About Barclays Center in New York, NY
Barclays Center is located in the heart of Brooklyn. It’s home to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and NHL’s New York Islanders. It opened on September 28, 2012 with a Jay-Z concert and since then has hosted everything from sports games to music festivals to political rallies. The venue has a capacity of about 18,000 for concerts and 21,000 for basketball games. It also has 77 luxury suites that can hold up to 16 people each (1,152 total).
As of January 2019, 2,500 people work at Barclays Center full or part time—more than the population of many small towns! That number includes sales representatives who sell tickets directly through Ticketmaster as well as those who work at concession stands inside the arena where you buy your food during events at Barclays Center.
Construction
Construction on Barclays Center began in 2009, with the arena being completed in 2012 at a final cost of $1 billion. The construction was funded by Bruce Ratner and overseen by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The arena was designed by architect Frank Gehry and AECOM (now AECOM Hunt).
Grand opening
Barclays Center opened in September 2012 with a star-studded opening ceremony featuring Jay-Z, Bruce Ratner, and the New York Islanders hockey team. Since then, it’s become a hot spot for concerts and sporting events.
In 2013 Billy Joel broke his own record for most shows at one venue by performing 24 nights in a row at Barclays Center—a record that still stands today. That same year also saw Brooklyn native Kevin Garnett play his first game as a member of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team at Barclays Center.
In 2014, the arena hosted its first NBA All-Star Game where Giannis Antetokounmpo won MVP honors after scoring 30 points—the highest single-game total ever scored by an All Star in history!
Brooklyn Nets basketball team
The Brooklyn Nets are a professional basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1967 as an expansion franchise under the name New Jersey Americans and played under that name until its relocation to Long Island following the 1977–78 season. During its first decade, with players including Julius Erving and Kenny Anderson leading the way, they were successful both on and off-court.
In 1978, they became known as the New York Nets while playing their home games at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island before moving back to their current home at Barclays Center (then named “Barclays Center”) before 2012–13 when it opened after being built next door to their former arena since 2004.
In 2012 Brookyln purchased majority interest from Mikhail Prokhorov’s holding company ONEXIM Sports & Entertainment; Prokhorov was chairman of both organizations until selling his remaining stake upon completion of sale transaction for $35 million USD.
Bruce Ratner, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. developer
Founded in 1994 by Bruce Ratner, Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp. is a New York City real estate development company that has built many properties in the area. The Barclays Center is its most notable project to date, but it also owns and operates several other venues:
• The Apollo Theater
• Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) — home to film festivals, music concerts and operas
• Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory — an ice cream shop that’s open year-round
New York Islanders hockey team
The New York Islanders are a professional hockey team based in Brooklyn, New York. The team was founded in 1972 and is a member of the Metropolitan Division of the National Hockey League’s Eastern Conference.
Billy Joel’s record-breaking run
In 2013, Billy Joel had an impressive run of shows. In the span of just three months, the singer performed his final show at Madison Square Garden, his final show at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and his final show at Barclays Center—all venues where he had previously played for decades. The occasion was marked by a sold-out concert that featured many guest performers including Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen as well as a performance by Tony Bennett.
Barclays Center – site of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game
As a venue, Barclays Center is home to both the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and NHL’s New York Islanders. The arena was also the site of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, which saw LeBron James and Kevin Durant lead Team LeBron to a victory over Team Stephen. The arena has seen some incredible performances from some of music’s biggest stars over the years including Jay-Z, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Billy Joel (who holds the record for longest run at any single location with 13 consecutive shows), Rihanna and many more!
Contact Info
- Address: 620 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217
- Phone Number: (718) 613-6100
- Website: https://www.barclayscenter.com
- Twitter: @barclayscenter
- Instagram: @barclayscenter
Bottom Line
The Barclays Center is located in the heart of Brooklyn, New York City. It is home to both the Brooklyn Nets basketball team and the New York Islanders hockey team. It has hosted many big name concerts from the likes of Jay-Z, Billy Joel, Beyonce and many others. The stadium was built by Forest City Ratner and opened on September 28th 2012.
