Gehry Officially Off Yards Project
The writing’s been on the wall for some time, but The Times delivered the official death blow in an online article yesterday afternoon: “Frank Gehry is out as the architect for the Barclays Center arena, the centerpiece of the long-delayed and financially challenged Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, according to government officials and real estate…
The writing’s been on the wall for some time, but The Times delivered the official death blow in an online article yesterday afternoon: “Frank Gehry is out as the architect for the Barclays Center arena, the centerpiece of the long-delayed and financially challenged Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn, according to government officials and real estate executives who have been briefed on the plans.” Taking the reins post-bait-and-switch will be a Kansas City-based architecture firm called Ellerbe Becket. Unfortunately for all of us, The Times describes the new design as bearing a resemblance to Conseco Field as well as an “airplane hangar.” Meanwhile, Atlantic Yards Report notes that Forbes is putting the odds of the Nets making it to Brooklyn at 50-50.
Developer Drops Gehry’s Design for Brooklyn Arena [NY Times]
FCR Names New Architect for Brooklyn Arena [Reuters]
Starchitect Dumped from Atlantic Yards for Cheaper Option [NY Daily News]
Star Architect Out of Arena Project [NY Post]
If anyone has followed the project from the beginnings you would have seen with each rendering how the promised public spaces disappeared. Ratner meet Karma. As a whole the project was truly awful and a model of arrogance. DDDB did the right thing, Ratner ran roughshod over Brooklyn and then expected to have his ass kissed for it. That’s not to say there weren’t certain good aspects, but the sheer size and scale was insane. Gehry’s design while certainly more interesting, and even outlandish, wasn’t necessarily going to be Bilbao (sadly for us.) The whole affordable housing fiasco was stomach turning. Did anyone really think that rich people buying top of the line luxury apartments would do so in the same building as those with affordable housing? No rich person I ever met. They don’t pay that kind of money to be part of the community- they pay to be away from it.
And that’s why Ratner left himself an out- the affordable housing component could be built off-site. And whenever he got around to it.
My biggest bone of contention is the much flaunted 25 million dollar benefit the city would get over 20 years. Does anyone else beside me think that is a ridiculously tiny amount of money for the taxpayer’s investment? 25 million ove 20 years is laughable. I would love to have that explained to me.
Yes- i want something there. I think a stadium is a terrible choice but my gut feeling is Ratner will get that much. But I blame him- not DDDB.
One Pierrepont Plaza
fsrg — which is the most iconic building in downtown brooklyn?
ENY:
I agree with you completely.
The only thing that would make these folks happy is to make it look like a giant brownstone. Seriously…the amount of negativity is astounding. I’d love to know how many of the ardent opposition on this board have gone to a single meeting to discuss their issues with this project. I’d say very few.
As usual everyones knee jerk hatred of Ratner blinds them from the real issues here.
Frankly look at the Firms website – 11217 posted it above
Virtually everyone of their designs is as attractive or MORE attractive than Gehery – sure they dont have the “name” but who the F cares about the name. We want a nice arena that fits into the area and maintains the streetwall – it looks as if most of their designs do just that.
The REAL issue is simple – will Ratner be allowed to build massive parking lots around this arena. If DDDB and the rest of these NIMBY idiots cared at all for Brooklyn (as opposed to their own self-aggrandizement) they would be rallying to prevent this arena from becoming a ‘suburban’ arena surrounded by parking, instead of complaining about the loss of a design they originally said was ugly, dangerous (from terrorists I believe) and too expensive.
While I acknowledge Ratner’s Atlantic Mall was horrible – he actually has amassed a decent portfolio of nice buildings including the two towers he is building now (Dekalb and Beekman) not to mention that he built probably the most iconic Brooklyn Building in Downtown Brooklyn. So stop worrying about architechture and focus on parking – it is FAR more important
It’s a basketball arena. What’s is supposed to look like, the Taj Mahal? I’m looking forward to the day when I can walk up the street and see a pro basketball game at a Brooklyn arena. There’s a real preservationist mafia thing about all of this. First people hated Gehry’s futuristic design, and now they’re complaining about a potential airplane hangar. The place doesn’t have to be a work of art, and in my opinion, I could certainly live with a stadium, a residential tower, and parking at that site. It’s better than what’s there now, it’s the logical place to have a downtown stadium and while it won’t be the nirvana of job creation, it will definitely create opportunities for smart merchants. I really don’t care whether or not Ratner gets rich building the place. That’s where I’m coming from.
Of course the public was never going to get “a lot” from Ratner…but now, as you just mentioned, we are not even getting the crumbs.
Plus some of the parks in the city are already a public-private partnership…open space is open space, and better than the parking lot that will now likely be the result.
what a load.
kudos for dddb for having a longer term vision for brooklyn than the “just build it already” contingent.
this was a sham from the start. it was an absurd development considering the area. zoning a sliver to be huge while adjacent areas are short is folly. i am just glad now that brooklyn has a few people who will take a look under the hood before agreeing to let somone develop because that person might be able to broker money.
ratnervilles everywhere are withering up and blowing away. lets not let this be the one place stupid enough to not see through the veil of obfuscation and misdirection.
that being said, build the damn deck already, move the lirr terminal to under that deck, tear down the most recent rat-crap on top of the current lirr terminal and put the stadium there where it belongs.
I love the hypocrisy of talking sh&t about the project and badmouthing DDDB in the same breath.