Cumberland St.

Cumberland St., Brooklyn NY
Photographed June 5, 2010

Cumberland Street is located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY.  It is a residential path that extends from Atlantic Ave. to Dekalb Ave. at the southeastern edge of Fort Greene Park. Not all buildings are of the same architectural style or material but most are three story town homes in formidable condition.







The Fort Greene neighborhood used to be predominately African American, heavily employed by industrial jobs like those at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard.  When those jobs left the neighborhood it fell into a slumber; with increased violence, crime, gang and drug activity.  The neighborhood has since seen reinvestment and its racial composition is more diverse.

The current culture is catalyzing revitalization efforts; young families of European descent are buying homes as they are vacated by the elderly population and the building stock, though in need of maintenance is fitting for those who are looking to rehabilitate and retrofit historic homes.  Local businesses that cater to middle income residents are moving into the neighborhood and thriving.

Through its revitalization, Forte Greene is not returning to a working class neighborhood, instead it is steadily becoming an upper middle class neighborhood with homes selling for over $500,000.  As such the aesthetic of the hard scape is becoming more polished and picturesque.  Town homes are switching back to single family residences from mutli-tenant residences.  The tax base is increasing thus public spaces are more traversed with safer recreational and congregational traffic.