Brooklyn Academy of Music
historic place
The Brooklyn Academy of Music, known as BAM, is a significant historic place in Brooklyn, New York. Chartered in 1859, its first facility opened in 1861 on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. This initial building, designed by Leopold Eidlitz, housed a large theater and concert hall. It served as a cultural center for over four decades. On November 30, 1903, the original Brooklyn Academy of Music building was destroyed by fire. Plans were quickly made to rebuild in Fort Greene. The current Italian Renaissance-inspired building, designed by Herts & Tallant, opened in 1908 on Lafayette Avenue. Its grand opening in November 1908 featured a Metropolitan Opera production of Faust with Geraldine Farrar and Enrico Caruso. BAM is recognized as America's oldest continuously operating performing arts center. It was designated part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music Historical District in 1978 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. This site continues to be a center for performing arts.