Above Left; Photomontage of proposed illumination of WTC, 1986.
Above Right; Tribute In Light, 2007 by sizeofguam on Flickr.
A Smithsonian researcher working on the upcoming book, Times Square Spectacular: Lighting Up Broadway recently discovered images of a proposed 1986 exterior lighting plan for the World Trade Center in the papers of Douglas Leigh. Douglas Leigh (1907-1999) is best known for his advertising work in Times Square (most notably the Camel smoke-ring billboard in Times Square). The Times reports how the plan bears an uncanny resemblance to the Tribute in Light project developed as a poignant memorial after the terrorist attacks of 2001. The ambitious 1986 lighting plan eventually faded away as the high total cost became clear, but as one can see in this three-page letter to the World Trade Center facilities managers, Leigh thought the work could be feasible, and like other NYC lighting installations would “lift the spirits of the people of New York.”
Learn more about Douglas Leigh and view many of his illuminated contributions to Times Square at the Douglas Leigh Papers at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
Below: “World’s Largest Fountain Pen readied for New Year’s Eve,” 195?. Douglas Leigh papers, 1903-1999, Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
