Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Interior Of Planned Brooklyn Nets Arena Revealed
By
Ben Muessig
Published Mar 9, 2010
Modified Mar 9, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Gothamist
View all 7
By
Ben Muessig
Published Mar 9, 2010
Modified Mar 9, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Two days before the official ground-breaking for the long-delayed Atlantic Yards megaproject, developer Bruce Ratner and the New Jersey Nets unveiled renderings of the interior of their planned Brooklyn basketball arena. After scrapping an original design by Frank Gehry over financial concerns and nixing a second design by the firm Ellerbe Becket after it was derided for being too dull, Ratner tapped Ellerbe Becket and SHoP Architects to draft up a new plan for the arena, which is dubbed the Barclays Center.
Though it's about 200,000 square feet smaller than Gehry's original arena, the Post reports that the new space will offer about 18,000 seats for basketball games and 19,000 seats for concerts, as well as 104 luxury suites going for as much as $540,000 per year. The arena's general manager says the space will boast sight lines "closer to the court and a more intimate fan experience," though NYU sports management professor Robert Boland claims the sight lines will be "no better" than the Izod Center in New Jersey where the Nets currently play. "The positive here is that there's a lot of lower-bowl seating, which makes this is a great place to see a concert and should help the Nets sell more tickets, but it appears there's too many seats behind the baskets that obstruct courtside views," said Boland, who gave the arena a grade of B-. NoLandGrab notes that the courtside seats appear to be built-in, meaning the arena couldn't be used for hockey.
After a judge gave state officials clearance to use eminent domain to evict Brooklynites who live in the project's footprint, Ratner announced that the groundbreaking for his $4.9 billion development will take place on Thursday. Opponents of the project—which also calls for 16 proposed skyscrapers on the border of Fort Greene and Prospect Heights—have promised to protest with their own "Groundbreaking to Bury the Soul of Brooklyn," which will feature three-foot tall bobbleheads figures depicting Ratner, Mayor Bloomberg, Borough President Marty Markowitz, Gov. Paterson, Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, and others. The demonstration will take place on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. at Freddy's Bar, which is planned to be demolished to make way for the Atlantic Yards development.
Tagged
atlantic avenue
Atlantic Yards
barclays
barclays center
brooklyn
brooklyn nets
Bruce Ratner
development
flatbush avenue
nets
new jersey nets
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NJ reports first West Nile Virus death of the year
While the national West Nile Virus trend has slowed down, activity in the Garden State has picked up.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 4, 2026 at 11:03 a.m. ET
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
The state is currently struggling with a 56% vacancy rate among prison workers.
By
Emily Russell
News
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
The state is currently struggling with a 56% vacancy rate among prison workers.
By
Emily Russell
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
By
Jill Webb
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .