Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 11/16/2010 - 11:32.
The Origin of “BuildingWhat?”
More than eight years after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, New York Supreme Court Justice Edward H. Lehner was hearing arguments in a courtroom less than a mile from Ground Zero about a ballot initiative to launch a new investigation of the 9/11 attacks. When the lawyer for the plaintiffs sponsoring the initiative explained that the 9/11 Commission report left many unanswered questions, including “Why did Building 7 come down,” the Judge replied quizzically, “Building what?”
Like Judge Lehner, millions of people do not know or remember only vaguely that a third tower called World Trade Center Building 7 also collapsed on September 11, 2001. In any other situation, the complete, free fall collapse of a 47-story skyscraper would be played over and over on the news. It would be discussed for years to come and building design codes would be completely rewritten. So, why does no one know about Building 7? And why did Building 7 come down?
The answers to these questions have far-reaching implications for our society. The goal of the “BuildingWhat?” campaign is to raise awareness of Building 7 so that together we can begin to address these questions.
What is Building 7?
Building 7 was a 47-story skyscraper that was part of the World Trade Center complex. It would have been the tallest high-rise in 33 states. It collapsed at 5:20 pm on September 11, 2001. It wasnot hit by an airplane and suffered minimal damage compared to other buildings much closer to the Twin Towers.
Video compilation of Building 7‘s destruction (no sound):
Building 7 in relation to the rest of the World Trade Center complex:
To learn more about Building 7, visit “7 Facts about Building 7”, which includes photos of Building 7 before, during and after its destruction.
“BuildingWhat?” on Geraldo At Large
On November 13, Bob McIlvaine and Tony Szamboti appeared on Geraldo Rivera’s show “Geraldo At Large” on Fox News to talk about the “BuildingWhat?” TV ad campaign.
What do New Yorkers think about Building 7?
Help the BuildingWhat? campaign commission a public opinion poll on whether New Yorkers will support a new Building 7 investigation. We will send the results to every member of the New York City Council.
2) Donate now to help us reach the $15,000 target. As of November 13, 2010 we are about half way there with $7,451. Any funds raised above $15,000 will be used for the next BuildingWhat? ad buy!
1) Did you know that a third building in the World Trade Center complex collapsed roughly seven hours after the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001?
2) What was the name of this building?
3) Have you seen video footage of this building collapse?
4) In 2008, the federal government issued a report concluding that falling debris from the collapse of the North Tower ignited office fires in this building, World Trade Center Building 7, which eventually led to its collapse. Critics have argued against the findings of this report, suggesting that only the use of explosives can account for Building 7’s collapse. Specifically, as of November 13, 2010, 1,354 architects and engineers have signed a petition calling for a new investigation, adding, “The new investigation must include a full inquiry into the possible use of explosives”.
Given that there is ongoing disagreement in the engineering community as to the cause of this building’s collapse, would you support a new investigation?
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