Project Description: This project will provide the research necessary to document the design and construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial landscape. The research will document the history of the Flight 93 National Memorial, focusing on the period since September 11, 2001, that includes the design and construction of the memorial landscape. The project will also document the existing conditions of the memorial landscape and analyze the existing as-built landscape to assist in understanding the design intent of the memorial, and how it compared to what was actually constructed. This research will form the basis for a future phase of work that will provide long- and short-term recommendations for management of the memorial landscape.
Lead Principal Investigator: John Auwaerter, SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Co-Principal Investigator: Dr. Rachel Leibowitz, SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Partner Institution: SUNY, College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Federal Agency Technical Contact: Robert Page
Federal Involvement: NPS Olmsted Center Director Bob Page provided project oversight, assistance with project management and work planning, field work, and coordination with FLNI park staff. NPS Olmsted Center Program Manager Eliot Foulds assisted PI John Auwaerter with developing a research plan and for undertaking research at the NPS Denver Service Center archives. NPS Olmsted Center historical landscape architect James Mealey worked with PI John Auwaerter to develop character-area reports for the memorial landscape.
Project Type: Research
Project Discipline: Cultural Resources
Project Sub-Discipline(s): Cultural and Historic
Start Year: 2019
End Year: 2022
Initial Funding Amount: $113,948.00
Federal Grant Number: P19AC01006
Amendments
- Amendment Number: 01, Year: 2021, Amount: $0.00
Location: Shanksville, PA
National Park or Protected Area: Flight 93 National Memorial
State(s): Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Counties: Somerset
Student and Other Involvement:
- Masters Students: 2
- Undergraduate Students: 1
Summary of Student Involvement: Master of Landscape Architecture Student Justkin Kwiatkowski assisted with site work developing the landscape features inventory, and creating existing conditions plans of the memorial. Master of Landscape Architecture Student Ashley Crespo developed digital models of the memorial groves to understand their existing conditions and projected growth. Undergraduate student Bryan Sak assisted with digital modeling of the memorial’s 40 memorial groves.
Summary of Other Involvement: Co-PI Rachel Leibowitz assisted with student meetings, site visits, and researched the design and construction of the memorial.
PI John Auwaerter assisted with student mentoring, site visits, finalizing the existing conditions plans, and drafting the landscape feature inventory, and working with NPS Olmsted Center staff to incorporate site history and existing conditions information into reports that documented each of the character areas of the landscape.
Products Associated with this Project:
- Crespo, Ashley and Aidan Ackerman. Digital Modeling, Memorial Groves, Flight 93 National Memorial. 2021. Draft. Product is a portion of a first draft research report. Entire report including existing conditions plans too big to upload. (Technical Report (Not Published))
- Draft report to FLNI showing progress on modeling of the memorial groves, existing conditions mapping, and landscape feature inventory. (Technical Report (Not Published))
- Draft report to FLNI showing progress on modeling of the memorial groves, existing conditions mapping, and landscape feature inventory. (Technical Report (Not Published))
Photographs from this Project:
Project Team at Flight 93 National Memorial, 2020
Photo credit: National Park Service