Brooklyn Nets Arena
Encyclopedia
The Barclays Center is a sports arena
currently under construction in Brooklyn
, New York City
. The arena is being built partly on a platform over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
-owned Vanderbilt Yards
at Atlantic Avenue. It is part of a proposed $4.9 billion sports arena, business
and residential complex. The arena is intended to serve as a new home for the National Basketball Association
's New Jersey Nets
, currently based at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
. The team will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets starting with the arena's expected opening season of 2012–13.
The project is being developed by developer Forest City Ratner, who acquired the Nets in 2004, with the purpose of moving them from New Jersey to this site near the Atlantic Avenue – Pacific Street subway station ( trains) and the Long Island Rail Road
's Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, one of the most transit-accessible locations in the city. The move would mark the return of major league sports to Brooklyn, which has been absent since the departure of the Dodgers
to Los Angeles
in 1957 (their proposal for the world's first domed stadium
at the Atlantic Yards to replace the unprofitable Ebbets Field
had been turned down by the city in the past). Controversies involving local residents and the use of eminent domain
, multiple lawsuits, as well as a lack of financing, have delayed the project.
On March 1, 2010, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abraham Gerges struck down a challenge by property owners regarding the state's use of eminent domain, which allowed the private properties to be condemned. Groundbreaking for the project occurred on March 11, 2010, with the arena scheduled to open on September 28, 2012.
(who has also designed the arenas used by the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers
, Indiana Pacers
, Memphis Grizzlies
, and San Antonio Spurs
), and New York City firm SHoP Architects
, the proposed arena would host the Nets -- along with concerts, conventions and other sporting events, competing with Madison Square Garden
and the Prudential Center, among other facilities in the New York metropolitan area.
Externally, the arena's shape is that of three articulated bands, and features a glass curtain wall
covered by a 'latticework' made up of 12,000 preweathered steel panels, which are meant to invoke the image of Brooklyn's brownstones. A
117 by "Oculus
" extends over a 5660 square feet (525.8 m²) section of the plaza outside of the main arena entrance, and contains a display screen that loops around on the inside of the structure.
The 38885 square feet (3,613 m²) entrance plaza contains 74 percent open space and 26 percent soft landscape and seating, primarily around the "Transit Connection" to the Atlantic Avenue subway station that will serve as the centerpiece of the Plaza. As the basketball court is situated below ground level, the scoreboard is visible from the plaza.
The arena is pursuing LEED
Silver certification.
The original design of the arena, by renowned architect Frank Gehry
, would have the arena's roof feature a park open only to residents of the Atlantic Yards complex, ringed by an open-air running track
that doubled as a skating rink
in winter with panoramic vistas facing Manhattan
year-round; but those roof plans were scrapped due to Gehry's design being projected to put the cost of the arena at $1 billion, which was seen as being too expensive. Gehry's design was eventually replaced in September 2009 by the current Becket/SHoP design, which puts the arena costs at $800 million, though the final cost of the entire project is currently projected to be $1 billion.
could play games at the Barclays Center once their lease at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
expires in 2015. Brooklyn is geographically the western end of Long Island
, and many on other parts of the island have roots there. Also, the Nets and Islanders had previously shared Nassau Coliseum from 1972 to 1977. Financing documents for the arena released in December 2009 indicate that “The New York Islanders could potentially become a tenant” at the Barclays Center. The Islanders' agreement with the New York Rangers
allows them to relocate anywhere on Long Island, including Brooklyn and Queens
. Whereas the original Gehry design would have featured a hockey configuration with capacity typical of the arenas used in the National Hockey League
, the final design for the Barclays Center is designed mainly for basketball use. It can nevertheless accommodate an NHL-size rink, though the arena will only be able to seat 14,500 fans in its hockey configuration, which would give it the lowest seating capacity in the NHL.
and Chicago Rush
playoff game, Arena Football League
commissioner Jerry Kurz announced that the league would bring a team to the New York City
area in 2013. According to Commissioner Kurz, the stadium to be used by the expansion team would not be completed until Fall 2012, leading to speculation that Commissioner Kurz was referring to the Barclays Center.
and Kentucky Wildcats
.
Rapper and Nets minority owner Jay-Z
plans to open the Barclays Center by performing in a series of concerts.
The Atlantic 10 Conference has announced that the Barclays Center will be the new home of the conference's mens basketball tournament beginning in 2013.
-based Barclays plc
. It was reported that Barclays has agreed to pay the team $400 million over the next 20 years for the naming rights
of their future Brooklyn home.
The naming rights to the arena were purchased by Barclays, the British bank, for what was reported as the record-setting price of nearly $400 million over 20 years. This eclipsed the previous record for naming rights to an American indoor arena, set by Royal Philips Electronics in 1999, for $185 million over 20 years paid to name Philips Arena
in Atlanta. However, the naming rights were renegotiated, and are somewhat more than $200 million. The proceeds of the naming rights will go to the developer, not to the state of New York, which owns the land.
complex to follow; however, controversies involving local residents and the use of eminent domain
as well as a lack of financing delayed the project. Due to the legal and financial troubles, the development deal was headed towards failing or falling apart, and Ratner at one point explored selling the team.
On May 16, 2009, the arena's developers received good news as opponents trying to halt the project on claims that eminent domain could not take place, were thwarted when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ratner. However, groundbreaking was still no sure thing. Ratner claimed to have the financing in place but it was reported that he has gone to the MTA and asked them to lower the amount he owes them up front. Ratner successfully bid on the land for $100 million but now was asking to lower the down payment to as little as $25 million, leading the public to believe that his "in place financing" wasn't so "in place" after all.
Also, the opponents planned to appeal the Supreme Court decision. A hearing for the appeal was scheduled for October 14, 2009, with a decision to be issued likely no sooner than November 25. Ratner needed to break ground by the end of the year. If the case were heard and held up in court beyond December 31, 2009, Ratner would lose the right to tax free bonds that would be issued in order to help make financing of the project more feasible. If he had lost those bonds, it would be the dollar equivalent to roughly $150 million.
On September 23, 2009, Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov
agreed to a $200 million deal to become a principal owner of the Nets and a key investor in the Brooklyn arena.
In October 2009, the Nets played two preseason games at the Prudential Center. The two preseason games were successful, and a deal that would have the Nets play at the Prudential Center for the 2010–12 NBA seasons became more likely. After nearly falling apart, after the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority refused to release the Nets from their lease at Izod, negotiations resumed, and on February 18, 2010, the Nets finalized a deal that would move them to the Prudential Center in Newark, until Barclays Center opens.
On November 24, 2009, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state using eminent domain for the project. Empire State Development Corporation Vice President Warner Johnston indicated that the agency is committed to seeing the project completed and said "we can now move forward with development."
Another potential roadblock to this development was put up by the Appellate Courts negative decision regarding a similar eminent domain case brought against Columbia University. This landmark case could have given new life to the case being brought by the community group Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB).
However, on March 1, 2010, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abraham Gerges struck down a challenge by property owners regarding the state's use of eminent domain, which allowed the private property to be condemned. Groundbreaking for the project occurred on March 11, 2010.
On June 29, 2010, the first concrete was poured into the foundation of the Barclays Center construction. The arena began vertical construction on November 23, 2010, with the erection of the first steel piece.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
currently under construction in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The arena is being built partly on a platform over the Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York)
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York is a public benefit corporation responsible for public transportation in the U.S...
-owned Vanderbilt Yards
Atlantic Yards
The Atlantic Yards is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project of 16 high-rise buildings, under construction in Prospect Heights, adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York City...
at Atlantic Avenue. It is part of a proposed $4.9 billion sports arena, business
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
and residential complex. The arena is intended to serve as a new home for the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, currently based at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. The team will be renamed the Brooklyn Nets starting with the arena's expected opening season of 2012–13.
The project is being developed by developer Forest City Ratner, who acquired the Nets in 2004, with the purpose of moving them from New Jersey to this site near the Atlantic Avenue – Pacific Street subway station ( trains) and the Long Island Rail Road
Long Island Rail Road
The Long Island Rail Road or LIRR is a commuter rail system serving the length of Long Island, New York. It is the busiest commuter railroad in North America, serving about 81.5 million passengers each year. Established in 1834 and having operated continuously since then, it is the oldest US...
's Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, one of the most transit-accessible locations in the city. The move would mark the return of major league sports to Brooklyn, which has been absent since the departure of the Dodgers
History of the Brooklyn Dodgers
-Early Brooklyn baseball:Brooklyn was home to numerous baseball clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, and Excelsior clubs that combined to dominate play for most of the 1860s...
to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1957 (their proposal for the world's first domed stadium
Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium
The Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium was to replace Ebbets Field for the Brooklyn Dodgers to allow them to stay in New York City. The Dodgers instead moved to Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles, California...
at the Atlantic Yards to replace the unprofitable Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field
Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...
had been turned down by the city in the past). Controversies involving local residents and the use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
, multiple lawsuits, as well as a lack of financing, have delayed the project.
On March 1, 2010, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abraham Gerges struck down a challenge by property owners regarding the state's use of eminent domain, which allowed the private properties to be condemned. Groundbreaking for the project occurred on March 11, 2010, with the arena scheduled to open on September 28, 2012.
Design
Designed by the architect firm Ellerbe BecketEllerbe Becket
Ellerbe Becket, an AECOM Company, is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based architectural, engineering, interior design and construction firm – ranked as one of the world's largest architectural firms – and with offices in Dallas, TX, Kansas City, MO, San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, Dubai,...
(who has also designed the arenas used by the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Cleveland Cavaliers
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....
, Indiana Pacers
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
, Memphis Grizzlies
FedExForum
The FedEx Forum is an arena located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Memphis, both of whom previously played home games at the Pyramid Arena...
, and San Antonio Spurs
AT&T Center
AT&T Center is an indoor arena, located in San Antonio, Texas, USA. It seats 18,581, for basketball , 13,800, for ice hockey and 19,000, for concerts or religious gatherings and contains 2,018 club seats, 50 luxury suites and 32 bathrooms .It was completed in 2002, as the SBC...
), and New York City firm SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects
SHoP Architects is an architectural firm based in Lower Manhattan. The firm was founded in 1996 by five partners: Christopher Sharples , Coren Sharples , William Sharples , Kimberly Holden and Gregg Pasquarelli...
, the proposed arena would host the Nets -- along with concerts, conventions and other sporting events, competing with Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
and the Prudential Center, among other facilities in the New York metropolitan area.
Externally, the arena's shape is that of three articulated bands, and features a glass curtain wall
Curtain wall
A curtain wall is an outer covering of a building in which the outer walls are non-structural, but merely keep out the weather. As the curtain wall is non-structural it can be made of a lightweight material reducing construction costs. When glass is used as the curtain wall, a great advantage is...
covered by a 'latticework' made up of 12,000 preweathered steel panels, which are meant to invoke the image of Brooklyn's brownstones. A
117 by "Oculus
Oculus
An Oculus, circular window, or rain-hole is a feature of Classical architecture since the 16th century. They are often denoted by their French name, oeil de boeuf, or "bull's-eye". Such circular or oval windows express the presence of a mezzanine on a building's façade without competing for...
" extends over a 5660 square feet (525.8 m²) section of the plaza outside of the main arena entrance, and contains a display screen that loops around on the inside of the structure.
The 38885 square feet (3,613 m²) entrance plaza contains 74 percent open space and 26 percent soft landscape and seating, primarily around the "Transit Connection" to the Atlantic Avenue subway station that will serve as the centerpiece of the Plaza. As the basketball court is situated below ground level, the scoreboard is visible from the plaza.
The arena is pursuing LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
Silver certification.
The original design of the arena, by renowned architect Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
, would have the arena's roof feature a park open only to residents of the Atlantic Yards complex, ringed by an open-air running track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
that doubled as a skating rink
Skating rink
A skating rink may refer to:* an ice rink used for ice skating* a roller rink used for roller skating...
in winter with panoramic vistas facing Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
year-round; but those roof plans were scrapped due to Gehry's design being projected to put the cost of the arena at $1 billion, which was seen as being too expensive. Gehry's design was eventually replaced in September 2009 by the current Becket/SHoP design, which puts the arena costs at $800 million, though the final cost of the entire project is currently projected to be $1 billion.
Hockey
It has been suggested that the New York IslandersNew York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
could play games at the Barclays Center once their lease at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
expires in 2015. Brooklyn is geographically the western end of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, and many on other parts of the island have roots there. Also, the Nets and Islanders had previously shared Nassau Coliseum from 1972 to 1977. Financing documents for the arena released in December 2009 indicate that “The New York Islanders could potentially become a tenant” at the Barclays Center. The Islanders' agreement with the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
allows them to relocate anywhere on Long Island, including Brooklyn and Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
. Whereas the original Gehry design would have featured a hockey configuration with capacity typical of the arenas used in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, the final design for the Barclays Center is designed mainly for basketball use. It can nevertheless accommodate an NHL-size rink, though the arena will only be able to seat 14,500 fans in its hockey configuration, which would give it the lowest seating capacity in the NHL.
Arena football
On August 6, 2011, during halftime of the Arizona RattlersArizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional arena football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Conference in the Arena Football League . The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team. They play their home games at US Airways Center...
and Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
playoff game, Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
commissioner Jerry Kurz announced that the league would bring a team to the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area in 2013. According to Commissioner Kurz, the stadium to be used by the expansion team would not be completed until Fall 2012, leading to speculation that Commissioner Kurz was referring to the Barclays Center.
Other events
The first basketball game played in the new arena will be a college tilt between the Maryland TerrapinsMaryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 27 men's and women's athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...
and Kentucky Wildcats
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
.
Rapper and Nets minority owner Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
plans to open the Barclays Center by performing in a series of concerts.
The Atlantic 10 Conference has announced that the Barclays Center will be the new home of the conference's mens basketball tournament beginning in 2013.
Naming rights
On January 18, 2007 it was announced that the arena would be called Barclays Center, after LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Barclays plc
Barclays plc
Barclays PLC is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. As of 2010 it was the world's 10th-largest banking and financial services group and 21st-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
. It was reported that Barclays has agreed to pay the team $400 million over the next 20 years for the naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
of their future Brooklyn home.
The naming rights to the arena were purchased by Barclays, the British bank, for what was reported as the record-setting price of nearly $400 million over 20 years. This eclipsed the previous record for naming rights to an American indoor arena, set by Royal Philips Electronics in 1999, for $185 million over 20 years paid to name Philips Arena
Philips Arena
Philips Arena is an indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia.Completed in 1999 to replace The Omni, at a cost of $213.5 million, it is home to the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association...
in Atlanta. However, the naming rights were renegotiated, and are somewhat more than $200 million. The proceeds of the naming rights will go to the developer, not to the state of New York, which owns the land.
Developments
The arena was first announced to open in 2006, with the rest of the Atlantic YardsAtlantic Yards
The Atlantic Yards is a mixed-use commercial and residential development project of 16 high-rise buildings, under construction in Prospect Heights, adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, New York City...
complex to follow; however, controversies involving local residents and the use of eminent domain
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
as well as a lack of financing delayed the project. Due to the legal and financial troubles, the development deal was headed towards failing or falling apart, and Ratner at one point explored selling the team.
On May 16, 2009, the arena's developers received good news as opponents trying to halt the project on claims that eminent domain could not take place, were thwarted when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ratner. However, groundbreaking was still no sure thing. Ratner claimed to have the financing in place but it was reported that he has gone to the MTA and asked them to lower the amount he owes them up front. Ratner successfully bid on the land for $100 million but now was asking to lower the down payment to as little as $25 million, leading the public to believe that his "in place financing" wasn't so "in place" after all.
Also, the opponents planned to appeal the Supreme Court decision. A hearing for the appeal was scheduled for October 14, 2009, with a decision to be issued likely no sooner than November 25. Ratner needed to break ground by the end of the year. If the case were heard and held up in court beyond December 31, 2009, Ratner would lose the right to tax free bonds that would be issued in order to help make financing of the project more feasible. If he had lost those bonds, it would be the dollar equivalent to roughly $150 million.
On September 23, 2009, Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov
Mikhail Prokhorov
Mikhail Dmitrievitch Prokhorov is a Russian billionaire entrepreneur and owner of the American basketball team, the New Jersey Nets. After graduating from the Moscow Finance Institute he made his name in the financial sector and went on to become one of Russia's leading industrialists in the...
agreed to a $200 million deal to become a principal owner of the Nets and a key investor in the Brooklyn arena.
In October 2009, the Nets played two preseason games at the Prudential Center. The two preseason games were successful, and a deal that would have the Nets play at the Prudential Center for the 2010–12 NBA seasons became more likely. After nearly falling apart, after the New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority refused to release the Nets from their lease at Izod, negotiations resumed, and on February 18, 2010, the Nets finalized a deal that would move them to the Prudential Center in Newark, until Barclays Center opens.
On November 24, 2009, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the state using eminent domain for the project. Empire State Development Corporation Vice President Warner Johnston indicated that the agency is committed to seeing the project completed and said "we can now move forward with development."
Another potential roadblock to this development was put up by the Appellate Courts negative decision regarding a similar eminent domain case brought against Columbia University. This landmark case could have given new life to the case being brought by the community group Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (DDDB).
However, on March 1, 2010, Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Abraham Gerges struck down a challenge by property owners regarding the state's use of eminent domain, which allowed the private property to be condemned. Groundbreaking for the project occurred on March 11, 2010.
On June 29, 2010, the first concrete was poured into the foundation of the Barclays Center construction. The arena began vertical construction on November 23, 2010, with the erection of the first steel piece.
External links
- Barclays Center, official website of the Barclays Center
- Construction Cam