Between them, the three components of each of the planned buildings have about a dozen different plans for window configurations and setbacks, an effect the architects intended to help reflect the architectural diversity of the area.

WSJ: Barclays Center's Exercise in Bland

Mr. Broad hopes the space will have a "mini-Bilbao effect, " drawing cultural tourists who flock to architectural icons like the Frank Gehry's titanium-covered Guggenheim Museum in Spain.

WSJ: A Mini Bilbao Opens in Michigan

The law is now still in effect, but only because a group of NGOs focused on architectural preservation appealed to the court to extend the law.

BBC: Preserving history in Buenos Aires