Promoting Diversity through Architecture

Over a decade after the tragedy that occurred on September 11th in New York City, the small, forgotten St. Nicholas Church, crushed by the falling World Trade Center, was rebuilt with a Byzantine design. The church’s construction has been on and off ever since its destruction, yet few people know about this development since no images of the church has been released until late October of 2013.

This monumental church is artistically designed with its inspiration hailing from two famous Orthodox churches – the Hagia Sophia and Church of the Holy Savior in Chora. Aside from their mutual location in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul, Turkey), both churches have been converted into Islamic mosques in the past. Therefore, to the eyes of many people, St. Nicholas Church resembles a mosque and symbolizes the Islamic faith.

With so many inspirational Orthodox Church designs to choose from, why were those associated with Islam selected?

The church’s architect, Santiago Calatrava, seemed to be well aware of the ensuing debate stimulated by his design. Calatrava is a world-renowned artist who designed buildings and transportation systems all around the globe.  He is certainly not aiming to create a replica of the previous St. Nicholas Church on the site. He wants to create something expressive; he wants to display an image of New York City as a culturally and religiously accepting city. As a Spanish architect designing a Greek Orthodox Church with Byzantine and Islamic designs, Calatrava himself is the epitome of the expression of diversity.

Calatrava, who travels constantly between the United States and Europe, believes that Europe has a wider range of architecture from different time periods with churches using styles from Romanesque to Gothic to Renaissance. Meanwhile, in America, architecture is more contemporary and less diverse. Therefore, Calatrava tries to bring a larger variety of architectural designs from different locations and time periods to the table.

However, Calatrava’s vision of diversity appears to many people as insensitivity towards the tragedy at Ground Zero. Just three years ago, in 2010, the proposal of an Islamic mosque two blocks away from the World Trade Center provoked widespread conflict and debate. Calatrava’s design purposefully brings this controversy back to life. With its dome comprising of 40 ribs, St. Nicholas Church is clearly alluding to the Hagia Sophia. Even though the dome was invented by the Greeks, the Islamic world borrowed this form of architecture and incorporated it into their own religious institutions; therefore, this design is associated with Islam.

During an interview conducted by Euronews, Calatrava states that the September 11th attacks were not only an attack against people, but also against an architectural symbol of New York City, the Twin Towers. He states that “man is at the center of architecture” and the attacks “show a great contempt for humanity.” He believes that to avoid this, we should embrace cultural diversity rather than discriminate against people that happen to be religiously associated with the offenders. After such a tragic event, it is important that we display respect for others and respect for architecture in order to support our memories.

Due to his radical beliefs, Calatrava’s designs often “provoke strong reactions; they are either loved or loathed” (Euronews). He believes that architecture is the most tangible sign of civilization. According to Euronews, Calatrava claims that architecture is much more than aesthetic buildings; “it gives the sense of heritage of a particular time.” His design of St. Nicholas Church reflects just that. It accurately depicts the Orthodox heritage and tradition by basing the church off of the Hagia Sophia, which served as the symbol of Orthodox Christianity from its construction in 537 unitl 1453.

Along with St. Nicholas Church, he had also created other designs at Ground Zero. These designs include the West Concourse PATH station, which cost the city $4 billion and stands as the most expensive subway station in the world. The project, expected to be finished in 2015, is six years behind its original schedule. Similarly, the design for St. Nicholas Church is budgeted at $20 million and expected to be completed in 2016. Although many people praise his expressive, original and phenomenal designs, Calatrava’s work is surrounded by controversy and criticism due to his tendency to finish projects late and go extremely over budget.

Calatrava believes that his over budgeting on architecture is justified because architecture is everlasting. He states that the cost of architectural projects is nothing compared to the billions of dollars used to save the economy. When states give money to banks, they receive nothing in return and stall their demise temporarily. But when states allocate money toward buildings, it is both functional and everlasting.

His philosophy is that architecture is not only made for the present, it is also created for the future. Just like any other art form, architecture is made to outlast its creator. Buildings may convey a powerful message to the current and future generations. To Calatrava, the message it conveys and its durability is much more important than reducing the cost of his building.

Reverend Mark Arey, a spokesman for the archdiocese, states that the church will be open to all visitors and treat everyone with impartiality regardless of their religious background. In addition, he states that there will be a nondenominational bereavement center at the church. However, many people are still skeptical about these claims and believe that Ground Zero and the area around it should remain completely secular, devoid of any artistic element representing religion for its monumental purposes.

Although religious art have often been banned and destroyed in a variety of places, the banning of religious art in New York City, a city known for its multiculturalism and freedom, is inconceivable. We need to respect all types of art, whether they are highly accepted or controversial.

Work Citied:

Dunlap, David W. “Church Near TradeCenter to Echo Landmarks of East.” New York Times. New York Times, 30 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Vitello, Paul. “Islamic Center Exposes Mixed Feelings Locally.” New York Times. New York Times, 19 Aug. 2010. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Daley, Suzanne. “A Star Architect Leaves Some Clients Fuming.” New York Times. New York Times, 24 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Euronews. “Santiago Calatrava: finding architecture’s soul.” Online video clip. YouTube.  YouTube, 30 May 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Silver, Leigh. “Santiago Calatrava’s WorldTradeCenter PATH Station Pedestrian Corridor Opens.” Complex Art and Design. Complex Media, 25 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Baldwin, Eric. “Calatrava Reveals Design for Church on 9/11 Memorial Site.” ArchDaily. ArchDaily, 13 Nov. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Toothman, Mary. “Polytechnic Architect Calatrava Describes His Philosophy.” The Ledger. Ledger Media Group, 26 Apr. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Rosenfield, Karissa. “Calatrava Criticized for Valencia Complex.” ArchDaily. ArchDaily, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Ivy, Rober. “An Interview with Santiago Calatrava.” Architectural Record. McGraw Hill Financial, 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.