Barclays Watch: Deep Dig
The ink’s barely dry on the Goldstein buyout agreement but the foundation dig is already well underway at the site of the future Barclays Center. The question is now whether this deep hole they’re digging is a metaphor for the entire project. (You sure could fit a lot of taxpayer dollars in a pit that…
The ink’s barely dry on the Goldstein buyout agreement but the foundation dig is already well underway at the site of the future Barclays Center. The question is now whether this deep hole they’re digging is a metaphor for the entire project. (You sure could fit a lot of taxpayer dollars in a pit that size!) As you may recall, the official groundbreaking was back on March 11th. We’ll be documenting this one closely.
I’m late to the party today, so probably missed the chance to get a nice architectural back-and-forth going on this, but in any event:
I’m curious what folks who have been there think makes the NYT building great. I’m assuming it is well constructed and the interior spaces are full of interesting architectural gestures. I personally think that the exterior and skyline impact are kind of fug, though. Just one man’s opinion. I would have much preferred the Gehry design (interesting that Gehry had designs for the NYT tower and Barclays center and neither got built…).
As a general comment, I think it is a positive development that in the last RE boom so many prize-winning architects got commissions in NYC. Way better than the days of bland, bottom-line-based designs. And though I don’t particularly like the NYT tower, it is certainly better than most of what was put up in the 90s. It just had potential to be so much better, IMO. Ditto the Bloomberg tower … some nice architectural gestures but also some things that could have been done soooo much better (the Lexington Ave side of that building is horrible and there is like no walking room on the sidewalk…). The starchitects are better than what came before, but they can still disappoint …
One should not judge success by how much money it makes.
what is it you object to exactly?
the less than precious, non-boutique stores?
or is it something particular about the actual building, if so pls clarify what you’d have built had you had the risk-taking capacity and nuts to take the risk.
(btw, the target is the highest grossing store in the system. meaning, shopping there is an atrocious experience among the hoi polloi. meaning meaning, from someone’s point of view the architecture is working fine.)
You don’t even need to build a lincoln log cabin to know what kind of stuff Ratner has built in prime Brooklyn.
http://fortgreenebk.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/atlantic_011.jpg
puhlease…the times company and ing real estate are known for building things now?
i love folks who’ve not built anything other than a lincoln log cabin complaining about getting a big building built in center nimbyland. just love it.
next up, someone complaining it’s taking too long to build.
go nyets.
The NYT building was a joint venture with The Times Company, ING Real Estate, and Forest Ratner.
I don’t think Ratner will want to fool around with Prokhorov’s team’s new home. It will be top notch or else. Go Russkis!
Let’s hope AY turns out more like the NY Times building — the construction of of which Ratner was part of a joint venture — and not like the Atlantic Terminal shopping malls.
Had a meeting recently in Ratner’s Times building. If that’s the quality he’s going for at Barclay’s, then sign me up.