Here is Brian's building! Shot by me from the bell tower roof of the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in January sleet (this is a good picture since it could also be July).
The beautiful building looks like a whale or a ship, cost £146 million and has two halves: Brian's Convention Centre half and the other half which is a 10,600-seat Arena (so the most of Uniontown could sit in there).
For the last five years, all of Liverpool has been gearing up for its truly gargantuan and Big-Deal economically '2008 European Capital of Culture' Hoop-La and Media Frenzy.
January 5th was the Kick-Off Party and Gala Ceremonies, first, a big fireworks display and music from the rooftops for all the People of Liverpool and featuring Ringo Starr (who was on for about 3 minutes and caused everybody to grumble and say, 'We was mis-sold, we was...') and acrobats in high-vis jackets dangling from cranes, and then, at 9 pm, all the smiling waving City Council people and Marketing Managers were then swept away from the grumbling, milling throngs to the more gentle and fitting setting full of flattering light and glitter and champagne: The Wonderful New Arena and Convention Centre.
This of course was 'The Big Night When Everything Must Go Flawlessly'. Naturally, nothing was. The wettest summer in the recorded history of England (which is really saying something in England) meant everything was wet and curling and the roofs weren't on for months. Add to Acts of God, the collection of personalities assembled for this Showcase Build, vitally important, not just for Liverpool, but for Bovis Northwest, reeling from recent billion pound disasters, were a Perfect Storm of dysfunction and now, after three frustrating, soggy years profoundly stressssssed (which is really saying something in England) with glassy-eyed, sniffling team member disappearing for days on end, after vowing to "Right mate: 'Finish Caulking the Grand Mezzanine Staircase: I sure will, Bri. You can trust me, mate."; management stealing truck-loads of construction scrap and aluminum; supervisors pounding on desks, cursing everyone's mothers, and crying in their offices. All until 8:45 pm, and as the beautiful smiling Marketing people in evening gowns were sweeping gracefully up the still-sticky Grand Mezzanine Staircase, the evening was a success. Below is the Glam-Shot of the beautiful building (pirated from here http://www.visitliverpool.com/site/what-to-do/arts-culture-liverpool/liverpool-and-merseyside-must-see/arena-and-convention-centre-liverpool, where you can read Arena and Convention Centre statistics, events taking place there this gala year, and all over the city).
Building buildings is a lot like theater. I'm glad B lived through it, and I'm glad he was gone before the bitter, bloody, caulk-covered melee at the end. I'm glad he was part of it: the beautiful building.
Like a girl getting ready for the big dance, Liverpool has been gussying up for her 2008 European Capital of Culture. For most of the last five years, the city's bristled with tower cranes, and glowed with high-vis. Of course, she's an eight hundred year old girl, and a little battered, but she's being polished. One of her prettier baubles is the Arena and Convention Centre. Set at the river's edge, like a moored ship or a visiting whale, the double curves - half Arena and half Convention Centre containing a revolving drum meeting room within the larger - much larger- space is an architectural innovation that's been pulled off successfully only once before (at Edinburgh's Government Centre).
But is she being polished and brushed beyond recognition? Ask ladies on buses and older folks in the streets and they voice consistent worries about change that is 'out of our hands' and 'Oooh...ah don' know....ahm not sure eet's for the bettah....' and from younger people, '...but how will all this help us out in the estates?'
