New York City bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics

Last updated

Bids for the
2012 (2012) Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Overview
Games of the XXX Olympiad
XIV Paralympic Games
New York City 2012 Olympic bid logo.svg
Winner: London
Runner-up: Paris
Shortlist: Madrid · Moscow · New York City
Details
City New York City, USA
NOC U.S. Olympic Committee
Evaluation
IOC score7.5
Previous Games hosted
None
Decision
ResultEliminated in the 2nd round of voting
Scored fourth at 7.5, although it scored first in the "Accommodation" category,
sharing a 10 with Paris and London.

The New York City 2012 Olympic bid was one of the five short-listed bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics, ultimately won by London.

Contents

New York City's Olympic bid was managed by a private non-profit organization, NYC 2012, founded by Daniel L. Doctoroff, then the managing director of Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity firm. [1] Doctoroff thought of bringing the Olympic Games to New York after witnessing New York's international sports fans at a 1994 FIFA World Cup match in Giants Stadium. He then built a team to help craft a plan for staging the Games. Seven years later, Doctoroff resigned as President of NYC2012 to join the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, but he continued to lead New York's Olympic Bid as Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding.

Two of the biggest projects proposed as part of the bid were the revival of the East River waterfront, including the construction of an Olympic Village across the river from the United Nations Headquarters and an aquatics center in Brooklyn, and the construction of West Side Stadium, which was supposed to have led to the comprehensive redevelopment of the Far West Side of Manhattan. Other projects that were part of the bid included a rowing course in Queens, a velodrome in the South Bronx, a marina along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, an equestrian center on Staten Island, and the refurbishment of the historic 369th Regiment Armory in Harlem.

Venues

Metronome monument in Union Square in livery for serving as a countdown clock to the 2012 Olympic host city selection event. NYC2012USCClock.jpg
Metronome monument in Union Square in livery for serving as a countdown clock to the 2012 Olympic host city selection event.

Olympic venues would have been spread around the city, had it been selected for the Olympics. [2]

Olympic Village

The Village would have been located on the East River Waterfront of Queens across from the United Nations Headquarters. During the Olympics and Paralympics, it would have housed more than 16,000 athletes and coaches. Costing an estimate of $1.5 billion, the Village would include plazas and shops, restaurants, acres of green landscape, training centers and fields, a private dining hall, religious centers, and ferry and train service. Post-Olympic plans would provide world-class residential housing for up to 18,000 New York residents. The area would have been designed by Morphosis Architects as the heart and crossroad of New York's Olympic X Plan.

Olympic Square (Manhattan)

Olympic Park (Queens)

Olympic Riverfront (Bronx)

Elsewhere in the metropolitan area

Brooklyn

Staten Island

Long Island

New Jersey

Elsewhere in the United States (football preliminaries)

West Side Stadium

An Olympic Stadium on the West Side of Manhattan had been part of NYC2012's plan since 2000, when the organization's blueprint for the Games was formally unveiled to the public. Host to Opening and Closing Ceremonies and Athletics competitions, the West Side Stadium would have sat adjacent to the Jacob Javits Convention Center, host to six Olympic sports, Olympic Square Park, and a new 40+ story office tower that would have housed Olympic broadcasters in 2012.

The Stadium's construction was scheduled to proceed regardless of whether New York was awarded the 2012 Olympic Games. The project was to be paid for by the New York Jets ($800 million), New York City ($300 million for infrastructure), and New York State ($300 million for the retractable roof). According to the project's promoters, the building's retractable roof, unnecessary for football, would make the stadium a flexible, multi-purpose facility. It would provide a long-term boost to New York's economy and would jump-start the development of Manhattan's Far West Side.

Local civic groups concerned with congestion and a changing neighborhood had long opposed its construction, and it historically had low citywide approval ratings. The project managed to stay largely out of the media and public spotlight until early 2004 when Cablevision released its first round of advertising against the Stadium. As the owner of Madison Square Garden, which is located just a few blocks from the site of the proposed Olympic Stadium, Cablevision saw the new facility as a potential threat to the Garden's share of concert, convention, and other major event business. [3]

Political opponents of New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, notably the contenders for the Democratic mayoral nomination, used the Stadium issue as a symbol that he was a billionaire who was out of touch with the needs of average New Yorkers. Cablevision spent over $30 million on negative advertising and political lobbying and even generated a competing proposal for development of the Stadium site. However, the Stadium was strongly supported by Bloomberg, who insisted that there was no alternate site for the Olympic Stadium and the project needed to be approved before the International Olympic Committee selected the Host City on July 6, 2005. Finally, on June 6, 2005, the Public Authorities Control Board rejected New York State's $300 million contribution for the project, eliminating the possibility that an Olympic Stadium on that site would be fully approved before the IOC's vote.

The City, working with NYC2012, quickly developed a backup plan, which called for a new ballpark for the New York Mets in Queens in the parking lot of Shea Stadium – later named Citi Field – to be completed for the 2009 baseball season; it was announced on June 12, 2005. The plan would've been to use the stadium for the 2012 Olympics while the Mets would play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for that year's baseball season. [1]

Post-bid development

Despite the bid's failure the greatest legacy of the NYC2012 bid has been large-scale development of areas of New York City that underwent rezoning in order to move forward with the NYC2012 bid. Manhattan's Hudson Yards and Brooklyn's waterfront in Williamsburg and Greenpoint both underwent rezoning revisions which were in part due to the region's planned roles as Olympic venues, including the controversial West Side Stadium. [4] [5] (The 7 Subway Extension, which was originally planned for the 2012 Olympic bid, was revised to serve the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project.) The development of the once industrial Queens West neighborhood on the East River may also have origins in the bid, as it was initially slated for development as the planned site of the Olympic Village. Following the Games, the site was to be bought by private developers and converted into condominiums. [6]

Potential future bid

Upon the USOC reaching a new revenue sharing agreement with the IOC in May 2012, New York had been mentioned as a potential candidate for the 2024 Summer Olympics, but then-Mayor Bill de Blasio decided not to pursue a bid in May 2014. [7] [8] Los Angeles became the US candidate following the withdrawal of Boston's bid. Los Angeles later secured the right to host the 2028 Summer Olympics while Paris (which competed with New York in the 2012 race) secured the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Citi Field & NYC FC Stadium

After the Olympic bid failed, the construction of Citi Field in Queens, now designated as the new home of the New York Mets, went on as scheduled; the Mets played their first game in the stadium in April 2009.

Adjacent to Citi Field, a new 25,000 seat soccer-specific stadium for New York City FC of Major League Soccer will be built in Willets Point and the surrounding area will be redeveloped. The new stadium will open in 2027.

Flushing Meadows Natatorium

Despite the bid's failure, construction of an aquatics center at Flushing Meadow Park went ahead. The Flushing Meadows Natatorium opened in 2008.

MetLife Stadium

After the West Side Stadium proposal was rejected, the NFL's New York Jets entered into a 50/50 partnership with the New York Giants to build a new stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey to replace Giants Stadium. The New Meadowlands Stadium (now MetLife Stadium) opened in 2010 and hosted Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. It will host eight matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup including the final. [9]

Barclays Center

The opening of the Barclays Center (which was the proposed venue for gymnastics) ushered in the return of professional sports franchises to Brooklyn for the first time since the Brooklyn Dodgers left in 1957. The Barclays Center is the home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets and the WNBA's New York Liberty and used to be a part-time home of the NHL's New York Islanders.

Hudson Yards

A public plaza at Hudson Yards, with The Vessel Hudson Yards Plaza March 2019 14.jpg
A public plaza at Hudson Yards, with The Vessel

Despite the failure to approve the West Side Stadium, the site of the West Side Rail Yards still saw development. The Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project saw the construction of multiple buildings and mixed-use developments which has led to the creation of a new neighborhood. The new buildings feature office space and residential space. A shopping mall has also been opened.

Renovations were made to the Javits Center (which would have hosted multiple Olympic events) and the 7 Train was extended to its current terminal at 34th Street. The High Line originates at the Hudson Yards and is an elevated urban park built on former train tracks.

Wynn Resorts has proposed to build an 80 story resort and casino with 1,750 rooms at the Hudson Yards. It would be built on the site of where the West Side Stadium would have been built. It would be one of the largest hotels in New York City if built. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flushing Meadows–Corona Park</span> Public park in Queens, New York

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is a public park in the northern part of Queens in New York City, New York, U.S. It is bounded by I-678 on the east, Grand Central Parkway on the west, Flushing Bay on the north, and Union Turnpike on the south. Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the fourth-largest public park in New York City, with a total area of 897 acres (363 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed expansion of the New York City Subway</span>

Since the opening of the original New York City Subway line in 1904, and throughout the subway's history, various official and planning agencies have proposed numerous extensions to the subway system. The first major expansion of the subway system was the Dual Contracts, a set of agreements between the City of New York and the IRT and the BRT. The system was expanded into the outer reaches of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, and it provided for the construction of important lines in Manhattan. This one expansion of the system provided for a majority of today's system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mets–Willets Point station (IRT Flushing Line)</span> New York City Subway station in Queens

The Mets–Willets Point station is a rapid transit station on the IRT Flushing Line of the New York City Subway. Located near the Citi Field baseball stadium, it is served by the 7 train at all times and by the express <7> train during rush hours in the peak direction or after sporting events. This station is located near Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Willets Point, Queens, on Roosevelt Avenue between 114th and 126th Streets.

West Side Stadium was a proposed football and Olympic stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City.

The IRT Flushing Line is a rapid transit route of the New York City Subway system, named for its eastern terminal in Flushing, Queens. It is operated as part of the A Division. The Interborough Rapid Transit Company (IRT), a private operator, had constructed the section of the line from Flushing, Queens, to Times Square, Manhattan between 1915 and 1928. A western extension was opened to Hudson Yards in western Manhattan in 2015, and the line now stretches from Flushing to Chelsea, Manhattan. It carries trains of the 7 local service, as well as the express <7> during rush hours in the peak direction. It is the only currently operational IRT line to serve Queens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street (Manhattan)</span> West-east street in Manhattan, New York

34th Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs the width of Manhattan Island from the West Side Highway on the West Side to FDR Drive on the East Side. 34th Street is used as a crosstown artery between New Jersey to the west and Queens to the east, connecting the Lincoln Tunnel to New Jersey with the Queens–Midtown Tunnel to Long Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Javits Center</span> Convention center in Manhattan, New York

The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, commonly known as the Javits Center, is a large convention center on Eleventh Avenue between 34th Street and 38th Street in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by architect James Ingo Freed of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The space frame structure was constructed from 1979 to 1986 and was named to honor Jacob Javits, the United States Senator for New York. When the Javits Center opened, it replaced the New York Coliseum at Columbus Circle as the city's major convention facility; the Coliseum was subsequently demolished and replaced by Time Warner Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Yards, Manhattan</span> Neighborhood in New York City

Hudson Yards is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, bounded roughly by 30th Street in the south, 41st Street in the north, the West Side Highway in the west, and Eighth Avenue in the east. The area is the site of a large-scale redevelopment program that is being planned, funded, and constructed under a set of agreements among the State of New York, City of New York, and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), with the aim of expanding the Midtown Manhattan business district westward to the Hudson River. The program includes a major rezoning of the Far West Side, an extension of the New York City Subway's 7 and <7>​ trains to a new subway station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, a renovation and expansion of the Javits Center, and a financing plan to fund the various components. The various components are being planned by New York City Department of City Planning and New York City Economic Development Corporation.

The 7 Subway Extension is a subway extension of the New York City Subway's IRT Flushing Line, which is served by the 7 local and <7> express services. The extension stretches 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southwest from its previous terminus at Times Square, at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street, to one new station at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue. A second station at 10th Avenue and 41st Street was dropped from the plans in October 2007. The entirety of the extension is located within the New York City borough of Manhattan. The extension, a key part of the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project, is expected to bring business and entertainment into the area, as well as aid redevelopment of nearby Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen, located around the Long Island Rail Road's West Side Yard. The extension also serves the nearby Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the New York metropolitan area</span>

Sports in the New York metropolitan area have a long and distinguished history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boroughs of New York City</span> Administrative divisions of New York City

The boroughs of New York City are the five major governmental districts that compose New York City. The boroughs are the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Each borough is coextensive with a respective county of the State of New York: The Bronx is Bronx County, Brooklyn is Kings County, Manhattan is New York County, Queens is Queens County, and Staten Island is Richmond County.

Alexander Garvin was an American urban planner, educator, and author. At the time of his death, he was in private practice at AGA Public Realm Strategists in New York City and was also an adjunct professor at the Yale School of Architecture, where he taught from 1967 on. He is widely known for having created the vision plan of Atlanta's proposed greenbelt park system, the Atlanta BeltLine, serving as planning director for New York City's 2012 Olympic Games bid, and overseeing efforts to redevelop lower Manhattan after the September 11th attacks as Vice President of Planning, Design, and Development for the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Garvin also authored a number of books on the subject of planning including The Planning Game: Lessons from Great Cities and The American City: What Works, What Doesn't. Garvin also served in a variety of positions in New York City government including director of comprehensive planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel L. Doctoroff</span> American businessman

Daniel Louis Doctoroff is an American businessman and former government official. From 2015 to 2021, he served as chief executive officer of Sidewalk Labs, a startup company he helped found focused on technology for city life. Previously, he was the CEO and president of Bloomberg L.P., deputy mayor for economic development and rebuilding for the New York City under Mike Bloomberg from January 2002 – December 31, 2007, led New York City's bid for the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, and was a managing partner at Oak Hill Capital Partners, a private equity investment firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flushing Avenue</span> Avenue in Brooklyn and Queens, New York

Flushing Avenue is a street running through northern Brooklyn and western Queens, beginning at Nassau Street in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, and ending at Grand Avenue in Maspeth. It divides the neighborhood of Williamsburg from Clinton Hill and East Williamsburg from Bushwick. After crossing the Queens border, the avenue serves as the dividing line between Ridgewood, Queens and West Maspeth. Flushing Avenue then terminates in Maspeth. Despite its name, however, the avenue does not extend to Flushing.

The West Side of Manhattan refers to the side of Manhattan Island that abuts the Hudson River and faces the U.S. state of New Jersey. The West Side is home to several famed New York City locations, including Fifth Avenue, Central Park, and lower Broadway. The major neighborhoods on the West Side are Inwood, Hudson Heights, Washington Heights, West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Manhattan Valley, the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, the West Village, SoHo, and Tribeca. The 8th Avenue and West Side subway lines connect all parts of the West Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of transportation in New York City</span>

Transportation in New York City has ranged from strong Dutch authority in the 17th century, expansionism during the industrial era in the 19th century and half of the 20th century, to cronyism during the Robert Moses era. The shape of New York City's transportation system changed as the city did, and the result is an expansive modern-day system of industrial-era infrastructure. New York City, being the most populous city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes one of the largest subway systems in the world; the world's first mechanically ventilated vehicular tunnel; and an aerial tramway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Side Yard</span> Rail yard in Manhattan, NY, US (opened 1987)

The West Side Yard is a rail yard of 30 tracks owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. Used to store commuter rail trains operated by the subsidiary Long Island Rail Road, the 26.17-acre (10.59 ha) yard sits between West 30th Street, West 33rd Street, 10th Avenue and 12th Avenue. Since the early 2010s, the eastern part of the yard has been covered by the Hudson Yards complex of skyscrapers and other buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">34th Street–Hudson Yards station</span> New York City Subway station in Manhattan

The 34th Street–Hudson Yards station is a New York City Subway station in Manhattan's West Side on the IRT Flushing Line, and is the western terminus for the 7 local and <7> express services. It has two tracks and one island platform, with two levels of mezzanines: one directly above the platform and the other directly below street level. The station directly serves the Hudson Yards mega-development above it, and is located within the greater Hudson Yards neighborhood. The station contains two entrances along Hudson Boulevard: a primary entrance south of 34th Street, and a secondary entrance south of 35th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City FC stadium</span> Planned soccer stadium in New York City

The New York City FC stadium is a soccer-specific stadium to be built in Willets Point in the New York City borough of Queens for New York City FC of Major League Soccer (MLS), who currently play home games at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2027.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hudson Yards (development)</span> Development project in Manhattan, New York

Hudson Yards is a 28-acre (11 ha) real estate development in the Hudson Yards neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, between the Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen neighborhoods. It is located on the waterfront of the Hudson River. Upon completion, 13 of the 16 planned structures on the West Side of Midtown South would sit on a platform built over the West Side Yard, a storage yard for Long Island Rail Road trains. The first of its two phases, opened in 2019, comprises a public green space and eight structures that contain residences, a hotel, office buildings, a mall, and a cultural facility. The second phase, on which construction had not started as of 2023, will include residential space, an office building, and a school.

References

  1. 1 2 Levy, Nicole; Chiwaya, Nigel (16 August 2016). "How NYC's Failed 2012 Olympic Bid Shaped the City We Live in Today". DNA info. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  2. Wiedeman, Reeves (2 August 2012). "What If the 2012 Olympics Had Been in New York?". Grantland.
  3. "How the New York Jets Very Nearly Got a West Side Stadium". Curbed New York. 30 January 2015.
  4. Roberts, Sam (November 26, 2006). "Bloomberg Administration Is Developing Land Use Plan to Accommodate Future Populations". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
  5. Bagli, Charles V. (November 27, 2011). "From Ashes of Olympic Bid, a Future Rises for the Far West Side". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
  6. Levin, Andrew (April 27, 2007). "No Olympics, No Problem: New York City's Political Regime after the Bid for the 2012 Games" (PDF). pp. 47–48. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  7. Degun, Tom (24 May 2012). "IOC agrees revenue-sharing deal with USOC". www.insidethegames.biz.
  8. "A New York City Olympic Games Considered". Games Bids. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29.
  9. Dominski, Michael (February 4, 2024). "World Cup 2026 schedule announcement live updates: Latest as FIFA selects host city for final" . The Athletic . Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  10. Young, Michael; Pruznick, Matt (February 24, 2024). "Related Companies Reveals Bid For Supertall Skyscraper Casino Complex In Hudson Yards, Manhattan". New York YIMBY. Retrieved 2024-02-28.