Architect of Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville discusses design elements, inspiration

Architect Paul Murdoch, of a Los Angeles firm, designed the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, honoring the 40 passengers and crew who died on Sept. 11, 2001. Selected in September 2005 from 1,100 entries, the memorial was planned around the aircraft’s flight path. The first phase was completed in 2011, and the visitor center opened in September 2015 as the initial point for recounting events before guiding visitors along the land toward the crash site. Murdoch described design elements including walls tracing the route, a glass guardrail with the text “a common field one day, a field of honor forever,” and a ceremonial gate that opens only for families.