Gehry Completely Out of Brookyn

If it seemed that Frank Gehry would remain on as the master planner of Atlantic Yards, the architect is completely out of the project, reports the New York Times. "An award-winning architect, Mr. Gehry will not be designing any of the 17 buildings planned for the 22-acre development in Brooklyn on which he has labored for the past six years, a spokesman for the architect confirmed Wednesday." Over at the architectural desk, Nicolai Ourousoff blasts the decision to replace Gehry's arena with a design by architecture firm Ellerbe Becke. "If it is ever built, it will create a black hole in the heart of a vital neighborhood. But what’s most offensive about the design is the message it sends to New Yorkers. Architecture, we are being told, is something decorative and expendable, a luxury we can afford only in good times, or if we happen to be very rich. What’s most important is to build, no matter how thoughtless or dehumanizing the results. It is the kind of logic that kills cities — and that has been poisoning this one for decades." [NYT]