Libeskind, meanwhile, spent several days cloistered with Port Authority officials, working to satisfy their desires for underground parking and mechanical systems.
"The genius of Daniel Libeskind," said Seymour, the Port Authority official, "is that he worked hard with us to understand all the engineering and transportation elements on the site. He showed his flexibility."
When the two teams made presentations in late February to the officials who would choose the winner, nearly all of the Think team's time was spent explaining the engineering of its towers. Libeskind, however, reprised his stirring monologue portraying his design as the embodiment of America's hopes and dreams.
The day before the architects made their final pitches, a committee of development corporation directors had recommended that the Think team's design be chosen, and one committee member told media, "We don't expect anyone to overrule us." Aides say that comment incensed Pataki and caused him to favor Libeskind.
The Think design was favored by Daniel Doctoroff, the deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding. But his boss, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, was dismayed by the cost of the towers, which without accounting for any office buildings was estimated at more than US$800 million, compared to US$330 million for the Libeskind plan.
Both the mayor and the governor also expressed a basic dislike for the Think design. Bloomberg compared it to industrial natural-gas storage tanks, and Pataki said it reminded him of a skeleton. Hours before a 10-member steering committee of officials from the Port Authority, the development corporation and the mayor's and governor's offices was to meet to choose a winner, the decision was already sealed.
Though they picked the design, neither Pataki nor Bloomberg was in a position to pay for its construction. That would fall to Silverstein, the developer and leaseholder, who was expecting billions of dollars in insurance payments for the destroyed towers.
Just before the competition had been narrowed to the two finalists, Silverstein sent a letter to rebuilding officials claiming that none of the proposed designs met his requirements.
After Libeskind was selected, Silverstein continued to push for his own priorities. This summer, Libeskind agreed that David M. Childs, who had designed the new 7 World Trade Center for Silverstein, would be the primary architect on the 541m Freedom Tower, which will dominate the Manhattan skyline.
Libeskind said that made sense because he has never built a skyscraper. But Silverstein went further, asking other architects about their interest in designing the remaining commercial buildings.
Already the Port Authority has hired another architect, Santiago Calatrava, to design the train station.
Libeskind says these are all normal accommodations that an architect has to make for any client on any project. "People are being educated by the process," Libeskind said. "They say to me, `You won, what's the problem?' But I tell them, `No, there's an investor who has a say in this.'"
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