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Get to know Fort Greene

Historically one of Brooklyn’s most elegant neighborhoods, Fort Greene has long contended for the distinction of the borough’s most desirable address. Its stately brownstones are coveted and well-preserved, appearing virtually unaltered from how they were developed in the mid-1800s. Those inhabit the area’s Historic District, while, around the edges, luxury developments have risen. Smack dab in the middle of Fort Greene lies Fort Greene Park, the hilly green heart around which the neighborhood revolves. Formerly the site of an actual Revolutionary War fort, it was in the 1840s when then-newspaper editor Walt Whitman called for the area to be reclaimed and turned into public space. Opened initially as Washington Park, it was redesigned in 1867 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — who had already developed Central Park and would go on to do Prospect Park — and given its current name.

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Fort Greene Commerce & Culture

The Brooklyn Academy of Music is one of the premier cultural institutions in all of Brooklyn. However, its name is a bit of a misnomer as offerings stretch beyond music into dance, theater, and film. Fort Greene is home to many other galleries and performance spaces, underscoring the area’s appreciation for beauties of all kinds — aesthetic, artistic, or otherwise. For those hungry for more than culture, there are restaurants and bars aplenty. Fort Greene’s dining seamlessly blends the old with the new, the casual with the fancy, all contributing to a lively scene. Fulton Street forms the busiest strip, though DeKalb and Lafayette avenues also boast their share of activity. Adjacent to Downtown Brooklyn and Clinton Hill, Fort Greene is directly serviced by close to 10 subway lines, with many more — plus the LIRR — accessible at nearby stations.