Conception and ground-breaking
The idea for this multi-purpose indoor arena was proposed in 2004 by Bruce Renter of Forest City Ratner Companies, the creators of projects like the Metrotech Center and the New York Times Building. He brought on AECOM and SHoP Architects to design an arena that could become home to his NBA team, the Brooklyn Nets, and hold multiple large-scale sports and entertainment events. The result was the creation of one of the world’s biggest indoor sports centers with the capacity to accommodate 17,732 basketball fans, 15795 ice hockey spectators, and 16,000 MMA and boxing fans. Not only that, but it also can hold concerts for up to 17,000 people.
The construction of the center started in March 2010, after many delays due to active lawsuits and some funding issues. The arena opened its doors to the first guests for Jay-Z concert events in September 2012. All eight concerts were sold out, and the Barclays Center has since hosted international music superstars such as Barbra Streisand, the Rolling Stones, and Beyonce, to name a few. The successful events hosted by the center have helped it earn the highest ranking in terms of event attendance and revenue generated from respectable publications like Billboard, Onstage, and Pollstar.
