2024 was a year of exciting changes and growth for Downtown Brooklyn! The neighborhood saw public space improvements, the opening of Abolitionist Place, near-endless events, the arrival of new businesses, and the 20th anniversary of the Downtown Brooklyn rezoning.
Have a look at 2024 highlights.
Abolitionist Place Opens
May saw the opening of the long-awaited Abolitionist Place. The 1-acre park commemorates the Abolitionist Movement in Brooklyn and features a children’s play area, lawn, dog run, plantings, waterplay feature, and seating areas. The park was immediately embraced by the neighborhood as a popular place to meet, enjoy lunch, and play!
Ugly Beauties by Curry J. Hackett; 1fluss by BOICUT
New Public Art
Curry J. Hackett’s Ugly Beauties, a panorama of lush AI-generated images depicting Black people amongst various plant species, was featured at The Plaza at 300 Ashland in Winter, and in May, 1FLUSS by Austrian artist BOICUT graced the network of Shared Streets in the heart of the neighborhood.
Redesigning Streets for People
NYC Parks broke ground on the $8M Fulton Mall Revitalization Project, featuring enlarged planting beds, signature wooden benches, and permeable pavement — making Brooklyn’s most famous shopping district more beautiful and pedestrian-friendly. The work marks another milestone in achieving the goals of the Public Realm Action Plan, in addition to the streetscape work completed at 11 Hoyt, The Alloy Block, and our Shared Street network.
Keeping Downtown Brooklyn Safe and Clean
Our Clean Team continued its work maintaining Downtown Brooklyn’s cleanliness and vibrancy. The Doe Fund team of 82 full-time year-round workers undertakes a wide range of essential work — from watering plants and trees, to hauling tons of trash, and everything in-between. This year, we highlighted three outstanding members of our team for their growth and contributions, and Director of Operations Jerome Wiggins was honored with a Citation from Councilmember Lincoln Restler.
The Brooklyn Paramount’s Triumphant Return
Downtown Brooklyn gained an exciting addition to its entertainment options this year: the historic and revitalized Brooklyn Paramount. Since its grand re-opening, the theater has received numerous awards for its restoration, and hosted innumerable sold-out shows.
P.S. 456; Khalil Gibran International Academy
Two New Public Elementary Schools Open
In September, two public elementary schools opened, reflecting the shifting demographics of Downtown Brooklyn. The Albee Square Montessori Public School, the first NYC public school of its kind, and P.S. 456 founded in partnership with The Brooklyn New School, opened at One Willoughby Square and The Alloy Block, respectively. In addition to the amenities created for elementary students, the Alloy Block also includes beautiful new spaces for the high school students of Khalil Gibran International Academy.
Fogo de Chao; Golfzon Social; Happy Munkey
An Explosion of New Businesses
Downtown Brooklyn’s’s retail market saw the addition of many businesses to the neighborhood. Highlights in the food and beverage sector include the opening of Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão; Yemeni coffee shop Yafa Café; sandwich shop Jersey Mike’s; national treasure Raising Cane’s; Bubble Tea Boulevard additions such as Chihiro Tea, HEYTEA, I’Milky, and Chun Yang Tea; numerous salad options on Salad Alley such as Chop’t, Just Salad, Playa Bowls, and TwentyOne Grains; fitness centers including Hot 8 Yoga, and My Gym. The entertainment sector saw the opening of The Escape Game, indoor golf venue Golfzon Social, and an expansion of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. At the end of the year, Fulton Mall’s first legal cannabis shop, Happy Munkey, opened its doors to the public.
Additionally, the passage of City of Yes for Housing Opportunity, in combination with City of Yes for Economic Opportunity and City of Yes Carbon Neutrality, began paving the way for further success by removing outmoded restrictions on development and retail uses that have impeded adaptation to an evolving market. Taken together, these amendments will unlock greater opportunities for Downtown Brooklyn.
Make It in Brooklyn
In 2024, DBP hosted three Make It in Brooklyn Pitch Contests, part of the mission to foster local entrepreneurship. In May, livestock wellness tech startup Barnwell Bio took home the $5K prize at the Food Tech Pitch Contest. At the Climate Tech Pitch Contest in September, CarbonBridge impressed the judges most with their microbial-based sustainable fuel technology. And in November, Avol’s medical drone delivery service won them the Future of Transportation Pitch Contest. To end the year, we took to The Rockwell Place to celebrate the business owners fueling the neighborhood’s entrepreneurial spirit with the Make It in Brooklyn Innovation Awards, where three local businesses took home prizes.
Public Programming
The Downtown Brooklyn Presents series of free public programming brought diverse events to the neighborhood’s public spaces. The season began with a Lunar New Year celebration at Albee Square, followed by Car-Free Earth Day in April. Spring saw the return of Albee Square Happy Hours with a Check the Rhime Hip-Hop Karaoke series hosted by Tai Allen, and Future Music Fest with Thomas Piper; Ping-Pong with The Push and Zumba with Natarsha McQueen at Brooklyn Commons Park; and Movement Mondays with Mark Morris Dance Group, Brukwine, and Quenia Ribeiro at The Plaza at 300 Ashland.
Lunar New Year Celebration; albee Square Happy Hours; Ping-Pong with The Push; Movement Mondays
Summer brought weekly lunchtime shows at Brooklyn Commons Park; salsa nights at Willoughby Plaza; jazz concerts with Jazz Foundation of America and the Office of the Borough President at Columbus Park; summertime dance parties such as Vinyl Nights at Albee Square plus Friday Night Dance and Bare Feet Downtown Brooklyn with Mickella Mallozi at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. Fall featured the popular NYC Marathon Mile 8 Cheering Station at 300 Ashland; Fall Into Step lunchtime performances at the Commons; a family-friendly Halloween party, BKLYN BOO!, at Albee Square; and the year-end close out, DTBK Gets Lit!, the annual Albee Square holiday lighting ceremony.
Bare Feet Downtown Brooklyn; NYC Marathon Mile 8 Cheering Station; BKLYN BOo!; DTBK Gets Lit
The opening of Abolitionist Place provided an additional stage for programming. The new park opened to great fanfare with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in May. In June, Street Lab came to the park weekly for a kid-friendly Reading Room; Engarde Arts produced Playdate Fest, an evening of performances by local actors and artists; and PUPS Pet Club hosted Pups in The Park, featuring a doggy runway and pup-friendly photo ops. We took to the park in July to celebrate Abolition Commemoration Day, and again in August for Albee Square Montessori School’s Welcome Day. Towards the tail end of 2024 DTBK Presents, we teamed up with Vinyl Nights to register voters at Dancing for Democracy; and the park had its first-ever runway show, BKLYN ROCKS!, with Primark in October.
Street Lab’s Reading Room; En Garde Arts’ Playdate Fest; Dancing for Democracy; BKLYN ROCKS! Fashion Show
20 Years of Progress
In addition to the opening of Abolitionist Place, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership celebrated another major milestone. 2024 marked the 20th anniversary of the 2004 Downtown Brooklyn rezoning, which fuelled the neighborhood’s transformation into one of the country’s fastest-growing mixed-use downtowns. DBP released an interactive storymap that provides a fascinating look into these vast changes. DBP also hosted a celebration atop One Willoughby Square, featuring a fireside conversation moderated by Errol Louis.
Downtown Brooklyn 20th Anniversary Party
DBP’s New Chair
The Partnership experienced a shift in leadership at the board level, as Alloy Development Principal and Co-founder Jared Della Valle was unanimously elected Chairman. With a strong experience in urban development and commitment to the neighborhood, Jared will lead a select group of local leaders in their work to take Downtown Brooklyn to even greater heights.
As we close out 2024, it’s clear that Downtown Brooklyn is thriving. From public space improvements and new business openings to diverse events and celebrations, the neighborhood has seen yet another year of growth and transformation. As we look ahead, Downtown Brooklyn Partnership remains committed to supporting the people and businesses that make our neighborhood so special. Here’s to an even brighter 2025!