As "work for idle hands" mentioned in the forum, a winner has been announced for the Flight 93 Memorial competition. Crescent of Embrace, the winning entry, was designed by Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles, California with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects of Charlottesville, Virginia.


The design for the permanent Memorial for Flight 93 was announced on September 7, 2005 amid overwhelming support from the Families of Flight 93 and the various partner organizations who are contributing to make the Memorial a reality. The announcement was made in Washington, D.C., which is believed to be the target for the fourth terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, when Flight 93 crashed into a reclaimed strip mine in rural southwestern Pennsylvania.

Flight 93 National Memorial partner organizations include the Families of Flight 93, the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, the Flight 93 Advisory Commission and the National Park Service.

The Memorial design was selected by the 15-member Stage II Jury comprised of design professionals, community leaders and family members. The Memorial will be constructed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania at the current temporary memorial site. The National Memorial was established by Congress to honor the heroism, courage and enduring sacrifice of the 40 passengers and crew members of Flight 93. The Memorial honors the passengers and crew members, who, on September 11, 2001, sacrificed their lives to thwart an attack on our nation’s capital.

“The selection of the final design moves us one step closer to memorializing this extraordinary group of heroes,” said Hamilton Peterson, president of the Families of Flight 93. “We will forever honor their efforts and revere this hallowed ground as the final resting place for the passengers and crew members of Flight 93.”

In September 2004 a two-stage International Design Competition was launched, providing professionals in the design disciplines as well as the general public an opportunity to present design ideas for the memorial expression. The competition received more than 1,000 entries of design concepts, including narrative and graphic descriptions for the Flight 93 National Memorial. The competition was funded through the generous support of the Heinz Endowments and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The selected Memorial was designed by Paul Murdoch Architects of Los Angeles, California with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects of Charlottesville, Virginia. Specializing in architecture, urban design and interiors, Paul Murdoch Architects’ experience includes master planning, architecture and interior architecture for institutional, governmental, commercial and residential building types. Nelson Byrd Woltz provides a broad range of landscape architectural design services including town, corporate, residential and park planning in the United States and abroad.

The Stage I Jury, comprised of nationally recognized architecture and design practitioners, public
art experts, educators, design journalists, family members and representatives of the Partners of

Flight 93, reviewed all design submissions and made recommendations for finalists to participate
in Stage II of the competition. In Stage II finalists refined entries and explained the spatial, material and symbolic attributes of their concepts. The Stage II Jury convened August 1-3 to select the final design for the Flight 93 National Memorial.

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