Not even five years ago, Crown Heights was dominated by dollar stores, fast food, and the reverberations of the ethnic conflicts in the 1990s largely between Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish populations. The local melting pot was Tavern on Nostrand, but this restaurant and bar stuck out like a frat boy at an Indigo Girls concert. Now, with the influx of young professionals escaping Manhattan’s exorbitant prices, the neighborhood seems to be adapting to Tavern’s standards. Furthermore, the Nostrand Park blog brings news—albeit hesitant news—of a possibly exploding art scene. Three new art galleries have opened in the neighborhood within the past year, and multiple art organizations have been working steadily to promote and spread art, such as the Heart of Brooklyn, the Crown Heights Youth Collective, the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, or the Chassidic Art Institute. It’s certainly too soon to declare a Crown Heights renaissance (we New Yorkers always do love announcing a new renaissance in art), but we’ll certainly keep our eyes on Crown Heights.
An Art Scene Grows in Crown Heights [Nostrand Park]
Photo by Crown Heist