If Barclays Center gets built, how long before it's obsolete?

from AYR:

[

If Barclays Center gets built, how long before it's obsolete?

This is the seventh of a multi-part interview (conducted May 28) with Neil deMause, the Brooklyn-based co-author of the book Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit, and writer of the companion web site. He testified at a 3/29/07 Congressional hearing that questioned taxpayer financing of stadiums, convention centers, and hotels.

Q. Economist Mark Rosentraub, in your book, says something like, if you’re not prepared for major changes in your sports facility by its second decade, you’re being pollyanish. Let’s say Frank Gehry’s designing the best arena of its time. How long would it last before it needs to be reworked?

A. Well, [Seattle's] Key Arena was rebuilt in '94; now the Sonics are trying to move to Oklahoma City, that’s 14 years. [They have since gotten the OK to move.]

It depends on what you mean by reworked--torn down and rebuilt, or have some new things added? I think there will always be new technology that teams want, or new things that someone else will come up with and will make more revenue, and they’ll say, we need some of those too, the question is what you can retrofit, how much it costs and who pays for it.

At one point, I asked that to Rod Fort, an economist at the University of Michigan. His response was, Well, from the perspective of the owner, if you’re not paying for it, I don’t see anything wrong with a new arena every year.
.......................................

not only is Ratner 'not paying for it' he is profitting, enormously directly from the public coffers...What will happen to the 'old' barclays's center it will become the eyesore that most of us already know it is on paper...lets not forget that its sold by hucksters like Markowitz as cutting edge Frank Gehery design...first of all, Gehery the architect of the global elite - is an dinosaur - designing wasteful, non functional, fluff that has become the 'brand' of global corporations - but like much fashionable things will look horrible when it becomes dated..and if the main selling point of the building is that it is cutting edge design, that value diminishes the day its completed...

If Ratner is not investigated, and maintains his corrupt influence on government, I do not doubt that he will ask for a new stadium in 10 years and line up politicians to once again raid the public coffers. Prospect Heights will be left with an enormous neigborhood busting eyesore...