by: Michael L. Rich
(Everyone seems to have an opinion about Xanadu, but we want to know what you would do to fix it. Share your ideas with us in the comments section below.)
The controversy surrounding Xanadu, an unfinished $2 billion mall project in East Rutherford, New Jersey, rages on. Governor Chris Christie has called the building “an offense to the eyes as you drive up the turnpike.” The Governor recently went further, proclaiming: “It’s by far the ugliest damn building in New Jersey, and maybe America.” Many share the Governor’s view.
Xanadu is a 2.3 million square foot, nearly completed retail and entertainment mall adjacent to the Meadowlands sports complex. Its walls are made up of multi-colored horizontal rectangles and vertical stripes, including varying shades of blue, green and orange. It includes an indoor ski slope rising at a pronounced angle above the rest of the structure. Detractors have pejoratively likened the facade to stacked shipping containers, bar codes or Lego blocks.
Pete's Take 