called the ugliest building ever built Xanadu
Xanadu : A monument to NJ greedy self serving politicians ?
Empty shell of American Dream, MetLife Stadium’s ugly neighbor, still awaits makeover
Saturday February 1, 2014, 11:36 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER
The Record
When Marianne Krause goes to a concert in another city, she keeps an eye out for beautiful buildings nearby. But when millions of people look to East Rutherford this weekend to watch the Super Bowl, Krause hopes they keep their eyes locked firmly on the game.
That’s because right next door to MetLife Stadium sits a gigantic, empty, multicolored mall once known as Xanadu, the long-dormant retail and entertainment project that Governor Christie once called one of the ugliest buildings in America.
The fewer people who notice it, Krause figures, the better.
“I’m embarrassed by it, and I think the state will be embarrassed by it,” said Krause, 29, of East Rutherford. “It’s really ugly.”
When developers originally proposed building a megamall in the Meadowlands in 2003, they envisioned a completion date sometime in 2006. In the years since, the project now called American Dream has blown through two developers, one name change and $2 billion. Across the parking lot, one stadium was razed and a new one was built.
Xanadu will be a work in progress as long as there is money to be made from government approvals and bond issues.
It is an ugly embarrassment. Level it. No one wanted a big ugly mall/entertainment center
The ugly thing should be knocked down.