New York Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff doesn’t mince words in reviewing the new design for the Atlantic Yards Arena. “The recent news that the developer Forest City Ratner had scrapped Frank Gehry’s design for a Nets arena in central Brooklyn is not just a blow to the art of architecture,” he writes in today’s Arts section. “It is a shameful betrayal of the public trust, one that should enrage all those who care about this city.” But wait, there’s more: “In a stunning bait-and-switch, Forest City Ratner has now decided that it can’t afford an architect of Mr. Gehry’s stature. Neglecting to tell the public, the firm went out months ago and hired Ellerbe Becket, corporate architects known for producing generic, unimaginative buildings. And although it has refused to release details of the design, the renderings, obtained by The New York Times, tell you all you need to know.” Indeed they do.
Battle Between Budget and Beauty, Which Budget Won [NY Times]