Brooklyn Children’s Museum begins $15 million garden makeover
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s terrace, courtyard, and outdoor spaces will be modernized under the project. Rendering courtesy of Gans and Company / NYC DDC
Work has begun on the $15 million revitalization of outdoor space at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. The city’s Departments of Cultural Affairs and Design and Construction this week broke ground on the project to beautify the Crown Heights museum’s courtyards and terraces and create 20,000 square feet of accessible outdoor programming space for young New Yorkers and their families. The project is being funded by the Mayor’s Office, City Council, and the Brooklyn Borough President’s office.
Designed by Gans and Company, the project will rebuild the garden’s existing retaining wall, which runs along the museum’s south and east borders adjacent to Brower Park. First constructed in the 1970s, the wall has deteriorated over the years, making a portion of the outdoor space inaccessible.
The retaining wall system will restore access to a new ADA-accessible courtyard, terrace, and other outdoor spaces. The project includes dedicated areas for museum programming, gathering, activities, garden resting areas with seating, interactive installations, planted and stabilized slopes, climbing paths, group meeting spots, a wash station, and an overlooking terrace.
“At Brooklyn Children’s Museum, we believe in the power of experiential learning to spark curiosity and ignite a lifelong passion for discovery,” Atiba T. Edwards, president and CEO of BCM, said. “We’re excited for this to be a transformative space where children and families can connect with the world right here in their own community.”
Additionally, the outdoor space will be filled with new greenery, including 20 plant species, 41 trees, and more than 800 shrubs. The project includes new landscape irrigation, drainage, stormwater management, and outdoor lighting.
The renovation is phase one of the museum’s Earth Science Garden project, an upcoming outdoor exhibit meant to immerse visitors in an exploration of geology, soil science, ecology, hydrology, and meteorology through activities like climbing, digging, and water-play.
Work is slated for completion in winter 2025.
“The Brooklyn Children’s Museum was the first children’s museum in the United States, and we’re proud of the long-term public-private partnership between the city and the museum that has created this incredible resource for young New Yorkers and their families,” Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo said.
“I’m so proud of the City’s significant investment in this project to reopen 20,000 square feet of accessible outdoor space for programming and enjoyment of all. A city with extraordinary cultural assets that are open to all residents is a safer, healthier, and more vibrant city.”
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