Community Discussion: Creating the Heart of Brooklyn - Brooklyn Borough Hall, Court House, Cadman Plaza down to Fulton Landing

Fred Kent, Kathy Madden

Reprinted from Social Life Project. Jan 12, 2022

UPDATE: With the new administration in both the local Council Member and the Borough President, looking for some quick wins, we think this could be a win/win for all of Brooklyn and put the Borough Hall as the central gathering place for all of Brooklyn.

This article is meant to help build a campaign around a concept for a promenade from Borough Hall down to Dumbo and Fulton Landing - an idea that we .first introduced in the New York Times in 2007. The concept has in part been carried forward by Downtown Brooklyn Partnership as #BrooklynStrand, but not yet implemented and it would take years to develop and be very costly. Coming out of the pandemic is a great time to work together to make this happen!

Few would argue with the statement that Brooklyn Borough Hall, Court House, and Cadman Plaza may be the most underperforming public spaces in New York City. Their potential is enormous (and perhaps to some, obvious): Together, they could easily become parts of a central square and evolve into the main gathering place for all of Brooklyn. Linking down to Fulton Landing, these spaces could also become an esplanade, drawing people from the center down to the waterfront.

All of these spaces are close by to the bridges connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan, and to the DUMBO neighborhood. Their locations are a major asset, and the opportunity is only made more clear by the fact that much of the Brooklyn waterfront is underutilized.

Borough Hall in Brooklyn

Brooklyn has become a very different city over the last 30 years and needs to recognize that it has taken on a role as a major global city with a unique quality quite different from its neighbor across the East River. Now is the time for the public spaces in Brooklyn to reflect that quality.

Brooklyn's reputation as a city defined by different cultures is a significant part of its character that needs to be respected and showcased. This central area of Brooklyn is also very historic, but there is little to showcase that. Taking the time to tap into the unique and dynamic qualities of Brooklyn can lay the foundation for a transformation of these places.

The entire stretch of Cadman Plaza represents an enormous potential to be the "Central Plaza" for all of Brooklyn.

One of the main problems is that Cadman Plaza has no clear paths connecting to different neighborhoods - something that would help it to be a real center point. If we could make that connection, it would place Cadman Plaza, the Court House, and Borough Hall into a prominent position.

The potential is enormous in the section encompassing the area from Brooklyn City Hall down to DUMBO, and stretching along the harbor to Atlantic Avenue and Red Hook.

What is clear is that there is no shortage of examples for Brooklyn to follow: There are so many cities that exhibit a level of greatness to which we Brooklynites could aspire ...

Manhattan vs Brooklyn

Manhattan has some of the best squares anywhere. Bryant Park, Rockefeller Plaza, Union Square, Washington Square Park, and Madison Square all have qualities that we can learn from to be used in this group of public spaces.

Brooklyn has no important squares, but Borough Hall and Cadman Plaza along with the promenade down to the waterfront could eclipse all of those in Manhattan.

Rockefeller Center, Times Square, Bryant Park, Union Square and Washington Square