"In the end, it yielded ideas for stages that swooped and soared. One entry recalled the Sydney Opera House, another a carnival ride and another a space station. There were boats galore - schooners, clippers, pirate ships, racing boats. Stages were barge-shaped, sail-shaped, bridge-shaped, turbine-shaped and even slinky-shaped, really the gamut. Some came with a dose of humor. Others were plenty serious. Importantly, this competition was billed - and judged - as a contest of ideas and not practicalities, of inspiration rather than actualities."
Restoring the hurricane-damaged site is a priority for the city, and preservationists are hopeful that the design competition's spotlight will help spur those plans into action.
