At the turn of the 20th century, Downtown Brooklyn had a theater district to rival Manhattan’s. In the space of a few blocks near the Flatbush Avenue Extension, a collection of grand multi-use ballrooms and smaller vaudeville stages proliferated. Just a few decades later, most had fallen into disuse and disrepair, but in many cases, the buildings themselves survive. Here’s a look at a thriving entertainment district of days gone by — and the contemporary adaptive reuse projects reinvigorating its legacy.

The Smith, Gray & Company Building at the intersection of Nevins Street, Fulton Street, and Flatbush Avenue. Completed in 1888, the building featured two 210 foot towers, one which housed a large illuminated clock. In 1892, a fire destroyed much of the building, causing the clock tower to collapse on the Flatbush Avenue Station of the Fulton St El. Pictured here in 1941, the rebuilt clock tower is being scaled down to its current seven story height, sans clock. At left is the Fox Theater at 20 Flatbush Avenue.