Long-awaited BAM Expansion Announces Grand Opening

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — Long-awaited plans to expand the Brooklyn Academy of Music's spot on Fulton Street will officially become a reality this fall, the arts center announced this week.

The renovation, called BAM Strong, will connect three sites —BAM Harvey Theater, a vacant space at 653 Fulton Street and the ground-floor of 230 Ashland Place — to make the organization's venue more accessible and open its dedicated first visual arts gallery.

Originally slated to open in 2017, the new space will now open to the public this October.

"We are thrilled that the project will provide our always adventurous institution with new opportunities—from visual art programming, to easier access to affordable seats, to new spaces for our audiences to gather," BAM Board Chair Adam E. Max said "Having our Fulton Street spaces united under one canopy also reflects the evolution of BAM and the growing Brooklyn Cultural District.”

The BAM Strong project was first announced in 2015, but met delays over the years as it increased in scope and needed to raise more funds, a spokesperson said. The renovation also hit some roadblocks given that original building plans for the Harvey Theater no longer existed, which led workers to have to hand dig an elevator pit and staircase base.

The final renovation includes a complete renovation of the Harvey Theater's outer lobby, adding the first elevator to get to its balcony level and a new open staircase that will provide more movement between the floors, BAM said.

The elevator will for the first time ensure access to the theater's most affordable seats, which had originally been separated from the orchestra as was typical in the time the theater was built, 115 years ago.

The second floor will also now include a patron lounge that looks out onto Fulton Street through a floor-to-ceiling, semi-circular window and a terrace that is planned to be the location of an upcoming art installation.

The other major feature of the renovation is a new 1,100-square-foot gallery, to be called the Rudin Family Gallery. The gallery, named for donor, collector and trustee Beth Rudin DeWoody, will be set up in the vacant spot at 653 Fulton Street between the two other spaces. Larry Ossei-Mensah will serve as guest curator and work with BAM's new Artistic Director David Binder on exhibitions and events.

The third site, 230 Ashland Place, will be connected to the two spaces by a modern, lighted marquee outside, the organization said, though plans for that area are still in the works.

BAM will host a fundraising campaign before the October opening, including opportunities for donors to name a seat in the Harvey Theater or a brick in the BAM Strong complex, or to support David Binder’s inaugural season, the organization said.

“This project provides our campus with dynamic improvements and additions while greatly increasing accessibility for all our visitors," BAM President Katy Clark said. "We are grateful for the generosity of BAM Trustee Brigitte Vosse, the City of New York, and other major donors who helped bring the project to life.”