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Fort Greene
Twenty years ago, the Brooklyn Academy
of Music was covered with graffiti and the once-gracious
neighborhood surrounding it was overshadowed by
the nearby housing projects. These days, Fort
Greene seems in danger of being overshadowed by
the ever-expanding BAM, which now has an art-house
multiplex, a café, a trail of related developments
(including studios for Mark Morris and Twyla Tharp),
and a half-dozen Francophile restaurants close
enough for preconcert dining. It was a long time
coming. "It took a lot of years to screw up the
area and it took a lot of years to bring it back,"
says resident Jerry Minsky from Corcoran’s new
Fort Greene office. "But history has repeated
itself commercially, residentially, and, finally,
on a cultural front." ...Three years ago, there
were few sit-down restaurants along De Kalb’s
commercial strip; today, there are nearly a dozen.
Schools remain spotty, forcing parents to seek
out private schools in Brooklyn Heights; and the
area still lacks the bakers, butchers, smaller
retailers, and quality takeout options most New
Yorkers take for granted. — BORIS KACHKA
In our archive
• Best
of New York: Brooklyn (March 25, 2002)
• Real
Estate 2001:
Fort Greene (March 12, 2001)
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