The Brooklyn Navy Yard on Tuesday opened a redesigned entrance at Flushing Avenue and Cumberland Street, adding a new public plaza and upgraded access point aimed at better connecting the industrial campus with surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods.
The project, completed by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, includes a reconstructed gate, improved pedestrian and vehicle access and a 2,500-square-foot landscaped area with seating, planted berms and shaded gathering spaces. The public area is expected to remain open from dawn to dusk.
The Cumberland Street entrance serves one of the busiest access points into the 300-acre campus, which is home to more than 550 businesses and roughly 13,000 workers. The redesign improves truck circulation, pedestrian safety and visibility along Flushing Avenue while introducing new wayfinding features planned for future use throughout the Yard.
“The opening of the Cumberland Gate opens up new opportunities — literally and figuratively — for the Navy Yard and its surrounding neighborhoods," said BNYDC Board Chair Hank Gutman.
Designed by WXY Architecture + Urban Design, the project is the first of four planned gateway upgrades tied to the Navy Yard’s long-term master plan and broader efforts to reconnect the campus with nearby communities including Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill and DUMBO.
The project received an $853,700 grant through New York state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, along with $250,000 each from Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Council Member Crystal Hudson.
The Cumberland Street entrance is the first in a series of planned upgrades intended to create a more accessible and connected perimeter around the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
