As graduates gather today on residential Dean Street, remember how it morphed from preferred seating entry to "mid-sized" portal

EmblemHealth Dean Entrance

The crowd gathering at 8:30 this morning at the Barclays Center's Dean Street entrance--sorry, the EmblemHealth Dean entrance--for the Long Island University commencement ceremonies was never supposed to be there.

(The graduates will arrive at the Dean Street entrance at the bottom of the arena, which is across the street from a residential cluster, while a larger group--their guests--arrive at the main plaza, at Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.)

That's because, when the Atlantic Yards arena was approved in 2006, there was a minor entrance, only a few doors wide, on Dean Street, only slightly larger than the entrance on Atlantic Avenue just west of Sixth Avenue.

EmblemHealth Atlantic Entrance

See the graphic below from the November 2006 Final Environmental Impact Statement, which shows an arena oriented nearly east-west, as opposed to the current north-south orientation.

The Dean Street entrance, part of a plan designed to "minimize its presence and effect on the residential uses" in the area, was supposed to be for VIPs.

Instead, thanks to a change in plans and some fuzzy and misleading language that I'll address below, it became a much larger secondary entrance--in fact, the secondary entrance, deemed "mid-sized" by an arena official.

So now, as indicated in the photo above right, the Dean entrance has nine double doors. (That's actually more than the seven double doors on the main plaza, though they are spaced more generously and offer far more opportunity for people to gather.)

By contrast, as shown in the photo above left, the EmblemHealth Atlantic Entrance has just two double doors. (There are several other doors on Atlantic, as I'll explain below, but mostly for exits, not entrances. Dean Street also offers another set of doors for workers to enter.)

The arena as approved, 2006

From Figure 1-22 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, Nov. 2006. Atlantic Ave. at top, Dean St. at bottom.

From the Final EIS

According to the November 2006 Final Environmental Impact Statement issued by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), Executive Summary:

The New York City Zoning Resolution prohibits arenas within 200 feet of residential districts as some of the operations could be incompatible with districts limited primarily to residential use. (Arenas are permitted in most commercial districts allowing for residential use.) The arena block is adjacent to a residential district to the south, and accordingly, the arena has been designed to minimize its presence and effect on the residential uses on these blocks. Primary entrances and signage would be oriented toward the crossroads of two major commercial thoroughfares and away from these residences. Two primarily residential buildings (Buildings 2 and 3) on the arena block would occupy most of the Dean Street frontage, serving as a buffer between uses. However, the preferred seating entry and entry to the loading area would be located on Dean Street and, while security screening and loading functions would take place entirely within the building, the residences along this street would experience some localized adverse impacts. 

(all emphases added)

Note that there was no statement about where workers would enter, which turned out to be Dean Street.

Also note the misleading notion of "primary entrances" oriented toward the commercial crossroads. There's only one primary entrance.

The term "primary entrances" was again used in Chapter 3, Land Use:

GEICO Main Entrance: seven double doors (+ Starbucks)

As also noted above, the arena has been designed to avoid and minimize operational effects to the extent feasible on adjacent and on-site residential uses by orienting the primary entrances and signage along Atlantic and Flatbush Avenue away from such residences and locating all servicing activities (e.g., deliveries, screening) internally.

But Chapter 8, Urban Design, more accurately described one primary entrance and other secondary entrances:

The arena’s primary entrance would be located at the Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue intersection; secondary entrances would be located on Atlantic Avenue and Dean Street.

Calvin Klein VIP Entrance, Atlantic Ave.

This left the impression, not inaccurate based on the graphic above, that the secondary entrances on Atlantic and Dean would be roughly commensurate in size.

A change in 2009

Then things changed, when the arena was redesigned and shrunken, part of a revised project plan re-approved in 2009. According to the ESDC's June 2009 Technical Memorandum:

The VIP entry to the arena would be relocated to Atlantic Avenue, although an entrance from Dean Street would remain.

According to the Technical Memorandum:

The proposed access and circulation reconfigurations would not create any notable changes to the site’s urban design; while the VIP entry to the arena would be relocated to Atlantic Avenue, a secondary arena entrance on Dean Street would remain.
...Although the arena’s VIP entry would be relocated to Atlantic Avenue from Dean Street, this would affect only a relatively small number of arena pedestrian trips, and a substantial change in pedestrian flow patterns is not anticipated. There would continue to be a secondary entrance for arena patrons located on Dean Street as assumed in the FEIS.

The shift is understated, but it's significant.

Dean Street loading dock, worker entrance at left near
EmblemHealth Dean Entrance

Yes, "a secondary entrance" would remain, though at least some language in the Final EIS left the impression that the only function as of 2006 of the Dean entrance was for preferred seating, leading to the not unreasonable conclusion that the shift in the locations for VIPs would mean no functions for Dean shift.

Note that a "preferred seating entry" is not the same as a "secondary entrance."

Again, there was no mention of where the workers would enter--and, for that matter, go across the street to smoke, hang out.

The oprating arena


As I wrote in June 2012, then-arena General Manager John Sparks estimated that between 70-75% of arena visitors would enter the arena from the arena plaza (with new subway entrance), 5-10% of the crowd, mainly suiteholders, would enter on the VIP entrance on Atlantic Avenue, with another 5-10% going through small entrance on Atlantic near Sixth Avenue.

Atlantic Avenue exit doors

Sparks also said that the “mid-sized” entrance on Dean Street would accommodate arena staff--estimated at 800 people for major events--as well as some 20% of attendees, which could mean 3,600 people.


In other words, Dean Street, though clearly secondary to the plaza entrance, was by far the largest of the secondary entrances.

The photo at left shows two clusters of three double doors on Atlantic Avenue--on in the foreground, another down the block--used only to exit the arena.

Flatbush Avenue near Dean Street exit

That makes nine sets of double doors on Atlantic, counting the two entrances (VIP and EmblemHealth), but, again, only to exit. There's too little room on the sidewalk outside to make it a plausible entrance.

At right is the "secret"--as in unrevealed in documents, as far as I know--exit from the arena at Flatbush Avenue just west of Dean Street.

Going forward

It will be interesting to see what happens when, as noted in the FEIS, "two primarily residential buildings (Buildings 2 and 3) on the arena block would occupy most of the Dean Street frontage, serving as a buffer between uses."

Presumably those residents--adding significantly to the Dean Street population--will have their own concerns about Barclays Center crowds in the morning and evening, and surely even greater concerns if the arena can't solve the problem of bass penetrating nearby residences.

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A drummer busking at the Barclays Center plaza? Never, except when it's "Hello Playoffs"

The Barclays Center plaza (sponsored by the Daily News) has not exactly been a nurturing ground for buskers. I haven't seen the official policy, but anyone who tries anything that might draw a crowd routinely gets shooed away.

After all, it's not a public space. It's a privately-managed, publicly-accessible space.

On Monday, April 22, Yesterday, however, as the photo and video show, there was indeed a drummer on the plaza.

As the video suggests, he was even collecting money from enthusiastic onlookers.

I know this may sound like a stretch, but is it remotely possible that the #HelloPlayoffs t-shirt and tub wrapper were sanctioned and supported by the Brooklyn Nets?

Is Stephen Witt, street musician and author of a book rather favorable to the arena and its developer, up next?

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At the arena plaza, a McCartney announcement, a persistent rat, and a hint of the coming "Brooklyn Skybox"

Yesterday was a big day for arena hype, notably a public announcement that Paul McCartney will bring his 2013 "Out There" tour to the Barclays Center on June 8 and 10.

AM New York provided a photo of the promotion led by Borough President Marty Markowitz and arena CEO Brett Yormark, complete with a Union Jack and faux Royal Guards.

According to Markowitz:

"It's been a 'Long and Winding Road' and never 'In My Life' would I have guessed that my favorite knight would be leaving the Queen to come to the glorious county of Kings -- so let's all 'Come Together' and celebrate."

Funny, every time Madison Square Garden signs a tour, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer doesn't feel compelled to promote it.

And even though the Daily News labeled it a "publicity stunt," the newspaper--a sponsor of the arena plaza--posted an article with several photographs.

Below, the message in the oculus.

At left, a photo circulated by Markowitz's office via Twitter.

In the oculus

The wider view

See below for the concert banner at left under the oculus and, in the distance, the union rat put up as part of a union protest.

Brooklyn SkyBox coming

In the photo above, note the "Coming Soon" sign for, as here's Park Slope reported, "Brooklyn SkyBox" Coming to Barclays Area:

A new billboard has gone up on top of the building that will next be home to Shake Shack, on the south side of Flatbush Avenue directly across the street from the Barclays Center, advertising Brooklyn SkyBox, "The ultimate sports viewing experience," coming soon.
There's a Twitter handle set up, and the concept already seems to be pretty fleshed out. Looks like it'll be a "stadium inspired restaurant that features sports viewing, roof top lounge, fine dining, food concessions, event rentals, arcades and games," according to the description, and apparently they've already worked out a partnership with Pepsi. It also appears as if it's owned by Drummond & Drummond LLC, a management and holding company.

Where exactly is it located? Brownstoner reported:

We hear that the exact location is 604 Pacific Street, right off Flatbush Avenue, where it will open by the end of this year. The owner, Michael Drummond, plans to set up a restaurant, rooftop dining, big-screen TV and arcade. He’s also in touch with the North Flatbush Avenue BID with the assurance that the venue is community friendly and will be a good neighbor.

The location? The former furniture store once supposed to house a gastropub. Note that the Twitter location above is "Atlantic Yards, Brooklyn, NY."

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Not quite as promised: Barclays Center scoreboard can barely be seen from plaza, drowned out by flashing band of advertising

Also see how roof signage is actually visible from the street and the delayed buildout was supposed to bring amenities to sites B3 and B4.

A 2/1/12 New York Observer article, Waiting for Bruce: The Commercial Observer Tours Atlantic Yards Arena, reported:

Band of advertising in foreground, scoreboard lower left

“It’s going to be the only court in the league where you can literally watch the game from the street outside,” [developer] Mr. [Bruce] Ratner said, pointing out the arena’s embrace of the surrounding community.

So, is there a transparent view into the arena bowl and scoreboard?

Not at all. Actually, there's a fractional view impeded by a layer of advertising inside the arena lobby. Consider it a metaphor of sorts.

Promises, promises

Arena architect Gregg Pasquarelli, in a public meeting 9/29/10, cited "From the public space, one can see into the bowl, and can see the scoreboard... something we don't know that's at any other arena, but something that's really fantastic."

"When you get to the top of the stairs. you have this remarkable transparent view into the bowl," Forest City Ratner executive MaryAnne Gilmartin told NY1 on 9/14/12. "You can see the scoreboard and the building invites you in. When you pop out of the subway, you're standing right in front of the arena at its doorstep."

Outside arena doors, band of advertising comes first

"A new subway entrance, tucked under a canted lawn, would open onto the plaza," Architectural Record reported 9/18/12, "from which the scoreboards inside the arena would be visible, creating the link between sidewalk and interior that Gehry had envisioned."

When, on 9/27/10, Forest City Ratner unveiled designs for the arena plaza, the Times reported, "Fans and passers-by will be able to view the scoreboard over the sunken basketball court in the arena."

On 7/19/11, the Times offered an update, suggesting that "people walking past the arena will be able to look in and view the scoreboard suspended over the court." 

 What was promised
 
From the 2006 Design Guidelines: "The Arena façade shall include transparent elements in the Atlantic Avenue and Flatbush Avenue street walls allowing for views into the arena concourse from the adjoining sidewalks."

Indeed, the second-level concourse is visible from the Flatbush and Atlantic Avenue sidewalks. The bigger question involves the scoreboard.

From the ESDC's June 2009 Modified GPP:

The Arena is designed to allow passersby to see into the "bowl" of the Arena and view the  scoreboard from the Urban Room and Flatbush Avenue.

From the ESDC's June 2009 Technical Memorandum,

The design of the arena would change notably from the Frank Gehry design ... However, the arena would still conform to the GPP’s Design Guidelines noted in the FEIS, and it would still be possible to view the interior of the arena and the scoreboard from certain vantage points in the surrounding area, including along Flatbush Avenue.

A video from the plaza

The scoreboard is obscured by the advertising, but it is possible to see it.



From this angle, the scoreboard is obscured even more.



Only from one very limited area of Flatbush Avenue can the scoreboard be seen.



Another view from the plaza, including views of the oculus, the band of advertising inside the entrance, and the scoreboard.



This view focuses on the scoreboard at first; It's visible, but the flashing advertising in the foreground takes precedence.

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Did greenmarkets, holiday fairs, and community programming come to the Barclays Center plaza? So far, promotional activities

The Barclays Center plaza was announced with some big promises.

"Forest City Ratner is very interested in working with the community to find out what the right kind of programming is," arena architect Gregg Pasquarelli said 9/29/10. "We just looked at examples around the city... whether it's something as simple as cafe seating… Wouldn't it be great to have to have a live digital feed of Prospect Park on the inside of the oculus?"

Neither have arrived, other than very limited cafe seating associated with Starbucks.

Also possible, Pasquarelli suggested, were fashion shows "or maybe a movie night, which we think would be fantastic… bring chairs, blankets,... you could actually project the film on the inside of the oculus... what would actually happen be determined in the future in combination with the community."

Nothing of the sort has happened. There is, of course, still time for plaza programming to emerge, and for the emerging BID (business improvement district) to take charge.

Craig Barritt/Getty Images North America

But so far the plaza has been used more for promotional activities such as the AmexUnlocks promotion (above right) last October, in which fans could make videos that could get them into Nets games, or the Advil Relief in Action hype last week (left).

Urban Room promises

There was never supposed to be a plaza in the first place: Atlantic Yards was justified as a net gain in tax revenues because of a giant office tower at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush avenues.

According to the July 2006 General Project Plan released by the Empire State Development Corporation, the ground floor space surrounding the new subway entrance was part of a soaring  atrium, an Urban Room, built into that flagship tower:

An Urban Room connected to the Arena will serve as a significant public amenity by accommodating the major flows of people to and from the transit center during the day and night, serving as a direct subway entrance to the Arena and allowing for a variety of public uses and programmed events throughout the year.

Andy Wiley-Schwartz, then of Project for Public Spaces, in 2006 called the Urban Room "the most important public space in the plan, because it will have the most people in it. And it has a subway entrance. And they have agreed to keep the subway entrance open all the time. You’d hope that there would be public things of interest, like the Christmas market at Grand Central, so it would be programmed in a way that would make it a destination."

Gotham Gazette reported, in an August 2006 article on open space:

It is also not clear whether the 10,000-square-foot "Urban Room" in the arena will function as intended. "It is being marketed as the Grand Central for Brooklyn, but it's configured like it's going to be a lobby to the arena," said [Jasper] Goldman [of the Municipal Art Society]. "Will it function as a public space given that?"
"We do hope people use the Urban Room to access activities at the arena," said [Joe] DePlasco of Forest City Ratner. "But beyond that, we hope that it is a comfortable place to just sit, rest, and watch other people. There will be programming there as well, including music, art displays and other activities."

For now, of course, the urban plaza has been mostly a waiting area for the arena, with event-related vendor sales.

Urban Room revised

The June 2009 Modified General Project Plan maintained the same outcome:

An Urban Room connected to the Arena will serve as a significant public amenity by accommodating the major flows of people to and from the transit center during the day and night, serving as a direct subway entrance to the Arena and allowing for a variety of public uses and programmed events throughout the year.

Key: 7 = retail kiosk + stadium seating; #8 = performance surface

However, the associated Technical Memorandum acknowledged delays, with a "for illustrative purposes only" image (above) that, from today's perspective, seems fanciful, given the very limited greenery and lack of amenities:

Until Building 1 construction commences, the future Urban Room area at the southeast corner of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues would be occupied by an outdoor urban plaza. The urban plaza would follow the basic use and design principles of the Urban Room in order to create a significant public amenity. It is anticipated that the plaza would include the following elements:
• Trees in planters, to provide shade;
• Retail kiosks that incorporate stoop-like bleacher seating into their structure. These kiosks
could provide food and beverages or other retail uses;
• Social seating (benches and fixed tables) as well as loose seating;
• The new transit entrance, which will be provided even if there is a delay in the construction of Building 1;
• A prominent sculptural element, such as a large piece of public art; and
• A generously sized, flexible program space to allow for formal and informal public uses
such as outdoor performances, temporary markets, art installations, and seating.
... As described above, the plaza also would include small kiosks for retail and café use... This interim use of the Urban Room area would be designed by the project
sponsor to provide a usable, welcoming amenity for the surrounding neighborhood.

Optimism in 2010 

Forest City Ratner executive MaryAnne Gilmartin, according to the 6/16/10 Real Deal, also predicted much activity:

The area in front of the arena will house 12,000 square feet of open space, she said, and a rebuilt subway entrance (previously in disuse) covered with flowering plants. There will be benches and seating in the plaza, along with retail shops, and the space will house greenmarkets and other outdoor events, she said.

When the plaza design was unveiled in September 2010, the New York Observer accepted some Ratner optimism, in Fashion Week When  to Atlantic Yards?:

Though it will someday be capped by a sizable office tower, a new SHoP-designed public plaza at the entrance to the under-construction Brooklyn Nets arena was unveiled today. The key features of the roughly 39,000-square-foot plaza are a greenroof-capped subway entrance and a large oculus at the prow of the arena with programmable, wrap-around displays. Everything from live game footage to Prospect Park live-cams has been contemplated.

"We're very excited about the programming opportunities for this space," Gilmartin said at a 9/29/10 public meeting. "We're looking at the possibility of a farmer's market, movie nights, and other events and festivities.

When, on 9/28/10, the plaza was unveiled, the press release was headlined PLAZA AT BARCLAYS CENTER TO INCLUDE NEW TRANSIT ENTRANCE WITH GREEN ROOF, LANDSCAPING AND OPEN SPACE FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING:

The Plaza, which will serve as the primary entryway to the arena, integrates a new transit entrance with environmentally conscious landscaping, intimate seating areas and flexible open space that can be used for community programming and arena events. The Plaza will be sponsored by ADT, one of the founding partners of the Barclays Center.

(Emphasis added)

Now, the plaza is sponsored by the New York Daily News, from which many encouraging words are heard.

Like a park?

The press release quoted the developer:

"We of course want the Plaza to function well as a gateway to the Barclays Center," Mr. Ratner said. "But it was also designed much like a park so it can be programmed for community events and diverse activities, such as a greenmarket and holiday fairs."

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Barclays Center Starbucks extends seating to plaza under oculus

Starbucks now offers seating under the oculus at the Barclays Center plaza. How soon until other vendors arrive?

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Two observations on the Nets game last night: the value of dark lighting (it obscures empty seats) and that photogenic arena plaza

I watched part of the Brooklyn Nets' second home game last night, via the YES Network, and offer two observations on top of the copious coverage in the sports press.

How many empty seats?

First, given the theatrical lighting and dark seating, it's tough to tell how full the arena is. (Remember, Forest City Ratner executive VP MaryAnne Gilmartin told the Daily News last month, "Also, I'm not going to lie, you can tell when an arena is empty. No one knows how good the team is going to be and we don't want the space to ever look empty. We even thought about designing seats that look like they have people in them.")

So I had to read Dave D'Alessandro's column in Newark's Star-Ledger, For the Nets, the atmosphere inside the Barclays Center wasn't so great in their second home game, to learn that the lower bowl had a lot of empty seats. He wrote:

But we do know NBA interiors, and we can appreciate authentic human noise, and we can report the following: This place doesn’t have it. Yet. No, it’s not as tranquil as Jersey, but it’s not exactly Oklahoma City, either.
When an NBA arena is real, the noise has a certain pitch to it. It isn’t just loud, it penetrates you all the way to the marrow. It says this to opponents who trespass: This is a dangerous place.
And it’s not with those phony, wish-we-were-big-time methods you get at most buildings.
So we were hoping this would be one of those authentic NBA places, such as Boston or Chicago or Madison Square Garden. Instead, we saw a lower bowl that was only half full when the game started, and barely two-thirds full by halftime. They trotted out some chromium-plated thing with a cape called “Brooklyknight” — one word — to excite the crowd.
And, as expected, it was wall-to-wall artificial noise.
...There were some old time NBA guys who felt the same way, who assert that Saturday’s opener — a genuinely inspiring triumph over Toronto — was different.

The official attendance was 14,017 out of 17,732, but reported attendance indicates tickets distributed, not people in seats.

Should a Monday night, post-Sandy, have been a sellout for a new team? Surely not--at least not at the prices they charge.

But I bet if and when they decide to discount strategically, we'll see the bowl fill up..

That arena plaza

The television camera loves establishing shots of the arena. Apparently, that Barclays Center sign on the arena roof is not illuminated. Instead, we see the oculus, with that Barclays Center sign, and the illuminated arena plaza.

The temporary plaza.

It may be a nice place to gather, but there wasn't supposed to be a plaza. There was supposed to be an Urban Room, an atrium at the based of Building 1, once known as Miss Brooklyn. An office tower full of jobs, the presence of which was crucial to the financial projections regarding Atlantic Yards.

That office tower is on long-term hold. The cameras don't know.

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Welcome to the Daily News Plaza; new signage goes up

Now you don't just have to look down at the bricks to know you're at the Daily News Plaza.

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The "Topless Paparazzo" comes to the Barclays Center plaza (well, the edge), provokes much gawking

If the Barclays Center plaza is Brooklyn's new Times Square, well, it got one affirmation yesterday, as a topless woman--Holly Van Voast/Harvey Van Toast the “topless paparazzo” who has crashed several public events--appeared at the Flatbush Avenue edge of the plaza for at least two hours before Jay-Z show.

Her presence provoked gawking, tittering, much photo-taking, and some definite alarm from adults chaperoning kids.

I conducted a brief interview while trying not to look at her directly.

It wasn't a protest, she said. "This is an art project. It's like an entertainment project." Her goal, as the Daily Beast reported, is "a reality show about her life with her group of friends in the underground drag-performance scene in New York,"

Given that the plaza is publicly accessible, privately managed space, the "topless paparazzo" could be barred from entering the plaza. But toplessness is legal as long is it's not for commercial purposes.

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