What's been lost in the massive coverage of the revisions to Michael Arad's award-winning 9/11 memorial design? Just this: for as many years as Santiago Calatrava has been involved with the project—two? three? we're getting logy—he has been militating like a freak on fire for the removal of the thing that later became the Snøhetta museum: the big ol' mass of something on the southwest corner of Greenwich and Fulton. Why, as Thomas Friedman might ask? Because he wanted his subterranean train station to be all airy and open—as airy and open, in fact, as he had always drawn it. Yes, for years (however many) all the renderings of Grand Santi Terminal have shown a column-free state in which it could only exist with the preemptive demolition of the museum block above. Something was always sketched in on that corner, even after the Vikings sailed. But now (see above) the LMDC has granted Calatrava's wish.

So the winner is Santiago Calatrava. And his client Frank Sciame. And the Port and all the politicians. And the bottom line. And, of course, the city at large, since this is a much better design in every way (less crowded, less theme park, less deadly) than that free-for-all camelfest we've had to live with since...always (though it's still all about the leafy corporate lunchtime).

The losers? Well, there's Arad. Alas. And a sleeper: Hey, Kevin, how you like your "100% corner" now?

· Revamped WTC Memorial: The Insta-Reviews! [Curbed]
· Ground Zero Memorial: Holy Kill Zone [The Gutter]

Posted in The Pit