Park Slope is one of the most sought after neighborhoods in New York City. Rows after rows of historic brownstones on tree lined streets, street after street of them, roughly 5 blocks by 30 blocks. A unique historic setting with French, Greek and Romanesque Revival treasures, spires, turrets and bay windows. And above all close to Prospect Park, Brooklyn's version of Central Park.
The "Slope", as it is affectionately called by its residents, has a distinct neighborhood feel. A small-town community with a cosmopolitan attitude. Seventh, Sixth and Fifth Avenues are the Slope's main streets with lots of shops, cafés and restaurants. Young, middle-class couples push baby strollers alongside artistic types and Wall Street professionals. A great mix of the twenties crowd with the more monied types. There are many notable residents of the Slope, artists, writers, financiers and politicians.
You will hear or read critical comments about the gentrification of the Slope. But in all fairness one should remember that the Slope was always an affluent neighborhood, except for the 1950s to mid 1970s. These were the years of general decline of New York City after many years of mismanagement by self-serving politicians. Not an era to be proud of or feel nostalgic about.
Prospect Park is the main attraction for the five neighborhoods surrounding it: Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Prospect Park South and Windsor Terrace. Take a look at the park's layout here. This wonderful 526 acre park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the mid 1800s (they also created the 843 acre Central Park in Manhattan). It is a quiet oasis with its near limitless expanse of meadows, lakes and woodlands. It houses a plethora of facilities including a zoo, an ice-skating rink, a boathouse on Prospect Lake, a band shell. Since the park interior originally was not open to visitors after dark, Olmsted & Vaux designed a perimeter with a wide pavement, benches, gaslights and a double row of trees. A great place to jog, walk or bike. The park's main entrance is on Grand Army Plaza with its magnificent 80ft high triumphal arch (half the size of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris) built in the 1890s to commemorate the North's Civil War victory. On top is a bronze Quadriga - Victory in her chariot pulled by four horses and flanked by two winged figures, symbolizing the victorious Union. Next to Prospect Park is the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, a 52-acre marvel with its world-class plant collections and specialty gardens.
|
Boundaries: Park Slope is roughly bounded by Fourth Avenue, Prospect Park West (Ninth Avenue), Flatbush Avenue, and Fifteenth Street. Adjacent neighborhoods: Prospect Heights, Gowanus, Windsor Terrace. Subway stops: 1, 2 and 4 to Grand Army Plaza and F to 7th Avenue |
History: The Slope was a sparsely populated rural area in 1857, when the railroad financier Edwin C. Litchfield built an Italianate villa overlooking his vast property sloping down to the Gowanus Canal. By 1874 Prospect Park was completed, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to encompass the villa, which now houses park offices. In an adjacent lot they created a separate entity, Institute Park, for the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, the Brooklyn Museum and a 50-acre Botanic Garden.
The English and German upper class was attracted to the area, escaping crowded, noisy and smelly Manhattan. They constructed mansions and brownstones with stained-glass windows, elaborate carved oak paneling and high-relief plasterwork. In the 1880s Grand Army Plaza with the Triumphal Arch was completed. Most notable are the Romanesque Revival mansions built by Thomas Adams Jr. (creator of Chiclets chewing gum) and by George P. Tangeman (baking powder magnate) on Prospect Park West. The Venetian Gothic palazzo built in 1891 for the private Montauk Club has a terra-cotta exterior and friezes depicting its eponymous tribe. The lavish homes on Prospect Park West and 8th Avenue eventually were christened the "Gold Coast".
As the area developed, distance from the park was measured economically, with more modest brownstones built in the central and south Slope. In the 1950's, with middle-class flight to the suburbs and social deterioration, one-family brownstones were converted to rooming houses. In the late 60's young professionals, along with artists and teachers, reclaimed the row houses, buying cheap and embarking on long-term renovations. In 1973 the Park Slope Historic District was created by the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission, encompassing roughly 40% of Park Slope from Prospect Park West down to 8th and parts of 7th Avenue. While in the early 1960s a brownstone cost around $50,000, today, they cost from $2 million up in "normal" areas and $3 - 4 million closer to the park. Increasingly houses are converted into into luxury co-ops.
If you are interested in late 19th & early 20th century urban architecture, there is a great walking tour through Park Slope.
Schools:
The Slope is well served by 6 elementary schools and a number of private schools (Poly Prep Lower School, Berkeley Carroll School, St.Saviour High School and Brooklyn Free School).
Neighborhood Blogs & Web Sites we like:
Daily Slope - a community site for the Park Slope neighborhood
Dope on the Slope - brooklynization of two Tennessee hillbillies
OTBKB - blog about Park Slope and beyond
Park Slope Civic Council - website of the local civic council
Park Slope Gastronome - two ladies from Park Slope make public their eating habits
Park Slope Parents - parent network for Park Slope
South Park Slope Community Group - community site South Park Slope & Greenwood Heights
Park Slope Courier - newspaper & website
Shopping:
Main shopping streets are Seventh, Sixth and Fifth Avenues. You find a great number of neighborhood stores here, but some of the national chains have recently opened up or plan to do so (FAO Schwarz being the latest - Dec. 2006). The area is well served with what you need on a daily basis.
The Park Slope Farmers' Market is on Sundays 11AM - 5PM (June 4 - November 19) on Fifth Avenue and 4th Street in front of the J.J. Byrne Park.
Park Slope Food Co-op on Union Street is the largest food cooperative in the US with approximately 12,000 members from Park Slope and adjacent neighborhoods. Only members can shop there, they need to work 2 3/4 hours every four weeks. Lots of healthy food and a great place to socialize.
Eating Out: Years ago Park Slope was a restaurant challenged area. That has changed tremendously. Today Sixth and Fifth Avenues offer a wide choice of restaurants, pizzerias and coffee shops. I list a couple of restaurants in the neighborhood, which have received good reviews by Zagats, New York Times or New York Magazine. For the latest restaurant and food news you might want to check New York Magazine's blog, Grub Street or some of the neighborhood blogs listed above.
Top notch:
Al Di La (Northern Italian) at 248 Fifth Ave., Tel: 718-783-4565
Blue Ribbon (American) & Blue Ribbon Sushi next door, 278 Fifth Ave., Tel:718-840-0408, a favorite of ours, worth the price!
Rose Water (American) at 787 Union St. (near 6th Ave.), Tel: 718-783-3800 - we love their brunch!
Applewood (American) at 501 11th St. (bet. 7th & 8th Aves.), Tel: 718-768-2044
Convivium Osteria (Italian) at 68 Fifth Ave. bet. Bergen St. & St. Marks Ave.), Tel: 718-857-1833, very popular but friends of ours were not impressed
Little D Eatery (American) at 434 Seventh Ave. (bet. 14th & 15th Sts.), Tel: 718-369-3144
Song (Thai) at 295 Fifth Ave. (bet. 1st & 2nd Sts.), Tel: 718-965-1108
Chocolate Room (American) at 86 Fifth Ave. (bet. St. Marks Pl. & Warren St.), Tel: 718-783-290
Stone Park Café (American) at 324 Fifth Ave. (3rd St.), Tel: 718-369-0082
Brooklyn Fish Camp (Fish & Lobsters) at 162 Fifth Ave. (DeGraw St.), Tel: 718-783-3264, a bit overpriced but our friends liked it
A few good, yet economical places:
Bistro St. Mark's at 76 St. Mark's Avenue, near Flatbush Avenue, Tel: 718-857-8600
The Minnow at 442 9th Street, Tel: 718-832-5500
Olive Vine Cafe (Middle Eastern) at 362 15th St. (7th Ave.), Tel: 718-499-0555 and 54 Seventh Ave. (bet. Lincoln & St. Johns Pls.), Tel: 718-622-2626
ChipShop/CurryShop (British & Indian)at 381-383 Fifth Ave. (bet. 6th & 7th Sts.), Tel: 718-832-7701
Lemongrass Grill (Thai) at 61A Seventh Ave. (bet. Berkeley & Lincoln Pls.), Tel: 718-399-7100
Pizzerias:
Joe's Pizza at 137 Seventh Ave. (bet. Carroll St. & Garfield Pl.), Tel: 718-398-9198
Two Boots at 514 Second St. (bet. 7th & 8th Aves.), Tel: 718-499-3253
La Villa Pizzeria at 261 Fifth Ave. (bet. 1st St. & Garfield Pl.) Tel: 718-499-9888 with Bensonhurst type decor but Park Slope prices
Sweets & Sandwiches:
Sweet Melissa on 175 Seventh Ave. (bet. 1st & 2nd Sts.), Tel: 718-502-9153, our Cobble Hill favorite now also in Park Slope
Press 195 on 195 Fifth Ave. (bet. Sackett & Union Sts.), Tel: 718-857-1950, great paninis
post your comments herelast updated: October 15, 2008