Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Cobble Hill is a neighborhood in the New York City
borough
of Brooklyn
, USA. Bordered by Atlantic Avenue
on the north, Hicks Street to the west, Smith Street on the east and Degraw Street to the south, Cobble Hill sits adjacent to Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights
with Carroll Gardens to the south. The Cobble Hill Historic District
covers the majority of the neighborhood but only extends east to Court Street, not Smith. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6
.
Its area measures approximately twenty-two city blocks. With the establishment of the Landmark Preservation Commission in 1965, charming and historically important neighborhoods like Cobble Hill got a chance to be safeguarded from developers, and stabilized property values and economic strength for property owners. According to the Landmark Preservation Commission, the Cobble Hill Historic District
is an “unusually fine 19th century residential area” and “retains an aura of the past” (73) with its charming streets and architecture. The Cobble Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1976.
Cobble Hill (or Ponkiesbergh as it was first called) was originally settled during the 1640’s by Dutch farmers. The name “Cobble Hill”, according to various sources, came from the large amount of cobble stones being disposed in the site. The cobble stones were used as ballast on trading ships arriving from Europe, South Brooklyn being a major cargo port. The high elevation point at the corner of present day Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, where the greatest amount of the cobble stones was disposed, was used as a Fort during both the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the War of 1812
(1812-1814). In 1834, the village of Brooklyn (present-day Brooklyn Heights), become a City and soon included South Brooklyn as well.
Until the establishment of the South Ferry
, which connected Atlantic Avenue to Manhattan in 1836, South Brooklyn was mostly rural. After 1836, with the guidelines for street pattern already established in 1834, the area developed rapidly. New streets were being executed progressively, and with the development of new buildings the rural community slowly started changing into a middle-class residential community dominated by row houses, called South Brooklyn
. According to the 1840 tax list and street directory, the neighborhood of present Cobble Hill contained 45 houses and 112 residents. According to the Cobble Hill Historic District Designation Report , the architecture during the 1850s, contained Greek Revival, Romanesque Revival, Italianate style, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne style, French Second Empire, and neo-Grec. The area contained a bank, stores with various services and several churches. The population at that time was a mix of Native Americans, Dutch, German, Irish, Italian, Swedes, Norwegian, and English expats from New England.
brownstone
and brick row houses. Many of these buildings were remodeled according to regulations dictated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
as the gentrification
of the eastern and southern borders of this designated Historic District took hold.
Until the 1970s, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens were, together, known as "South Brooklyn
", even though they are in the northwest portion of the modern borough, because they were south of Atlantic Street (now Atlantic Avenue
), which was the southern boundary of the City of Brooklyn
(now Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn
) during part of the 19th Century. In 1844 the Cobble Hill Tunnel
was dug in Atlantic Street so trains could avoid climbing the hill. The neighborhood is served by the Bergen Street
subway station on the IND Culver Line
( trains). This station has an unused lower level that has been used for express service in the past.
There are three schools in Cobble Hill. Public School 29, also known as the John M. Harrigan School, is located on Henry Street and has one of the best records in the city for extracurricular activities. Also, the building on Baltic Street that formerly housed Intermediate School 293 (which closed in 2005 due to poor performance) now contains two 6-12th grade schools, with the Brooklyn School for Global Studies occupying the top floor, and the School for International Studies on the bottom floor.
St. Paul's church at Court and Congress Streets was designed and built about 1838, allowing the claim that this church is the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Brooklyn. The steeple was added in the 1860's, and other enlargements were made. The church fronts on Court Street, the chapel and former rectory on Congress Street.
In place of Cobble Hill park was Second Unitarian Church (Brooklyn, New York) designed by Jacob Wrey Mould
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, USA. Bordered by Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue (New York City)
Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It stretches from the Brooklyn waterfront on the East River all the way to Jamaica, Queens...
on the north, Hicks Street to the west, Smith Street on the east and Degraw Street to the south, Cobble Hill sits adjacent to Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Brooklyn Heights is a culturally diverse neighborhood within the New York City borough of Brooklyn. Originally referred to as 'Brooklyn Village', it has been a prominent area of Brooklyn since 1834. As of 2000, Brooklyn Heights sustained a population of 22,594 people. The neighborhood is part of...
with Carroll Gardens to the south. The Cobble Hill Historic District
Cobble Hill Historic District
Cobble Hill Historic District is a national historic district in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It consists of 796 contributing, largely residential buildings built between the 1830s and 1920s. It includes fine examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne style row houses...
covers the majority of the neighborhood but only extends east to Court Street, not Smith. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6
Brooklyn Community Board 6
Brooklyn Community Board 6 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, Park Slope, Gowanus, and Cobble Hill...
.
History
Its historic district, first designated on December 20th, 1969 and extended on June 7th, 1988, is roughly bordered by Atlantic Avenue to the north, Degraw Street to the South, Court Street to the east and Hicks Street (with the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on the lower level) to the west.Its area measures approximately twenty-two city blocks. With the establishment of the Landmark Preservation Commission in 1965, charming and historically important neighborhoods like Cobble Hill got a chance to be safeguarded from developers, and stabilized property values and economic strength for property owners. According to the Landmark Preservation Commission, the Cobble Hill Historic District
Cobble Hill Historic District
Cobble Hill Historic District is a national historic district in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It consists of 796 contributing, largely residential buildings built between the 1830s and 1920s. It includes fine examples of Greek Revival, Italianate, and Queen Anne style row houses...
is an “unusually fine 19th century residential area” and “retains an aura of the past” (73) with its charming streets and architecture. The Cobble Hill Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1976.
Cobble Hill (or Ponkiesbergh as it was first called) was originally settled during the 1640’s by Dutch farmers. The name “Cobble Hill”, according to various sources, came from the large amount of cobble stones being disposed in the site. The cobble stones were used as ballast on trading ships arriving from Europe, South Brooklyn being a major cargo port. The high elevation point at the corner of present day Atlantic Avenue and Court Street, where the greatest amount of the cobble stones was disposed, was used as a Fort during both the American War of Independence (1775-1783) and the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
(1812-1814). In 1834, the village of Brooklyn (present-day Brooklyn Heights), become a City and soon included South Brooklyn as well.
Until the establishment of the South Ferry
South Ferry, Brooklyn
South Ferry was a ferry landing on the Brooklyn side of the East River, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue at the border of the neighborhoods of Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights. The ferry known as South Ferry traveled to South Ferry, Manhattan...
, which connected Atlantic Avenue to Manhattan in 1836, South Brooklyn was mostly rural. After 1836, with the guidelines for street pattern already established in 1834, the area developed rapidly. New streets were being executed progressively, and with the development of new buildings the rural community slowly started changing into a middle-class residential community dominated by row houses, called South Brooklyn
South Brooklyn
South Brooklyn is a region or composite neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, encompassing areas of Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Boerum Hill. Thus it is roughly encompassed by Brooklyn Community Board 6, which in turn approximates the southern half of the 18th...
. According to the 1840 tax list and street directory, the neighborhood of present Cobble Hill contained 45 houses and 112 residents. According to the Cobble Hill Historic District Designation Report , the architecture during the 1850s, contained Greek Revival, Romanesque Revival, Italianate style, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne style, French Second Empire, and neo-Grec. The area contained a bank, stores with various services and several churches. The population at that time was a mix of Native Americans, Dutch, German, Irish, Italian, Swedes, Norwegian, and English expats from New England.
Description
The area is historically Italian and is served by two commercial main streets - Court and Smith Streets. Family-run shops are Cobble Hill's biggest attraction; Italian meat markets (such as Staubitz Meat Market on Court St. and Los Paisanos on Smith St.) and old time barber shops mixing with trendy new restaurants. Smith Street is known as Brooklyn's "Restaurant Row" due to the large number of eateries and watering holes that opened on the street during the late 1990s and early 2000s. With a second blossoming of specialized bars along the corridor in the late 2000's, Smith Street became an upscale weekend nightlife destination. Cobble Hill Park, at the intersection of Congress and Clinton Streets, was reconstructed in 1989 and reflects the brick and stone character of this tree lined neighborhood. Cobble Hill is also renowned for its private Italianate styleItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
and brick row houses. Many of these buildings were remodeled according to regulations dictated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
as the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
of the eastern and southern borders of this designated Historic District took hold.
Until the 1970s, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens were, together, known as "South Brooklyn
South Brooklyn
South Brooklyn is a region or composite neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, encompassing areas of Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Gowanus, Park Slope, and Boerum Hill. Thus it is roughly encompassed by Brooklyn Community Board 6, which in turn approximates the southern half of the 18th...
", even though they are in the northwest portion of the modern borough, because they were south of Atlantic Street (now Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue (New York City)
Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It stretches from the Brooklyn waterfront on the East River all the way to Jamaica, Queens...
), which was the southern boundary of the City of Brooklyn
History of Brooklyn
The history of Brooklyn, a present-day borough of New York City, spans more than 350 years. The settlement began in the 17th century as the small Dutch-founded town of "Breuckelen" on the East River shore of Long Island, grew to be a sizable city in the 19th century, and was consolidated in 1898...
(now Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn
Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest central business district in New York City , and is located in the northwestern section of the borough of Brooklyn...
) during part of the 19th Century. In 1844 the Cobble Hill Tunnel
Cobble Hill Tunnel
The Cobble Hill Tunnel of the Long Island Rail Road is an abandoned railroad tunnel beneath Atlantic Avenue in downtown Brooklyn, New York City. When open, it ran for about between Columbia Street and Boerum Place...
was dug in Atlantic Street so trains could avoid climbing the hill. The neighborhood is served by the Bergen Street
Bergen Street (IND Culver Line)
Bergen Street is an express station on the IND Culver Line of the New York City Subway, located at the intersection of Bergen Street and Smith Street in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. It is served by the F and G trains at all times....
subway station on the IND Culver Line
IND Culver Line
The IND Culver Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, United States...
( trains). This station has an unused lower level that has been used for express service in the past.
Education
Notable residents
- Lady Randolph Churchill (1854 – 1921), mother of Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, was born in a rented house on Amity Street - Writer Martin AmisMartin AmisMartin Louis Amis is a British novelist, the author of many novels including Money and London Fields . He is currently Professor of Creative Writing at the Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester, but will step down at the end of the 2010/11 academic year...
- Singer Norah JonesNorah JonesNorah Jones is an American singer-songwriter and occasional actress.In 2002, she launched her solo music career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album Come Away With Me, which was certified a diamond album in 2002, selling over 20 million copies...
- Alex McCord of The Real Housewives of New York CityThe Real Housewives of New York CityThe Real Housewives of New York City is an American reality television program on the Bravo cable TV network, a spin-off of the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Orange County. New York is the second city featured in The Real Housewives of... franchise...
Religion
Congregation Baith Israel Anshei Emes is located at 236 Kane Street in Cobble Hill. It is currently the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Brooklyn.St. Paul's church at Court and Congress Streets was designed and built about 1838, allowing the claim that this church is the oldest Catholic church in continuous use in Brooklyn. The steeple was added in the 1860's, and other enlargements were made. The church fronts on Court Street, the chapel and former rectory on Congress Street.
In place of Cobble Hill park was Second Unitarian Church (Brooklyn, New York) designed by Jacob Wrey Mould
Jacob Wrey Mould
Jacob Wrey Mould was an architect, illustrator, linguist and musician, noted for his contributions to the design and construction of New York City's Central Park...