Coming Soon: “New York Has Never Seen a New Cultural Entity Quite Like The Shed” (New York Times)

Two weeks before the opening of the Shed, the ambitious $475 million arts center opening where the High Line meets the luxe Hudson Yards development, workers in hard hats were busily turning its biggest theater into a standing-room-only dance floor for the celebration of African-American music that will inaugurate it April 5.

When that ends, they will install 1,200 seats for a run of staged Bjork concerts. Then the seating will be reconfigured for its next show, a kung fu musical featuring aerialists and Sia songs. And, by the middle of the summer, the theater’s walls and ceilings will disappear, as its airy, silvery puffer jacket of a shell rolls back on rails to expose an outdoor plaza for free open-air performances.

It began with an idea for a new kind of arts building, before it was entirely clear what would go inside. It was nurtured by the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. And, in an astonishing feat, it raised nearly half a billion dollars before opening.

Some of its backers are calling it the city’s biggest new cultural entity since Lincoln Center opened in the 1960s; others see it more like the emergence of the Park Avenue Armory as a multidisciplinary arts space in 2007.

Either way, it is rare for a new institution to attract the kind of lavish support the Shed has, and to open on such a grand scale.

Read more:
–How the Shed Can Live Up to Its Hype: Focus on the Artists (New York Times)
–The Shed Opens With a Purpose. And a Party. (New York Times)
The new $475 million arts center at Hudson Yards opens with Soundtrack of America, a five-concert exploration of black music from the slavery era through blues, jazz and pop.

For tickets and schedule information, visit The Shed’s website here.

Brexit Latest:
–Brexit Stalemate Deepens as Parliament Fails to Agree on Way Forward (Bloomberg)
–Government Hints It’s Aiming for Brexit Deal Vote Friday (Bloomberg)
–Donald Tusk Pushes EU27 Leaders to be Open to Long Brexit Delay (The Guardian)

Brexit Editorial: An Extended Pause and New Referendum Are Only Way to Stop the Damage (Bloomberg Opinion)

First on the Bloomberg:
Trump’s Fed Pick Stephen Moore Owes $75,000 to IRS, Court Document Says (Bloomberg)

The Queen of Mean? Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Wants to Cut Funding for the Special Olympics. Here’s Why It Probably Won’t Happen. (New York Times)

Economy Watch: U.S. Fourth-Quarter Growth Pace Revised Down to 2.2% From 2.6% (Bloomberg)

Why is Microsoft doing this and not the Federal Government? Microsoft Finds Iranian Hackers Targeting U.S. Agencies, Companies and Middle East Advocates (Washington Post)

Long Overdue: Facebook Will Block White-Nationalist, White-Separatist Posts (Washington Post)

Need for Speed:
–Los Angeles to NYC in Four Hours? Bombardier Says Global 7500 Jet Sets Record – Shaving 90 Minutes Off Flight Time (Bloomberg)
–Chicago is Getting a Terrifying New Architectural Thrill Ride – A Glass Elevator Attached to the Aon Center Skyscraper (Fast Company)
A glass platform will launch thrill seekers 82 stories into the air, at speeds of 16.6 feet per second.

Today’s Cover: Unicorns Everywhere Spread Fear of an End to the Bull Market (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Do the impending IPOs of Uber, Pinterest, and Airbnb signal that the good times on Wall Street are ending?

Climate of Hope: They Grew Up Around Fossil Fuels – Now, Their Jobs Are in Renewables (New York Times)
As @MikeBloomberg tweeted: Those who say we must choose between tackling climate change and growing the economy are wrong—job creation and climate action go hand in hand. These stories prove that.

Headlines from the Bloomberg Equality Summit in NYC:
–Stacey Abrams Needs ‘a Little Time’ to Decide If She’s Running (Bloomberg)
–TPG Co-CEO Jon Winkelried Says Firm Has Started Internal Probe Into College Scam (Bloomberg)
–Bloomberg Joins Global Campaign Driving Disability Inclusion in the Workplace (Bloomberg press release)

Perfect Score! Bloomberg Earns Top Score in Annual Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality in U.S.
(Human Rights Campaign Foundation 2019 Corporate Equality Index)

Best of late night.

On Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg:

“He’s a concert pianist and speaks seven languages — including Norwegian, which he learned just so that he could read Norwegian books. Compare that to America’s current president, who has read zero books and is fluent in zero languages.”
— Trevor Noah

​On Donald Trump’s tweet in which he referred to himself as “the all time favorite duly elected President”:

“Donald Trump saying he’s everyone’s all time favorite President is like JC Chasez claiming he’s everyone’s all time favorite member of NSync.”
— Jimmy Kimmel

“According to a new survey, in 2018, Americans made almost $40 billion worth of purchases while drunk. More than a quarter of American adults, about 53 million people, said they bought things while under the influence. Which could explain the popularity of Ugg boots.”
— Jimmy Kimmel

For more best of late night from the New York Times, click here.