Atlantic Yards Arena: Subject to Change
The architecture team of Ellerbe Becket and SHoP, which designed the Barclays Center arena for the Atlantic Yards development, held a public meeting Monday evening to discuss the new renderings of the arena that were released last week. The biggest news from the meeting was that the current renderings will drastically change: more buildings will…
The architecture team of Ellerbe Becket and SHoP, which designed the Barclays Center arena for the Atlantic Yards development, held a public meeting Monday evening to discuss the new renderings of the arena that were released last week. The biggest news from the meeting was that the current renderings will drastically change: more buildings will be added, such as the “Miss Brooklyn Tower” at the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic, which, in Frank Gehry’s scrapped design, was a gateway to the rest of the project. Other open plazas in the current rendering could become residential towers, but all of this is contingent on the economy. If the economy improves, Forest City Ratner will incorporate these addenda.
Bait and Switch? Designer Admits Rendering Will Change [Brooklyn Paper]
Closing Bell: DDDB’s Letter to SHoP [Brownstoner]
IBO Reports Net Loss from Atlantic Yards Arena [Brownstoner]
Ourousoff Weighs In on Barclay’s Center Design [Brownstoner]
New Barclay’s Center Design Revealed [Brownstoner]
Sparafucile- I’m not arguing over whether or not they are a bad use of public funds- I happen to think they are. But Keyspan and the Cyclones have done a lot in the community and I am involved in some things there so I can say, in my estimation, Keyspan was a plus for the area but it will take time. Coney Island has always been a seasonal place- something that is not the KeySpan’s fault. And it was the first sign of life in Coney Island in a long time- had Sitt not opted to kick out Dreamland and now screw around with the other long time operators, momentum would have built up. Now everything is in a holding pattern and much of Coney Island is gone, thanks in part to the City/Sitt dispute.
Keyspan Park opened in June 2001. Joe Sitt wasn’t even on the scene until much later, so to say that the current impasse is why Keyspan hasn’t fulfilled its backers’ claims for the last eight years is disingenuous. These stadiums are an exceptionally bad use of public economic development dollars. They create very few jobs on site, and only part time ones, and do essentially nothing to stimulate surrounding development.
Sparafucile- they are supposed to be both but the problem is that a stadium or arena isn’t in use 365 days a year so in most cases its not doing much of anything. And 365 days a year would make it hell on the surrounding community.
Keyspan Park is making a difference but thanks to Joe Sitt and the City, nothing much can happen until things get ironed out but there is stuff in the works that involve Keyspan and in a good way.
Bxgirl – arens and stadia aren’t big open playing spaces. They’re big commercial uses, and the commodity that is offered there is watching sporting events.
Keyspan Park was supposed to enliven Coney Island. Hasn’t happened. Richmond County Bank Ballpark was supposed to enliven St. George. Hasn’t happened. Other than one bar that derives most of its revenue from checking bags that aren’t allowed into the stadium, Yankee Stadium hasn’t exactly enlivened that section of the Bronx. There is precious little evidence that these projects deliver anything like the benefits that are promised by their proponents.
fsrq – so glad you don’t get to make the rules. We can all demonize whomsoever we please, whether it is rapacious developers or knee-jerk preservationists. Isn’t it more fun that way?
fsrg- That wasn’t the point I was making. My feeling has always been that arenas and stadiums aren’t urban spaces- and I actually don’t mean it in a bad way. My feeling is that they aren’t meant to be, but are a means of bringing what some think is a plus of suburbs- big open playing field spaces into densely populated ones.
As for Ratner- there’s nothing ridiculous about criticizing the guy who wants to run roughshod over everyone and everything in his greed.
havelc – not a new rule – I’ve calling for it for years, but glad to have you join me….too bad most of the people here will not oblige – since they are too focused on their ridiculous demonization of Ratner (and all developers) and their fetish for everything pre-war to objectively look at any architechture or even acknowledge their own (unsustainable) biases
Bxgrl – “stadiums and arenas maybe aren’t urban by nature”
??
Fenway Park, Wrigly Field, Shibe Park( Philly), Washington Park (brooklyn), Camden Yards Original Boston garden, Chicago Center, Madison Sq Garden 1, 2 & 3, Prudential Center
I dont know that is a pretty attractive list of Urban Stadiums and Arenas just off the top of my head…..
FiredUp:
When this project was first proposed, many people couldn’t figure out where exactly it was going to be sited – that triangle between Flatbush and Atlantic didn’t seem big enough for an arena. More than one person said to me “Oh I see where they’ll put it – Ratner is going to tear down the failed mall for his stadium.”