The architect who in 2005 won the commission to design a memorial at the September 11th crash site of Flight 93, outside Shanksville, PA, has been under fire ever since he unveiled his plans.

Titled "Crescent of Embrace", Paul Murdoch's design beat more than 1,000 others in the competition. Critics say his design resembles the Islamic crescent, that its windchime tower mirrors an Islamic minaret, and finally, that the whole memorial would point east -- toward Mecca.

As one blogger on Junkyardblog wrote, "This was not mere ham-fistedness. There is no group more attuned to symbolism and the 'meaning' of structures than architects. It is their business to take drawings and, ultimately, wood, glass, and stone, and create meaning out of it. That this design is in some way accidental or coincidental is preposterous."

For an exhaustive litany of criticisms, check out Michelle Malkin's page.

Murdoch's own description is far more benign:

"The design features a tower, marking the gateway to the memorial site, that will hold 40 wind chimes whose sounds evoke the memories of those who are honored. The design embraces the place and memory of Flight 93 with a curving arc of maple trees along a walkway framing a Field of Honor, with a focus on the crash site. At the western end of the curving landform is a Portal, defined by walls that frame the axis of the Flight Path to the crash site. Adjacent to the Flight Path will be the Visitor Center, the interpretive center for the memorial and park. A sloped, stone wall forms the edge to the crash site within the Sacred Ground. The fields of the Sacred Ground will be planted with flowers to bloom from Spring through Fall. A white stone slab and gate, on axis with the flight path, provides ceremonial entry to the Sacred Ground for family members."

To appease the opposition, Murdoch's Los Angeles-based firm has closed the crescent with trees, thereby creating a complete circle. Was this necessary?

[Image: Artist's rendering of the memorial, from Murdoch's Website]