December 10, 2003

Image Courtesy Borough of Brooklyn

Frank Gehry, joined by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and developer Bruce Ratner, unveiled his designs for Brooklyn Atlantic Yards, a major development in downtown Brooklyn that will include stores, housing, offices, and, most notably, a new basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets.

The $2.5 billion development will include 2.1 million square feet of commercial office, 4.4 million square feet of housing, 300,000 square feet of retail space, and an 800,000 square foot sports arena. The arena, still in early planning stages, now appears to be clad in titanium and has two glass facades and a roof garden/ rooftop skating rink.

"This project is the capstone of the renaissance of Brooklyn, said Mayor Bloomberg, who lauded Gehry as a "genius." Gehry stressed that the arena – with stands close to the floor and a close relationship with the court - would maintain the intimacy achieved with his Walt Disney Hall, and missing from most modern sports arenas. "We’re designing it from the inside out," he said.

The tallest building in the development will be a 44-story, amorphous, unraveling-style office building (typical of Gehry’s style) that Gehry stressed would assure an "iconic presence as a centerpiece." Meanwhile Olin Partnership will be designing six acres of landscaped green space for the project.

While the plan met with staunch approval from Mayor Bloomberg as well as from Brooklyn politicians on hand, several neighborhood members outside were fiercely protesting the plan. "It’s too big, it’s too obtrusive, and it’s in the wrong place," said Patti Hagan of the Prospect Heights Action Coalition.

Sam Lubell

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