Walking Brooklyn. Adrienne Onofri
In the 1930s and ’40s its congregation included many Mohawk Indians, who had moved from Canada to New York City to work in skyscraper construction. The remainder of the block on that side consists of a variety of houses from either the early 1850s or early 1870s.
Turn right at Bond Street.
Make a right on Dean Street. The earliest homes here are the brownstone row about a third of the way down the block on the left side and the six brick rowhouses after it, all built between 1850 and 1852. On your right, the three houses closest to the nursing home also date to about 1850.
At Hoyt, the corner house across on your right was purchased by actors Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams in 2005; Ledger moved out shortly before his untimely death in January 2008. Turn left on Hoyt. The
Dating to 1850, the Brooklyn Inn’s building (right) on Hoyt Street was given a Queen Anne exterior in the 1880s
Go left (east) on Bergen Street. The entire left side past the corner store–apartment building was built by one developer from 1869 to 1873. By that time, houses were being constructed in larger groups versus singly or just a couple at a time, as you’ve seen on other blocks.
Turn right on Bond and right again on Wyckoff Street. The first two houses after the community garden were erected in 1854 and set a no-stoop standard that was copied as more homes were built alongside them. Continue across Wyckoff to #108, whose facade, stoop, pavement, and even window bars are covered with a mosaic of tiles, beads, mirrors, and shells. And to think, it once probably looked just like its sedate next-door neighbor.
Turn right on Smith Street.
Make a left at Bergen Street. Drop in at
Turn right on Boerum Place, opposite a colorful row of Bergen Street clapboard houses, appearing impeccably maintained yet somewhat misplaced on this primarily commercial and brickfront block.
Go right on Dean Street. A couple of orphaned wood frame houses from the 1850s still stand toward the end of the block.
Turn right on Smith Street. Bar Tabac, at the right corner, was an early factor in Smith Street’s reputation as a “restaurant row,” and the French bistro has remained while many other restaurants on the street have come and gone.
The F/G subway station is at Bergen Street.
Points of Interest
Barclays Center 620 Atlantic Ave.; 917-618-6100, barclayscenter.com
Williamsburgh Savings Bank clocktower 1 Hanson Place
Brooklyn Academy of Music 30 Lafayette Ave.; 718-636-4100, bam.org
Roulette 38 3rd Ave.; 917-267-0363, roulette.org
Brooklyn Inn 148 Hoyt St.; 718-522-2525
The Invisible Dog 51 Bergen St., 347-560-3641, theinvisibledog.org
Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill
6
Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill:
Standing the Test of Time
Above: Within the Carroll Gardens Historic District, on Carroll Street
BOUNDARIES: Atlantic Ave., Hoyt St., 2nd Pl., Hicks St.
DISTANCE: 2.9 miles
SUBWAY: F or G to Carroll St. (President St. exit)
The “Carroll” comes from Declaration of Independence signatory Charles Carroll; the “Gardens” from the unusually large plots of land bestowed on each house in an 1846 design for the neighborhood conceived by surveyor Richard Butts. Those deep front yards were well cared for over the years by garden-loving Italians, who moved to the area for the longshoreman work and were the dominant immigrant group here throughout the 20th century. Today most parts of Carroll Gardens are unrecognizable as a working-class community, as its proximity to Manhattan and abundance of brownstones have attracted an upscale populace. Cobble Hill, which borders Carroll Gardens to the north, first emerged as a fashionable residential district in the mid–19th century. A plethora of specialty shops and dining destinations that opened over the past 15 years have added a new facet to these neighborhoods rich in historic homes and churches along tree-lined streets.
Walk Description
Exit the subway at Smith and President Streets, and head west on President beside
Cross Smith and walk straight onto