Twin columns of light will mark WTC anniversary

NEW YORK -- The passage of six months since the World Trade Center attack will be observed with a bronze sculpture damaged on Sept. 11 and with twin columns of light beamed skyward from a spot near ground zero.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. George Pataki said Tuesday that "Tribute in Light," meant to evoke the destroyed towers, and "The Sphere," a sculpture that had stood in the trade center plaza, are meant only as temporary memorials until a permanent design is selected.

"But they give us a place to go and reflect and to pray," Bloomberg said.

The Tribute in Light, to be installed in a vacant lot next to the trade center complex, will consist of two searchlights sending 88 high-powered beams of light into the night sky. The lights will be visible over the metropolitan area beginning on Monday.

The light towers, the brainchild of two arts organizations, will be displayed until April 13. The estimated $10,000 worth of electricity is being donated by Con Edison.

"The visibility will vary from night to night, but the lights will certainly appear as tall as the towers and most nights many times taller," said Paul Marantz, president of the company installing the lighting.

The memorial will be illuminated until 11 p.m. It will be shut off on nights when cloud cover could cause light to spill into nearby apartments.

Liz McLaughlin, whose husband worked in the towers, said the light memorial "sounds wonderful, but what are they going to do after the month? I think a lot of families have been waiting for some kind of memorial."

"For a lot of us, it's sacred ground and a place to say goodbye," she said. "I'm happy for any sort of respectful tribute and remembrance."