Results tagged “namingrights”

Michael Jackson was not a New Yorker, but that doesn't mean this city isn't trying to make him an honorary one posthumously. Block parties, amusement park rides, and now a tribute underground? City Councilwoman Letitia James wants a plaque in tribute to the performer placed at Brooklyn's Hoyt-Schermerhorn station... and has even suggested "Jackson" be added to station name. Okay, well, he did film his Martin Scorsese-directed "Bad" video there, so maybe it makes sense to put up a dedication, but it seems unlikely that anyone will ever call it the Hoyt-Schermerhorn-Jackson stop. In fact, MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz said a tribute of any kind is unlikely. Sounds harsh, but he added that they prohibit station plaques of any kind. Still, James says she's going to start a petition, "Having Michael Jackson visit and moonwalk at this station was a huge deal not only for Brooklyn, but all of New York in the '80s. And renaming this station in his honor would put it on the map and help ensure that people don't forget." If that doesn't happen, maybe we can just all think of the JMZ line (sans Z) as the MJ line from now on.

Earlier this month it was announced that naming rights to certain locations around the city would be up for grabs to anyone with a few million bucks. Of course the city needs money, but is it right to strip away the history behind certain places? The Brooklyn Paper reports that there's some uproar over the re-naming of McCarren Park Pool, which might go on the block for $3 million, originally named for Senator Henry Patrick McCarren (D-Greenpoint). The Pool Aid folks have set up a petition, currently holding about 165 signatures, and the founder told the paper, “This is not a rootless community that just sprang up. We have a history, and we are seeing it just torn down before our eyes everyday. He is an important guy, he is a benefactor to this community, and he deserves to have his name on the institutions he worked to create." McCarren died in 1909, and you can learn more about his life and death in his New York Times obituary, as well as this Bowery Boys profile.

Today the MTA board is expected to approve a deal to sell the naming rights to the sprawling subway terminal at Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street in downtown Brooklyn to Barclays, the London-based bank that has also bought naming rights to the embattled Nets arena project, which might one day actually exist nearby. It's been five years since the MTA first welcomed proposals from corporations interested in buying station naming rights, and on Monday the authority quietly revealed that Barclays was the first taker, for $4 million, to be paid in yearly installments of $200,000 a year for 20 years, according to the Times.

You know how the Queens Museum of Art was offering up miniature real estate on their panorama? It's pretty much the only place you can put your name on a landmark or apartment for such a low price. Well, now for some more coin you can put your name on the life-size versions of things! The NY Post reports that if you have $5 million to spare, your name could grace Central Park's tennis center, and for around $2 million you could sponsor the Chelsea Recreation Center. Times are tough, so any name will do! The list of available locations that will gladly accept your cash and take on your name include the restored pool in Williamsburg's McCarren Park (maybe Vice or American Apparel has $3 million for this one); "the track and field house proposed for Ocean Breeze Park on Staten Island ($2 million); and the sports facility being built at Mill Pond Park near Yankee Stadium in The Bronx ($2 million)." Since there is no advertising allowed in parks, the cash will get the donor a plaque, perhaps with a corporate logo. Are we that far away from walking across the Brooklyn Bridge presented by Verizon Wireless?

Consider those Wall Street Journal-fueled hopes that CitiField would be something else , as both the Mets and CitiGroup say they are going ahead with their $400 million, 20-year agreement. Mets VP of business affairs David Howard tells Newsday, "The Wall Street Journal got it wrong. Citi contacted us this morning and they reinforced that they will honor the legally binding agreement that they have with us. They have consistently said to us that they will honor the agreement." And Citi released a statement, "Citi signed a legally binding agreement with the New York Mets in 2006. No TARP [Troubled Asset Relief Program] capital will be used for Citi Field or for marketing purposes." And yesterday, Howard explained to Newsday, "Superficially, I understand [the public's reaction. But the reality is, the TARP recipients were companies the federal government thought were vital to our economy. To continue doing business, they still need to advertise."

Put any thoughts of the new Giants-Jets Stadium being named Mara Field (after the recently deceased and beloved Giants owner Wellington Mara) far from your heads. Sports marketing experts believe that the value of slapping a corporation's name on the arena, which is expected to be completed in 2010 and cost $1.3 billion, could generate revenues of $25 million to $30 million annually for the two teams. In comparison, the Mets are charging Citigroup $20 million annually for 20 years to name the team's new stadium in Queens Citi Field.