The Barclays Center is an arena in Brooklyn, New York. This indoor arena hosts sports and entertainment events, concerts, and conventions. It is also home to the National Basketball Association’s Brooklyn Nets and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s New York Liberty. Barclay’s Center was created as part of a 4.9-billion-dollar project known as the ‘Pacific Park,’ a business and residential complex. This site is situated on Atlantic Avenue near the subway station named Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center. This arena is owned by the Empire State Development Authority of New York.
Construction Details
The concept of Barclay’s Center was proposed in 2004 when Bruce Ratner, a real estate developer, purchased the Brooklyn Nets for three-hundred-million dollars. Ratner wanted the arena to build a home for his team. However, Ratner’s pursuit of creating Barclay’s Center was not smooth sailing. He faced many hurdles along the way. This included community resistance as several businesses and residential buildings had to be demolished. Hefty public subsidies were also utilized, which led to several lawsuits. The 2009 recession across the globe also caused financing issues for the project. Lack of financing also caused the project to delay until 2010. After the delay, reconstruction began in March 2010, and the arena opened its doors to the public in September 2012. The very first event to take place at the Barclay’s Center was a concert by artist Jay-Z. Two hundred protestors were also in attendance at the Barclay’s Center during the event.
About Barclays Center
Barclays Center is a model for sustainable construction and design. This structure has earned a LEED silver certification from the United States Green Building Congress. This makes this Center the first entertainment and sports space to win this status.
Also, when Barclays Center opened, it received outstanding critical acclaim and several awards. Some awards included the 2012 Poll Star award for the best concert venue and the 2012 Sports Business Award for the best facility of the year.
Since Barclay’s Center opened on the 28th of September 2012, it ran eight consecutive shows by artist Jay-Z, all of which were sold out. This Center has continued to host some of the best artists in the world, such as the Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, and Madonna. These events were so popular that Barclays became one of the best arenas worldwide. In 2018, it was ranked in the top ten by Pollstar and Billboard for highest attendance and gross revenue.
Barclays Center can seat up to 17,732 people during basketball games and 15,796 people during hockey games. When hosting concerts, this Center can seat a total of 19000 individuals. It has 101 luxury suites, great bars, restaurants, and lounges. Barclays Center also contains the Qatar Airways outside Club and the 40/40 American Express Restaurant and Club.
Barclays Center was also specifically designed to merge Brooklyn’s low-rise historic neighborhood with the tall buildings of its booming downtown. The careful construction of this center helped achieve this balance. Another noteworthy aspect of the Barclays Center is the twelve thousand unique pannels of weathered steel that build its classic exterior. These panels remind of the proportion and color of adjoining brownstone blocks.
Barclays Details
Barclays is a transatlantic wholesale and consumer bank that provides various services. These include corporate, investment, personal banking, and wealth management. Barclay’s two primary markets are the United States and the United Kingdom. Barclays also has branches across forty different countries and employs 83,500 individuals. It also has three-hundred-and-twenty-five years of experience and history. It is known to exceptionally protect, invest and move money for its clients all across the globe.
Artwork
The Barclays Center Building features the unique work of artist Jose Parla. This is known as the ‘Diary of Brooklyn.’ The mural is ten feet wide and seventy feet tall. The artist states that her artwork showcases the strength of language. It also contains phrases like ‘immigration,’ ‘Big Daddy Kane, ‘ and even ‘Brooklyn.’ Parla was commissioned in 2012 to create the piece, which took six months.
Naming The Center
It was decided in 2007 that the Center would be named after Barclays, the banking group based in London. This decision was made because this financial services firm had agreed to pay four hundred million dollars over twenty years to purchase naming rights. However, Barclays doesn’t have a retail bank in the United States nor any ATMs within the area.
Major Events
Since its initiation, Barclays Center has hosted numerous sporting events including basketball, college basketball, ice hockey, music, professional wrestling, Gymnastics, martial arts, and Esports events.
However, the arena received criticism about its quality as a hockey venue. It was also not originally designed to play Hockey. When the New York Islanders moved to Barclays center, there were complaints about seats with an obscured view. The arena’s quality of the ice was also questioned. However, Barclay’s Center CEO Brett Yormark maintained that nothing could be done about the issue.
Complaints about ice quality were because the arena utilized PVC piping instead of steel piping to create ice on the surface. This made it difficult for ice to remain at par with the temperature and quality of NHL standards.
Concluding Thoughts
With its achievements in outstanding construction and design, Barclays Center is a major landmark within the city. This Center has hosted some of the best artists in the entertainment industry. It has also had great sold-out shows. Barclays Center features many different types of events such as concerts, wrestling tournaments, Esports tournaments, boxing shows, martial arts show, and hockey and basketball shows. One of the most outstanding buildings in the locality, the Barclays Center is a must-visit.