[2] The impetus for the adaptive reuse of the Childs building largely came from Marty Markowitz, who was Borough President of Brooklyn from 2002 through 2013.

Markowitz had long sought a permanent venue for the series of summer concerts that he had sponsored for 35 years, since his time in the New York State Senate.

Community gardeners who had been cultivating land adjacent to the building for 16 years sued the city in 2014.

[5] Other critics of the plan were concerned about increased noise and traffic, and pointed out that the area had yet to fully recover from Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

Other acts that performed at the amphitheater during its inaugural season included the Hollywood Vampires, Culture Club, Travis Scott, 311, Counting Crows, Widespread Panic and Willie Nelson.