By Nick Buglione
Somewhere along the line, they'll come across Merrick resident Dennis Murphy's entry.
Unlike the majority of entries, which will no doubt come from those with more experience in architecture and design, Murphy has little formal training. After all, he's only 17.
Until now, the biggest thing Murphy has ever designed was a small mock-Paris memorial for French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, the final project for Murphy's first architecture class, taken at the Parsons School of Design last spring. Other than that, he's designed, well ... chairs.
"The class wasn't exactly what I thought it would be," said Murphy, who will be a senior at Calhoun High School next fall. "The brochure made it sound like a lot more studio work and concept design."
Not exactly. The instructor, who happened to be a furniture designer, had the class focus almost exclusively on outlining sofas and armchairs.
So, last April, when the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation kicked off its competition to create a World Trade Center memorial commemorating Sept. 11 victims, Murphy felt compelled to enter.
"The whole idea of Sept. 11 -- it was such a tragedy, and it's so rare that these major things get offered to the public," he said. "It was kind of like a chance I just couldn't let go."
What the thinly built teen lacks in experience, he makes up in raw passion for architecture and the arts. Building is in his blood. As a child, Murphy was knee-deep in blocks and Legos, according to his father, Brian.
"He used to design crazy things," Brian Murphy said. "He was into that stuff big time. Then when they came out with that game Sim City, he used to build massive cities."
Between traveling and moving with his father, Murphy's spent much of his life bouncing around. They lived in Pennsylvania, Texas and Long Beach before settling in Merrick three years ago.
"Dennis did fifth, sixth and seventh grade in three different schools," his father said. "I've taken him to Europe; he loves England in particular. We always travel on summer vacations, even if it's domestically."
Constantly picking up and moving isn't conducive to developing long-term friendships, and Murphy admits that's at least partly the reason why he developed an interest in architecture, a rather solitary hobby.
Scrapping two ideas before coming up with his final design for ground zero, Murphy toiled with the notion of choosing the right way to memorialize such a horrific national tragedy. And what he ultimately came up with is impressive.
"When the buildings collapsed, these huge sections of walls remained up, and those I turned into the foundations, which are actually planted right back onto the outlines of the towers," Murphy explained. "I thought that putting them back into place is sort of symbolic, because it shows strength and unity. It seemed kind of fitting that the memorial be supported by these."
Draped over the original tower walls would be a glass veil, which would flow over the structure much like an ocean wave rolling toward the beach. Individual glass panes would be etched with victims' names.
The design also calls for the memorial to vary in height, measuring 70 feet tall at its apex.
"Everything is upward; visually all the attention is directed upward," Murphy said, noting that his design would frame a magnificent view once new surrounding skyscrapers have been erected.
Like a typical teen cramming the night before a big test, Murphy had to work overtime to make the June 30 deadline for entries. In the final two days, he worked on his design and presentation board for 26 hours, with only one 5 1/2-hour break.
When the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation's jury finally comes across Murphy's proposal next month, his inexperience, youth and hard work won't be taken into account. The design's merit will be the only leg it stands on. All entries are anonymous during the judging process, identified only by a code to avoid bias, a corporation spokeswoman said.
Sometime in September, the jury will pick five finalists, whose ideas will be further developed and scrutinized. A winner should be chosen by October.
Win or lose, though, the experience has already paid Murphy dividends. He has another design to add to a portfolio that will surely grow in college. He hopes to attend Cooper Union, the Rhode Island School of Design or Syracuse University.
"If I don't win, I wouldn't be disappointed; it's mostly just the fact that I entered," he said. "It's big for me because it's the first time I ever entered something real. It's kind of an honor just to be a part of it at all."
