City officials are working to transform the area between Fulton and Lafayette streets near Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn into a cultural haven for artists and performers as part of greater Downtown Brooklyn improvements. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Cultural District will be built around the existing Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the project’s goal is to create affordable performance and rehearsal space, mixed-income housing, and new public open space. The first phase of the project is complete and includes the renovation of the 30,000 sq ft. 80 Arts – James E. Davis Arts Building on Hanson Place and South Portland Avenue. The building- 80 Arts- houses local non-profit art organizations and offers them affordable office space and shared amenities such as gardens and rehearsal space. A specific focus was placed on selecting organizations run locally by women and minorities to use the space.

The second phase of development will focus on the redevelopment of the north and south sites, creating a number of arts and cultural resources. Projects include the Theater for a New Audience, renovations of the Strand Theater and the BAM Fisher Building, and construction of the South Site Mixed-Use Building and the Visual Arts Plaza. The Visual Arts Plaza, located on Ashland Place, will link these cultural facilities together and create a public outdoor space for the community. The second phase of development will also include Ken Smith-designed streetscapes and public spaces. Second phase projects had been slated to begin in 2008, but had not yet started as of September 2009.

Architect Frank Gehry was originally supposed to design the 299-seat Theater for a New Audience, but Gehry’s schedule proved too full to complete the design process. Hugh Hardy will instead design the $59 million theater. Construction was slated to start in 2008, but after a number of delays, Hardy said that it will begin in May 2010. The delays have heightened concerns from within the community that the project will never occur. The location of the project has changed twice and now it is to be built further down the block from its original location of Ashland Place and Lafayette Street.

The weak economic climate has caused several elements of the BAM Cultural District development to be put on hold. In November 2007, developer Carlton Brown of Full Spectrum was chosen to build the Brooklyn Arts Tower, a multi-income, residential building and cultural center anchored by studio space for the Danspace Project, Inc. Construction of the tower was set to begin until 2009, but was tabled in April 2009. It is not clear if plans for the project will resurrected.

Additionally, the Visual and Performing Arts Library is on hold. If the project moves forward, the library will be part of the Brooklyn Public Library system and will be located on Flatbush Avenue. Increasing costs have made construction of the Enrique Norton-designed library difficult, and in April 2007 many felt that project would be derailed if a considerable portion of the $135 million cost could not be defrayed by private funding. In June 2008, developer Two Trees Management showed interest in purchasing the library site from the City to create a mixed-use development, but nothing has moved forward.

In January 2009, BAM launched a $300 million campaign to ensure the institution’s stability, build new theaters and pay for new artistic initiatives. BAM has reached more than half of its goal, and hopes to raise the entire $300 million by 2012 despite the recession, allowing future plans to move forward.

Last updated: May 6, 2010

This development is closely interlinked with:
Downtown Brooklyn Rezoning & Development