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September 20, 2012
Many crises later, Barclays Center to open
The 675,000-square-foot arena at the center of Forest City Ratner's Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn will host its first event Friday. Watch for possible news on the 16 planned residential towers.
Crain's NY Business
by Theresa Agovino
Um, the arena opening is the crisis.
Nearly nine tumultuous years after it was first announced—a span of time marked by multiple protests, at least seven lawsuits, a global financial crisis, the involvement of a Russian tycoon and the firing of a star architect—the Barclays Center at Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards is slated to be officially unveiled on Friday.
The 675,000-square-foot arena at the center of Forest City Ratner Co.'s massive project is set to host its first event when Jay-Z, the Brooklyn native and minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets, opens a sold-out concert series in the venue that will serve as the home of the basketball team. Various officials will be on hand Friday to cut the ribbon on the arena, including Forest City Ratner chairman and CEO Bruce Ratner, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who bought the majority of the team and 45% of the arena in 2009.
Posted by eric at September 20, 2012 9:42 PM