Brooklyn Robot Foundry — the kids and adult maker space on Church and Duane founded by mechanical engineer Jenny Young — will close its doors here as of Sept. 1, but will continue to operate online. They are not the first — and, I am afraid, not the last — kids program to close its physical space here due to the pandemic and the exodus of families from the neighborhood.

The organization ran S.T.E.A.M. classes, parties and camps for children and adults here starting in 2014 (in that location since 2018) but has been operating exclusively online since March and will continue to do so through at least the end of the year. The pivot included limiting class size to six and adding staff to their production team in Brooklyn to pack robot parts for kids at home.

They sold out of all their summer programs. And they make kids 6 and up sign a pledge to do their work without an adult help. So it’s working for them, thankfully, even if it is not exactly as they first envisioned. It just leaves us with another empty storefront and a little less action in the neighborhood.