New York City 2012 Olympic bid
Encyclopedia
The New York City 2012 Olympic bid was one of the five short-listed bids for the 2012 Summer Olympics
, ultimately won by London 2012.
New York City
's Olympic Bid, run by the private non-profit organization NYC2012, was founded by Daniel L. Doctoroff, who was managing director of a successful private equity firm. As the legend goes, 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. Single-handedly, he built a team to help him craft a plan for staging the Games. Seven years after he founded the bid, Doctoroff resigned as President of NYC2012 to join the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg
. 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 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 a historic armory in Harlem.
Their bid may have been hampered by the fact that the 2010 Winter Olympics
are being held in Vancouver
and organizers are believed to be eager to avoid having consecutive Olympics on the same continent. However Albertville (1992), Barcelona (1992), Lillehammer (1994), Athens (2004) and Torino (2006) have held the Olympics consecutively on the same continent. Additionally, the Olympics have been held in the United States as recently as 2002
(Winter Olympics), 1996
, 1984
, and 1980
(Winter Olympics), making the US the first country to hold four games within a 25-year period. However, of the five candidates, only New York and Madrid have never hosted the Games before.
Waterfront of Queens across the United Nations Headquarters
. During the Olympics and Paralympics, would have housed more than 16,000 athletes and coaches. Costing an estimate of $1.5 billion dollars, the Village would include plazas and shoppes, 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 designed by Morphosis Architects as the heart and crossroad of New York's Olympic X Plan.
Staten Island
Long Island
New Jersey
Elsewhere in the United States (Football Preliminaries)
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 city-wide 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.
The Mayor's political opponents, notably the contenders for the Democratic mayoral nomination, used the Stadium issue as a symbol that Mayor Bloomberg 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 New York Mayor Michael 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, an obscure State government board, 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. The new plan called for a new ballpark for the New York Mets
in Queens
in the parking lot of Shea Stadium
, later conceived to be Citi Field, to be completed for the 2009 baseball season; it was announced on June 12, 2005. The plan would be to use the stadium for the 2012 Olympics
while the Mets would play at Yankee Stadium
in The Bronx
for the 2012 season.
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. 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.
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
, ultimately won by London 2012.
New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Olympic Bid, run by the private non-profit organization NYC2012, was founded by Daniel L. Doctoroff, who was managing director of a successful private equity firm. As the legend goes, 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. Single-handedly, he built a team to help him craft a plan for staging the Games. Seven years after he founded the bid, Doctoroff resigned as President of NYC2012 to join the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
. 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
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
waterfront, including the construction of an Olympic Village across the river from the United Nations and an aquatics center in Brooklyn, and the construction of West Side Stadium
West Side Stadium
The West Side Stadium was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City....
, 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
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
in the South Bronx, a marina along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, an equestrian center on Staten Island, and the refurbishment of a historic armory in Harlem.
Their bid may have been hampered by the fact that the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
are being held in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
and organizers are believed to be eager to avoid having consecutive Olympics on the same continent. However Albertville (1992), Barcelona (1992), Lillehammer (1994), Athens (2004) and Torino (2006) have held the Olympics consecutively on the same continent. Additionally, the Olympics have been held in the United States as recently as 2002
2002 Winter Olympics
The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated in February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. Approximately 2,400 athletes from 77 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines, held throughout...
(Winter Olympics), 1996
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, 1984
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, and 1980
1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIII Olympic Winter Games, was a multi-sport event which was celebrated from 13 February through 24 February 1980 in Lake Placid, New York, United States of America. This was the second time the Upstate New York village hosted the Games, after 1932...
(Winter Olympics), making the US the first country to hold four games within a 25-year period. However, of the five candidates, only New York and Madrid have never hosted the Games before.
Olympic Village
The Village was going to be located at the East RiverEast River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
Waterfront of Queens across the United Nations Headquarters
United Nations headquarters
The headquarters of the United Nations is a complex in New York City. The complex has served as the official headquarters of the United Nations since its completion in 1952. It is located in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, on spacious grounds overlooking the East River...
. During the Olympics and Paralympics, would have housed more than 16,000 athletes and coaches. Costing an estimate of $1.5 billion dollars, the Village would include plazas and shoppes, 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 designed by Morphosis Architects as the heart and crossroad of New York's Olympic X Plan.
Olympic Square (Manhattan)
- West Side StadiumWest Side StadiumThe West Side Stadium was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City....
(Opening/Closing Ceremony, Athletics, Football-Finals match) - International Broadcasting Center/Main Press Center
- Jacob K. Javits Convention CenterJacob K. Javits Convention CenterJacob K. Javits Convention Center is a large convention center located on Eleventh Avenue, between 34th and 38th streets, on the West side of Manhattan in New York City. It was designed by architects I. M. Pei and partners. The revolutionary space frame structure was undertaken in 1979 and...
along with its expansion (Wrestling, Judo, Tae-Kwon Do, Fencing, Weightlifting, Table Tennis) - Madison Square GardenMadison Square GardenMadison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
(Basketball Preliminaries/Finals, Boxing Finals) - Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
(Triathlon)
Olympic Park (Queens)
- Olympic Stadium (moved due to refusal of West Side Stadium)
- Flushing-Meadows Corona Regatta Center (Kayaking and Rowing)
- USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
- Water Polo Center
- Archery Stadium near the backdrop of the UnisphereUnisphereThe Unisphere is a 12-story high, spherical stainless steel representation of the Earth. Located in Flushing Meadows – Corona Park in the borough of Queens, New York City, the Unisphere is one of the borough's most iconic and enduring symbols....
Olympic Riverfront (Bronx)
- 369th Regiment Armory369th Regiment Armory369th Regiment Armory is a historic National Guard armory building located in Harlem, New York, New York. It was built for the 369th Regiment. The unit was founded in 1913 as the first and only National Guard unit in New York State composed solely of African-Americans...
(Boxing Peliminaries, One Gymnastics Event) - Yankee StadiumYankee StadiumYankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
(Baseball) - Baker Field at Columbia University (Field Hockey Tournament)
- Pelham Bay Shooting and Pentathlon Center
- Queensbridge Athletic Center (Badminton, Cycling)
Elsewhere in New York Metro
Brooklyn- Barclays Center (Gymnastics, Basketball Preliminaries/Finals)
- Williamsburg Waterfront Center (Aquatics, Beach Volleyball)
- Breezy Point Marina (Sailing, Marathon Start)
Staten Island
- Temporary BMX Stadium
- Greenbelt Equestrian Center (also the Olympic Horse Village)
- Fresh Kills ParkFreshkills ParkFreshkills Park is a landfill reclamation project in Staten Island. At approximately , it purports to be the largest park developed in New York City in the past 100 years. Its construction began in October 2008 and will continue in phases for at least 30 years...
(Mountain Biking) - Fort Wadsworth (Road Cycling)
- Richmond County Bank BallparkRichmond County Bank BallparkThe Richmond County Bank Ballpark at St. George is a baseball stadium located on the north-eastern tip of Staten Island. The ballpark is the home of the Staten Island Yankees, the NY-Penn League affiliate of the New York Yankees, and of Wagner College Seahawks Baseball. The ballpark was also...
(Softball)
Long Island
- Nassau Veterans Memorial ColiseumNassau Veterans Memorial ColiseumThe Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
(Handball)
New Jersey
- Izod Center (Indoor Volleyball)
- Giants StadiumGiants StadiumGiants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...
(Football Preliminaries)
Elsewhere in the United States (Football Preliminaries)
- Gillette StadiumGillette StadiumGillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston and from downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution...
(Boston) - Yale BowlYale BowlThe Yale Bowl is a football stadium in New Haven, Connecticut on the border of West Haven, about 1½ miles west of Yale's main campus. Completed in 1914, the stadium seats 61,446, reduced by renovations from the original capacity of 70,869...
(New Haven) - Lincoln Financial FieldLincoln Financial FieldLincoln Financial Field is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles. It has a seating capacity of 68,532 . It is located in South Philadelphia on Pattison Avenue between 11th and 10th streets, also aside I-95 as part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex...
(Philadelphia) - FedEx Field (Washington, DC)
The 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 StadiumWest Side Stadium
The West Side Stadium was a proposed football stadium to be built on a platform over the rail yards on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City....
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
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
($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 city-wide 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.
The Mayor's political opponents, notably the contenders for the Democratic mayoral nomination, used the Stadium issue as a symbol that Mayor Bloomberg 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 New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, 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, an obscure State government board, 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. The new plan called for a new ballpark for the New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
in the parking lot of Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
, later conceived to be Citi Field, to be completed for the 2009 baseball season; it was announced on June 12, 2005. The plan would be to use the stadium for the 2012 Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
while the Mets would play at Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...
in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
for the 2012 season.
Post-Bid Development
Possibly the largest legacy of NYC2012 has been large-scale development of areas of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
that underwent rezoning in order to move forward with the NYC2012 bid. Manhattan's
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
The Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project is a New York City Department of City Planning and Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposal to encourage business development on Manhattan's far West Side along the Hudson River. The project initially included a rezoning of the Far West Side of...
and Brooklyn's
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
waterfront in Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
and Greenpoint
Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It is bordered on the southwest by Williamsburg at the Bushwick inlet, on the southeast by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and East Williamsburg, on the north by Newtown Creek and Long Island City, Queens at the...
both underwent rezoning revisions which were in part due to the region's planned roles as Olympic venues, including the controversial West Side Stadium. The development of the once industrial Queens West neighborhood on the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
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.
External links
- Last official site of NYC 2012 from Web Archive
- NYC 2012 logo-unveiling film designed and produced by Trollback + Company
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE6D61F31F932A15755C0A9679C8B63&scp=8&sq=olympics%20subway%20new%20jersey&st=cse