Expanded And Upgraded Fowler Square Reopens

FORT GREENE – After more than a year under construction, Fowler Square, the pedestrian plaza located at the intersection of Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue, reopened to the public in May with an enhanced infrastructure, traffic calming features, and lots of new amenities for visitors.

The NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) worked together on the $2 million project reclaiming 4,500 square feet of pedestrian space by closing off a block of South Elliott Place that runs along the eastern edge of the triangle and expanding the sidewalks along Lafayette Avenue. Two “bumpouts” were also added at the intersection of South Elliott and Lafayette to make crossing easier for pedestrians.

“It is now hard to remember, but only a few years ago, vehicles moved along South Elliott Place through this space, now transformed by trees, benches and a water fountain,” DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said in a statement. “Fowler Square is one of the best examples of how plazas can unite communities, with year-round gatherers in an enlarged park that perfectly illustrates the success of the plaza model.”

Fowler Square now features seven new trees, a water fountain, five planters, six metal benches, 75 chairs, 25 tables, as well as new light poles, street lights, and pedestrian signals. The 1902 statue of Civil War hero and Brooklynite, General Edward Fowler (1828–1896), was moved 24 feet to the east of the plaza and given a new concrete base surrounded by plantings and a circular granite seating area.

Underneath it all, infrastructure upgrades were also made including the replacement of 800 feet of old water mains, the addition of sixty feet of new storm sewers, and the installation of five new catch basins to help reduce flooding.