Going Yard on Bruce

Michelle Williams, actress, Boerum Hill
“His vision will increase traffic, pollution and asthma. If Mr. Ratner
lived here, he would understand what we love about it and why we want
to preserve our open skies.”

Peter Galassi, chief curator, Department of Photography, MOMA,
Fort Greene
“The problem with this development is that it’s radically out
of scale. It’s like four Empire State Buildings in the center of
Brooklyn.”

Jonathan Lethem, writer, “The Fortress of Solitude,”
Boerum Hill
“The simplest thing got my attention: a link to the drawings of what
the towers will look like. In that outlandish [Atlantic Yards] brochure,
the towers are so desperately hidden. To sell towers with a brochure that
hides them is almost a confession. To oppose Atlantic Yards not to fight
housing, jobs, or even an arena; it is to fight the particular array of
inappropriate proposals and ask that we begin again with a set of goals
identified by a coalition.”

Susette Kelo, eminent domain opponent, Connecticut
“It’s disheartening that these cities and states are allowed
to take properties from homeowners for no better reason than to give it
to someone else.”

Frances Marrone, architecture critic, Brooklyn Heights
“Brooklyn has the most spectacular intact contiguous stretch of 19th-century
architecture anywhere in the United States. It’s a national treasure
and we shouldn’t play fast and loose with that. It’s like building
gigantic towers on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Frank Gehry is a California
architect. His work is suited to Southern California, not Brooklyn.”

Steve Buscemi, actor, Park Slope
“[The city] talks about changing the skyline — the face —
of Brooklyn, as if Brooklyn needs it. It is already a cultural beacon.
I don’t think it’s in our interest to make this borough another
city that resembles Manhattan.”

Marian Fontana, 9-11 widow, Park Slope
“I think it will change the character of the neighborhood. As a firefighter’s
wife, my concern is also that they recently closed a lot of firehouses
in the area and there will not enough companies to cover the population
that will be there. They haven’t carefully considered the safety
issues of having a transit hub underneath those buildings. It could be
a prime terror target, and they haven’t even considered that.”