, the residential renaissance of Lower Manhattan is flourishing Continue Reading>>

Next Thursday, Tribute in Light will shine for the seventh year to commemorate the attacks on the World Trade Center. If you’re planning to take photographs of the lights — which will shine from dusk on the evening of September 11th through dawn on the 12th — you should join our Tribute in Light Flickr Pool and share your photos with us and other group members.

To submit your photographs, visit www.flickr.com/groups/til and join the group. Please note that you need to already have, or be ready to create, a Flickr account to become a member and share your pictures.

Prize for the Best Shot
A panel of MAS board members will select the winning shot and award a $50 Urban Center Books gift voucher to the photographer. (UCB was named among the best independent bookstores in New York City by New York Magazine earlier this year). The photo will also be featured on our website next week. Continue Reading>>