Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, originally known simply as the "Hill", were one of the best kept secrets in New York City until the late 90s. Drive along Atlantic Avenue or the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and you don't realize what a gem lies between theses two busy roads. Quiet tree-lined streets, rows and rows of well preserved late 19th century brownstones, beautiful Fort Greene Park, the famous Pratt Institute campus. But it has become well known now and the bargains are gone. The two are amongst our favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods, hip, yet retaining a nice diversity. Great schools and a decent shopping and restaurant scene on Myrtle and DeKalb Avenue make them a much sought after inner city residential area.
Once you leave the busy thoroughfares these are two quiet neighborhoods, with lots of 19th and early 20th century houses. One of the most architecturally diverse areas in New York City. You find lots of students, singles and young families here - Fort Greene Park is an ideal playground and meeting point. It is Brooklyn's oldest park, created in 1848 at the instigation of Walt Whitman, who was then editor of the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper. It was redesigned in 1864 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux (designers of Central Park and Prospect Park). It is a beautiful retreat from city life. View the Prison Ship Martyrs' Monument and crypt, honoring the 11,500 soldiers who died aboard British prison ships during the American Revolutionary War.
On the southern edge of Fort Greene near the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues is the 34 stories Williamsburgh Savings Bank, the tallest building in Brooklyn. It is presently being converted into a residential coop. Built in 1927 it features a gilded copper dome; a public observation deck (presently closed), carved lions, turtles and birds on the exterior and a marble entrance hall (the former banking hall) on the ground floor with 63-ft vaulted ceilings, 40-foot windows and elaborate mosaics.
Fort Greene is home to a number of important cultural institutions like the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the Brooklyn Music School, The Paul Robeson Theater, the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA), Urban Glass Works, and 651 Arts.
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Boundaries: From Park Avenue to Atlantic Avenue, between Flatbush and Franklin Avenues. Fort Greene is to the west of Vanderbilt Avenue, Clinton Hill to the east. Adjacent neighborhoods: Downtown Brooklyn, Boerum Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant Subway stops: G train to Fulton Street, Clinton-Washington Avenue and Classon Avenue or C train to Lafayette and Clinton-Washington Avenues. |
History: Fort Greene is named after a Revolutionary War era fort built in 1776 under the supervision of one of George Washington's generals, Nathanael Greene. Clinton Hill was originally farmland owned by the Dutch. In the early 19th century it became a rural retreat a number of New York's industrialists and merchants fleeing the hustle and bustle (and bad odour) of Manhattan. They built imposing mansions along Washington and Clinton Avenues. Prime examples are the Pratt mansions. Charles Pratt built his mansion on Clinton Avenue in 1875 and then one for each of his four sons as they got married. Other prominent families settling here were the Bristols (Bristol-Myers), the Pfizers (pharmaceutical) and the Underwoods (typewriters). Most of these mansions have been preserved.
In the late 19th and early 20th century the empty lots between the mansions were filled with block after block of brownstone row houses. You can see early 19th century Federal houses, early 2oth century Renaissance Revival and Colonial Revival styles. The Hill developed like a patchwork quilt unlike Park Slope, which was pretty much a planned community.
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission gave three areas in the two neighborhoods landmark status: Fort Greene Historic District in 1978, Clinton Hill Historic District in 1981 and Brooklyn Academy of Music Historic District in 1978.
Schools: Sought after public elementary schools are P.S. 11 on Waverly Avenue and P.S. 20 on Adelphi Street, both pre-k-6. For the 7th and 8th grades there is I.S. 113 on Carlton Avenue. Private schools are Queen of All Saints School (k-8) and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School (Rudolph Guliani graduated here). St. Joseph's College on Clinton Avenue focuses on business and health management. It also runs the well regarded Dillon Child Study Center for preschoolers.
H.S430, Brooklyn Technical High School, the famous "Brooklyn Tech" on Fort Greene Place, is a public high school that specializes in engineering, math and science. It is one of the best magnet schools in the US. Admission is by competitive examination, only New York City residents can apply. The school counts two Nobel laureates amongst its long list of famous alumni.
Pratt Institute in Clinton Hill is one of the leading art, design and architecture schools in the US with more than 4000 students. It was founded in 1887 by industrialist Charles Pratt, an early pioneer of the oil industry (Astral Oil in Greenpoint, Brooklyn was one the first refineries in the US). Pratt has a long list of famous alumni. Its campus occupies 25-acres between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street and there are quite a number of student residences outside the campus. Note the large sculptures on its campus.
Neighborhood Blogs &Web Sites we like:
Clinton Hill Blog - blogger in Clinton Hill
Eating Clinton Hill - foodie blogger in Clinton Hill
Fort Greene Association - neighborhood association
Fort Greene Snap - Strategic Neighborhood Action Partnership
PACC - Pratt Area Community Council
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership - Revitalization of Myrtle Avenue
SONY - The South Of the Navy Yard Artists Community
Shopping: With gentrification shopping has improved tremendously. Myrtle and DeKalb Avenues are the main shopping streets. As a rule, the closer you are to Downtown Brooklyn the more shops. Fort Greene is well served with shops, Clinton Hill less so. Some Clinton Hill residents see this as an advantage though - it is quieter there. On the southern edge of Fort Greene, where Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues intersect is the new Atlantic Terminal Shopping Center. It is technically part of Fort Greene, albeit not really a part of the neighborhood proper. Another option is Downtown Brooklyn's Fulton Mall, which only a 15 - 25 minute walk away. Fulton Mall is very busy and not exactly our cup of tea though.
Eating Out: Here is a selection of restaurants from Zagats, New York Times and New York Magazine. For the latest food news check New York Magazine's blog, Grub Street or some of the neighborhood blogs we listed above.
The top rated are:
Locanda Vini & Olii, Italian (Tuscan) 129 Gates Ave., (Cambridge Pl.), Tel: 718-622-9202
Luz, Nuevo Latino, 177 Vanderbilt Ave.,(bet. Myrtle Ave. & Willoughby St.), Tel: 718-246-4000
Loulou, French, 222 DeKalb Ave. (bet. Adelphi St. & Clermont Ave.), Tel: 718-246-0633
Olea, Mediterranean, 171 Lafayette Ave. (Adelphi St.), Tel: 718-643-7003
Ici, American-French, 246 DeKalb Ave. (bet. Clermont & Vanderbilt Aves.), Tel: 718-789-2778, also great brunch place
Chez Oskar, American, 211 DeKalb Ave. (Adelphi St.), Tel: 718-852-6250, much beloved old timer, great brunches too
Scopello, Italian-Sicilian, 63 Lafayette Ave. (bet. Fulton & S. Elliot Pl.), Tel: 718-852-1100 - near BAM
Thomas Beisl, Austrian, 25 Lafayette Ave. (bet.Ashland Pl. & St. Felix St.), Tel: 718-222-5800 - like in Vienna and right opposite BAM
A few good, yet economical places:
Zaytoons, Middle Eastern, 472 Myrtle Ave. (bet. Hall St. & Washington Ave.), Tel: 718-623-552
Rice, Eclectic, 166 DeKalb Ave. (Cumberland St.), Tel: 718-858-2700
Bonita, Mexican, 243 DeKalb Ave. (Vanderbilt Ave.), Tel: 718-622-53
post your comments herelast updated: October 15, 2008