W.T.C. Memorial Opening Pushed Back
The Associated Press is reporting that the opening of the World Trade Center memorial (now officially known as the National Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum) has been pushed back two years until Sept. 11, 2011.
World Trade Center Memorial Foundation
Bloomberg Hits Up Real-Estate Bigs For WTC Memorial—$5 M. Apiece!
It was probably one of the few bad times during the Bloomberg administration to be a developer. One morning in early February, about a dozen of New York’s finest and wealthiest real-estate leaders convened to eat breakfast and hear why they should contribute to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. The place was Gracie Mansion. Read More
Ground Zero Fundraising Reaches $202 Million
In the two months since Mayor Bloomberg became chairman, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation has raised $57 million--though, before giving him too much credit, remember that a national advertising campaign got under way in July, which may have helped. - Matthew Schuerman
Bloomberg Okays Memorial Foundation Head
Joseph Daniels, the acting president of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, is now the actual president. -Matthew Schuerman
(Ground) Breaking: The Memorial Begins…
CLICK TO ENLARGE It's been a few years. But on Thursday morning, The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the NY/NJ Port Authority will begin construction work on the Museum and Memorial's footings. If you happen to have NYPD press credentials, head down at 10:15. Click right for a rendering, or below Read More
A Different Way of Asking
After numerous setbacks and disappointing fund-raising efforts, the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation kicked off a nationwide advertising campaign aimed, according to the mayor, at the "working people and well-to-do." The ads play off of the spontaneous memorials which appeared in the days after Sept. 11th, -- monuments of American flags, candles, baseball caps and Read More
It’s Time, All Right
Coming to a Bus Stop/Magazine/Newspaper/Website Near You The national fundraising ad campaign for the World Trade Center Memorial launched today makes no bones about how long it has taken to get this thing off the ground (or in the ground, actually). The theme is "It's time," and, since two themes are Read More
Pataki Pushes Memorial Infrastructure Costs Off of Foundation
Gov. Pataki, after meeting with the executive committee of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, tried to relieve pressure on fundraisers there at a Q&A with reporters at the John Zuccotti park opening this morning. The immediate goal: scale back the cost of the memorial and museum to less than half a billion, and Read More
Gretchen Says Goodbye
It's an old trick of the trade to release bad news late on a Friday. How about awkward and embarrassing news like the resignation of someone who had been publicly upbraided by her patrons? That would be Gretchen Dykstra, who announced her departure from the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation just now, after 5 Read More
The Tight-Fisted Foundation
Tom Topousis examines the awkwardness of Gretchen Dykstra's national non-fundraising tour for the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. In Hartford, Ron Nobli, a labor union official, tells him, "We would have dug into our own pockets right now" -- except Dykstra wasn't asking. The No. 1 saying in philanthropic circles is that the Read More
Gretchen on Tour
Gretchen Dykstra, president of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, goes on a 15-city tour today to "help engage individuals, businesses and communities," even though the foundation has called off fundraising. -Matthew Schuerman
Whitehead: “More Advanced Age to Enjoy”
The 84-year-old John Whitehead, a World War II veteran and former Goldman Sachs head, resigned as chairman of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation. "Four-and-a-half years is a long time for a supposedly retired person of advanced age and I hope to have more advanced age to enjoy," Read More
Pataki: Fundraise, Yes
Governor Pataki is usually the mild one when it comes to Ground Zero skirmishes. There must have been something he didn't like though about the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation saying it would stop fundraising, because his spokeswoman Joanna Rose has just sent this excoriating e-mail to reporters: "The Mayor and the Governors are Read More
Memorial: “Bad News Is Never Easy”
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation came out with a press release formally acknowledging the new, higher estimates for Michael Arad's design, as reported this morning, and breaking out the $300 million infrastructure separately. In fact, the release never mentions the figure $300 million: [T]he Foundation and by extension, its private donors, should not Read More
Gretchen’s Response
Gretchen Dykstra, president of the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation, which is raising money and overseeing construction there, has some questions about Mayor Bloomberg's statement today that $500 million should be enough for the memorial. Here's her statement: The foundation is delighted that conversations are happening between the Mayor and the Governors of New Read More
