An Arts Room With a View: BAM Fisher Building

Immediately upon entering the rehearsal space at the , one architectural feature immediately stands out:

Windows.

Unlike the cloistered confines at BAM's Howard Gilman Opera House and Harvey Theater, this seven-story construct looks directly onto the brownstone-lined blocks, greenspaces and concrete edifices surrounding it.

"For the first time BAM has a great view of the community it looks to serve," said BAM Fisher's architect, Hugh Hardy, at the building's unveiling on Thursday.

With an eye on forging a stronger connection to Fort Greene, as well as the rest of the borough and city, BAM officials announced a slate of community building initiatives, including a 14-week intensive fellowship program that this year .

The building is the first of three major projects in the recently constituted BAM Historic District—the others being the and .

"This will be a district that truly reflects the urban energy of New York City today and that would include institutions, small and large, black and white, visual and performing arts, all mixed together," said BAM president Karen Hopkins.

The building will officially open to the public as part of the on Sept. 5—giving young artists the chance to fill a small space with an audience looking to take a chance on a new theatrical experience. 

"Though they are great buildings, we could never do this work at the Opera House or the beautiful Harvey Theater," said BAM executive producer Joseph Melillo.