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Retracting the Retractable Roof Retraction

Retracting the Retractable Roof Retraction

Brooklyn has been called the borough of blogs, which probably explains why that’s where the big city papers are all launching their hyperlocal efforts. First there was the TimesFort Greene blog, and now the Post is getting in on the act—not surprisingly, we were notified about the new venture by the king of Brooklyn blogs, Brownstoner. While the Times has wound up with some odd, interesting mix of community driven news, the Post remains, at least in its first two posts, a decidely top-down affair, though this is not exactly a bad thing. Indeed, the inaugural post for the Post looks at borough president Marty Markowitz renewed efforts to include a retractable roof at the Grimshaw-designed concert pavilion at Asser Levy park, which we first unveiled back in April.

At the time, we were told the designers were very excited about the possibility of a retractable roof, but it was deemed not only too expensive to construct but also to maintain, given the salty air out at Coney Island. (If you’re wondering what they had in mind, it was very much the parachute-like roof at the Commerzbank Arena in Frankfurt.) The Post suggests Markowitz sees the retractable roof as a way to assuage the project’s neighbors who find it unsightly, but since the $64 billion price tag has already caused a stir, Markowitz would appear to be jumping out of a sinking ship and into the roiling sea: “Adding a retractable roof would likely increase construction fees by at least $3.5 million, sources said. And that doesn’t include anticipated increases in daily maintenance costs to deal with the seaside’s corrosive air.” Construction remains at least a year away, so anything could happen by then. Grimshaw has yet to reply to requests for comment.


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