Brooklyn War Memorial Renovation Will Finally Happen Next Year: City

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — The Brooklyn War Memorial in Cadman Plaza that's been closed for 25 years, is finally planning to begin renovations to get up to code in terms of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) next spring, officials announced.

The memorial features 11,500 names of Brooklynites who served in World War II. It was shuttered in 1986 after it had been allowed to deteriorate for years, and it is not up to ADA code.

Over the past few years, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and council member Stephen Levin, as well as a grant from the federal government, have raised $4 million for this first phase of construction through the parks department.

The memorial's redesign will include a reconstruction of the memorial plaza's west side entrance with a ramp and doors that follow ADA regulations. The building's doors will be changed to become electronic and aesthetically to reflect the original memorial design in 1951. An elevator will also be built from the first floor to the bathrooms on the basement level.

"The Brooklyn War Memorial is sacred to countless New Yorkers, and downtown Brooklyn has been incomplete without it," said Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver in a statement. "It is crucial that we continue to preserve our monuments and memorials so that we can properly honor those individuals who have served this country."

The construction is set to take 12 to 18 months, according to the city. The entire plan for memorial renovation includes a visitor center, event space and renovated Wall of Honor, and it is estimated to cost $11.8 million.

Photo via NYC Parks Department