PHOTO: Taking Shape

Sept. 26, 2002
Vol. 22 No. 1

Taking Shape



The construction site at the corner of Ellis Avenue and 55th Street was transformed over the summer from the first stages of a foundation for the Ratner Athletics Center to a building that is now taking on the shape of Cesar Pelli’s architectural vision. The swooping roofline of Pelli’s design is clearly visible now, as workers continue to build the new facility, which is scheduled to be completed by fall 2003. The most recent addition to the building was the erection of the roof masts that rise 85 feet from the ground. The roof is held up by tensioning cables, which will be “tuned” to the designated tension. While the design does not repeat Gothic architectural forms, Pelli has described the building’s design as one that recaptures “the spirit of the original creators of Gothic architecture.”