[title]
Big things are happening at the beloved Brooklyn Children's Museum at 145 Brooklyn Avenue in Crown Heights: the city just broke ground on the over $15 million renovation project that will modernize the venue's infrastructure and outdoor spaces.
Expected to be completed by the winter of 2025, the project will also directly affect adjacent Brower Park. In fact, among the many planned upgrades is a reconstruction of the museum's courtyard retaining wall system, which touches on the nearby park.
"The existing retaining wall system, which was built in the 1970s, had exceeded its useful life, preventing a significant portion of the museum’s footprint in Brower Park from being utilized for public programming and was in dire need of replacement," reads an official press release. "The retaining wall system will be rebuilt to restore access to a newly redesigned and modernized courtyard, terrace and surrounding outdoor space. The project will create dedicated outdoor areas and space for programming and exhibits, gather and activity spaces."
There's more: when the work is done, museum goers will get to enjoy new garden resting areas, climbing paths and a wash station.
Clearly, the institution's entire outdoor section is getting a major revamp: expect 20,000 square feet of greenery filled with 20 different plant species, over 40 trees and more than 800 shrubs, all benefiting from a new landscape irrigation and drainage system plus storm water management processes.
Bonus points: new outdoor lighting capabilities that will allow the museum to host evening events while also aiding security measures.
The massive redevelopment effort should come as no surprise. Let us remind you that the Brooklyn Children's Museum , which was founded in 1899, is the first-ever children's museum.
The facility is also a member of New York's Cultural Institutions Group, which is made up of 34 different cultural organization and city-owned properties that receive funds and operating support from the local government to "help meet basic security, maintenance, administration, and energy costs," according to the release. "In return for this support, these institutions operate as publicly-owned facilities whose mandate is to provide cultural services accessible to all New Yorkers."
Making sure that the museum is always in tip-top shape is, therefore, imperative. After all, New York children deserve this and more.