Barclays Center, New York City##&&New York City##&&Attractions##&&Map##&&Tours##&&Hotels##&&Facts##&&Buildings##&&Posters##&&Pictures##&&A View On Cities##&&New York City##&&New York Attractions##&&Barclays Center##&&Loading...##&&Statue of Liberty##&&Brooklyn Bridge##&&Times Square##&&Empire State Building##&&Central Park##&&Chrysler Building##&&Grand Central Terminal##&&Rockefeller Center##&&Metropolitan Museum of Art##&&Fifth Avenue##&&Memorial##&&MoMA##&&Wall Street##&&Ellis Island##&&United Nations HQ##&&Bryant Park##&&High Line##&&Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum##&&Flatiron Building##&&Guggenheim Museum##&&Lincoln Center##&&Woolworth Building##&&Madison Square##&&South Street Seaport##&&Metlife Tower##&&Tudor City##&&Madison Square Garden##&&New York Public Library##&&St. Patrick's Cathedral##&&Grant's Tomb##&&Coney Island##&&Columbus Circle##&&Museum of Natural History##&&Plaza Hotel##&&More New York Attractions...##&&Barclays Center##&&Atlantic Yards Arena##&&Info##&&Location/Map##&&Nearby##&&Photos##&&Rating##&&votes##&&votes##&&Links##&&-##&&barclayscenter.com##&&Barclays Center is a spectacular, modern 
multi-purpose venue in central Brooklyn that was built in as part 
of a twenty-two acre (nine hectare) large redevelopment project of an 
abandoned rail yard.##&&History##&&The venue, the centerpiece of the Atlantic Yards project, was a long time in the making, but it was well worth the wait.##&&Atlantic Yards##&&In December the developer Forest City Ratner launched Atlantic 
Yards, a mega-development project that would transform a the Vanderbilt 
railroad yard in the heart of Brooklyn into a complex with sixteen 
residential towers and an indoor arena. Bruce Ratner, the chairman of 
the company, asked famed architect Frank Gehry to design a masterplan 
for the complex. Gehry came up with an extravagant design with colorful,
 futuristic looking towers crowding around an arena of curling steel.##&&Atlantic Yards Arena##&&Barclays Center##&&The project stalled at the end of as a result of the economic 
recession and the following year Gehry's design was scrapped as it was 
deemed too expensive. The project was trimmed down and the construction 
of the new arena, then named 'Atlantic Yards Arena' became the primary 
focus. There was already an anchor tenant for the stadium, the New 
Jersey Nets, a basketball team that would be relocated to Brooklyn. At 
the end of Ratner, who himself was owner of the team, sold a 
majority stake in the Nets to Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who
 also pledged to invest in the arena itself, thus securing its future.##&&Having dismissed Gehry, Ratner turned to Ellerbe Becket for a new 
design. The first renderings showed a rather uninspiring exterior that 
made the arena look like a hangar. New York critics, not used to 
mid-western mediocrity, panned the arena's##&&View from across Flatbush Av.##&&design so Ratner turned to the Manhattan-based SHoP Architects to 
enliven the arena's exterior, something they achieved with distinction.##&&Construction##&&Construction finally started in and the arena, which by now had 
been renamed Barclays Center after the financial firm that secured the 
naming rights for the venue, opened in September The remaining 
part of the Atlantic Yards projects with mostly residential towers will 
be completed in phases. Construction of the first tower, dubbed B2, 
started in December of The thirty-two-story tower's claim to fame 
is that it is the world's largest prefabricated tower.##&&The Arena##&&The architectural firms of Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects created a 
modern multi-purpose arena with a seating capacity of up to 
spectators.##&&Design##&&The oculus##&&Despite the long struggle that preceded the construction of the arena,
 it does not disappoint. The exterior is spectacular and it looks like a
 UFO just landed in the middle of Brooklyn.##&&SHoP Architects wrapped the structure in rust-colored bands that were 
created from unique panels of weathered steel. The steel exterior
 is a nice departure from the glass facades that contemporary architects
 all too often resort to. Between the bands are openings with windows 
that provide views inside the building.##&&The highlight of the iconic building is its spectacular cantilevered 
canopy that floats nine meters (30 ft) above the ground. The canopy is 
carved open in the middle, creating a large oculus. The inside of the 
oculus is one gigantic electronic billboard with constantly changing 
displays that brighten up the plaza in front of the entrance with 
messages, quite a spectacle in itself.##&&Interior view SHoP##&&The stadium's interior is not as eye-catching as its exterior but it is 
functional, with an efficient crowd circulation and a main hall with a 
steep seating area that almost hugs the herringbone-patterned court. The
 stadium is mostly underground and you can immediately see the seating 
bowl from the entrance, which creates a dramatic effect.##&&Events##&&Barclays Center isn't just used as a sports stadium; it is also a 
premier concert venue. In fact, in the first full year of 
operation, Barclays Center was the top-grossing U.S. venue for concerts 
and family shows. The stadium has played host to a variety of artists 
including Coldplay, Barbra Streisand, Justin Bieber, The Rolling Stones 
and Andrea Bocelli.##&&The Plaza##&&The Plaza##&&The Barclays Center sits at the intersection of two wide avenues, 
Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue. At the tip of the intersection in 
front of the arena is a triangular plaza, eight acres (3.2 ha) large. In
 the original plans for Atlantic Yards this triangular plot was set 
aside for a tall apartment tower, but this idea was scrapped in##&&Fortunately, because the paved plaza is a nice addition that creates a 
dramatic entrance to the arena thanks to the open space that offers a 
full view of the arena and its flashy canopy. There are also benches and
 large planters. A nice touch is the planted ski-ramp roof that covers 
the entrance to the subway station below. No less than eight subway 
lines stop here, making the venue easy to reach from almost all areas of
 New York.##&&Next:##&&Waldorf-Astoria##&&Next Brooklyn Attraction:##&&Park Slope Historic District##&&Related Links:##&&-##&&Madison Square Garden##&&Subway##&&Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center (2,3,4,5, B,D,N,Q,R)##&&Location##&&Atlantic Avenue##&&Brooklyn##&&nyc##&&x##&&Press ESC to close##&&powered by##&&www.aviewoncities.com