Until recently Carroll Gardens used to be an Italian neighborhood, with Hispanics toward Smith Street and Red Hook. Rows and rows of brownstones and red brick houses on tree lined streets. The houses are not as large and refined as in Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill or Park Slope but very neat. Nowadays it is one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Most of the houses are owned by well to do families and apartments are rented to the twentysomethings crowd, working in Manhattan. The average townhouse now sells for 1 - 2 million and rents are comparable to Manhattan. Celebrities have also recently bought houses in the area. Only a few of the Italian oldtimers are left, like Caputo's Bakery and Esposito Pork Store on Court Street. They were supplanted by a great number of smart restaurants, cafés and shops catering to a younger crowd. Walking on Court or Smith Street you hear increasingly English with an English (sorry for this) or Aussie accent, proper Spanish (instead of the Spanish-Carribbean slang) as well as French, Dutch and German.
People are attracted to Carroll Gardens for its 19th century charm, the calm tree-lined streets, the many small shops, cafés and restaurants within walking distance and its closeness to the offices in Downtown and Midtown Manhattan. Together with the adjacent neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill, the area is often referred to as BoCoCa, a term some residents dislike.
First Place in Carroll Gardens is famous for its Halloween decorations. Quite a sight.
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Boundaries: Carroll Gardens stretches from Douglass to Huntington Streets and from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) to Hoyt Street at least by most accounts. To figure out exactly where Carroll Garden ends and Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill or Red Hook begin is a science. Neighborhood Associations have overlapping claims. Actually most of the residents don't really care. Don't believe anyone who claims to know exactly, especially realtors, the New York Times or New York Magazine. Adjacent neighborhoods: Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, Red Hook Subway stops: F or G to Carroll Street |
History: Carroll Gardens was originally settled by Irish Americans in the early 19th century. They were primarily tradesmen working for the rich folks in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. In 1846 a certain Richard Butts created the spacious front yards in the oldest section of the neighborhood, today a much sought after area. During Brooklyn's heyday as a shipping port, Italian immigrants moved into the central area of Carroll Gardens and Hispanics on the fringes (Smith Street and towards Red Hook). With the onslaught of containerized shipping and the intransigent attitude of the local stevedore's union, most of the shipping moved to New Jersey. Gradually the area gentrified starting from Cobble Hill and creeping slowly towards Red Hook. That process is practically finished today. By the way, the name Carroll Gardens was supposedly introduced in 1964 by the local neighborhood association (with still meets each week - in Scotto's funeral parlor!). It was named after Charles Carroll, a lawyer and politician from Maryland, who was a delegate to the Continental Congress and later a United States Senator. He was the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. Before that it was simply known as a part of South Brooklyn.
In 1987 Moonstruck was filmed in Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights. Ronny Cammareri (Nicholas Cage), the baker at Cammareri Brothers Bakery on Henry Street falls in love with Loretta Castorini (Cher), who after many tribulations breaks up with her fiancé Johnny, Ronny's brother. This charming movie captures the Italian feel of the neighborhood. Alas, Cammareri's is no more (albeit there are rumours they will come back) and the area is becoming less Italian. Many house owners have cashed in and moved to other parts of Brooklyn and Staten Island. That's life! But the area still has a lot of Italian flavor.
The two blocks of President and Carroll Streets between Smith and Hoyt Streets were designated the Carroll Gardens Historic District in 1973 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. These are two outstanding blocks of late 19th century red brick and brownstone row houses.
Shopping: Smith Street and Court Street, the two commercial streets run north and south through Carroll Gardens. The F and G subway lines run under Smith Street. Court Street is one block to the west. Both are well served by grocery stores, laundromats, bakeries and hair salons. Henry Street, two blocks west from Court Street also has a number of shops and restaurants.
There are plans to establish a green market, the Carroll Gardens Farmers Market, on the Carroll Street sidewalk across the street from Carroll Park (between Smith and Court Streets).
Eating Out: You find restaurants, pizzerias as well as a few coffee and sandwich shops for Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook on this list.
post your comments herelast updated: October 15, 2008