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Brooklyn’s Theater District

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.

ByUrban Archive logoUrban Archive
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11 stops•1.6km•20 min
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Brooklyn Academy of Music
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Brooklyn Academy of Music

Completed in 1908, the Herts & Tallant-designed Brooklyn Academy of Music opened with a performance of "Faust."
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Majestic Theater
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Majestic Theater

The 1904 Majestic Theatre shuttered in 1968, but was reopened by BAM in 1987 as the BAM Harvey Theatre.
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Strand Theatre
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Strand Theatre

The Strand, immediately next door to the Majestic, has also had a second act: today, it's home to the BRIC House arts venue.
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Fifth Avenue El at Fulton Street
Fifth Avenue El at Fulton Street icon

Fifth Avenue El at Fulton Street

The blocks surrounding today's Atlantic Terminal were formerly populated by numerous theaters and served by several connecting streetcar and elevated rail lines.
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Fox Theatre
Fox Theatre icon

Fox Theatre

In 1927, the Fox Theater replaced the Cowperthwait Furniture Company building (pictured).
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Smith, Gray & Company Building
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Smith, Gray & Company Building

The 1888 Smith, Gray & Company Building featured twin clock towers (later reduced to a single tower, following a fire), opposite Flatbush Avenue and the Fox Theatre.
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Montauk Theatre
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Montauk Theatre

When plans for the Flatbush Avenue Extension imperiled the Montauk Theatre, its owners — in a legally dubious maneuver — contrived to lift and move the full building to a new location, outside the Flatbush right-of-way.
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Paramount Theatre
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Paramount Theatre

Today, the Paramount Theatre's main auditorium has been converted to a gymnasium for Long Island University.
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E.F. Albee Theater
E.F. Albee Theater icon

E.F. Albee Theater

The E.F. Albee Theater — named for the playwright's grandfather — once claimed to feature the world's largest carpet.
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Loew’s Metropolitan Theatre
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Loew’s Metropolitan Theatre

Further east on Fulton, the building that once housed the Loew's Metropolitan Theatre has been reopened as the Brooklyn Tabernacle after considerable renovation.
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U.S. Post Office, Downtown Brooklyn
U.S. Post Office, Downtown Brooklyn icon

U.S. Post Office, Downtown Brooklyn

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