My Photo Album
| 2000-2001 and July 2007 to present |
Mick Maurer in Brooklyn
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Carroll Gardens & the Columbia Street Waterfront District of Brooklyn, New York; U.S.A.
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Brooklyn (named after the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. An independent
city until its consolidation into New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5
million residents. Brooklyn is coterminous with Kings County, which is the most populous county in New York
State, and the second most densely populated county in the United States (after New York (Manhattan)).
Though a part of New York City, Brooklyn maintains a distinct character of its own. Brooklyn is characterized by
cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely
inhabited by the Canarsie Native American tribe. The first Dutch settlement was Midwout (Midwood), established in
1634. The Dutch also purchased land in the 1630s from the Mohawks around present day Gowanus, Red Hook,
the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Bushwick. The Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the Dutch West India Company
in 1646 and became the first municipality in what is now New York State. At the time Breuckelen was part of New
Netherland.
The Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the
Province of New York into 12 counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns. Over time, the name evolved
from Breuckelen, to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and eventually Brooklyn. Kings County was one of the original
12 counties, and Brooklyn was one of the original six towns within Kings County. The county was named in honor
of King Charles II of England.
In August and September 1776, the Battle of Long Island (occasionally now called, anachronistically, the "Battle of
Brooklyn") was fought in Kings County. It was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the
Declaration of Independence, and the largest battle of the entire conflict. New York, and Brooklyn along with it,
gained independence from the British with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
The first half of the 19th century saw urban areas grow along the economically strategic East River waterfront,
across from New York City. The county had two cities: the City of Brooklyn and the City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn
annexed Williamsburgh in 1854, which lost its final "h." It took until 1896 for Brooklyn to annex all other parts of
Kings County. The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in
the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town
of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896.
Brooklyn had reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now
whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the
region.
In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Richmond
(later Staten Island) as the five boroughs to form modern New York City. Kings County retained its status as
one of New York State's counties.
Brooklyn has many well-defined neighborhoods, many of which developed from distinct towns and villages that
date back to its founding in the Dutch colonial era in the early 1600s.
Today, Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City, after Midtown Manhattan
and Lower Manhattan. It has many commercial towers and a rapidly increasing number of residential buildings.
The northwestern neighborhoods between the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope,
Prospect Heights, and Red Hook, are characterized by many Nineteenth Century brick townhouses and
brownstones. These neighborhoods include some of the most gentrified and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn,
along with ample subway lines, cultural institutions, and high-end restaurants.
Further North along the East River lie Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Traditionally working class communities with
a vibrant cultural mix, many artists and hipsters have moved into the area since the late 1990s. Further changing
the area, the city completed an extensive rezoning of the Brooklyn waterfront in 2005 which will allow for many new
residential condominiums. As prices have risen, redevelopment has moved eastward away from the waterfront
into Bushwick along the L subway line.
Central and southern Brooklyn contains many more architecturally and culturally distinct neighborhoods, some of
which grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th century as upwardly-mobile immigrants moved out of tenement
buildings in Manhattan neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Borough Park is largely Orthodox Jewish;
Bedford-Stuyvesant is one of New York City's most notable black neighborhoods; Bensonhurst is historically
Italian. East Flatbush and Fort Greene is home to a large number of middle-class black professionals. Brighton
Beach is home to many Russians and Pakistani. Since 1990, Brooklyn has seen a rise in new immigration to
neighborhoods like Sunset Park, home to flourishing Mexican and Chinese American communities.
According to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there are 2,486,235 people (up from 2.3 million in 1990),
880,727 households, and 583,922 families residing in Brooklyn.GR2 The population density was 13,480/km²
(34,920/mi²). There were 930,866 housing units at an average density of 5,090/km² (13,180/mi²).
In 2000, 41.20% of Brooklyn residents were white; 36.44% were black; 7.54% were Asian; 0.41% were Native
American; 0.06% Pacific Islander; 10.05% were of other races; and 4.27% were from two or more races. People of
Hispanic or Latino origin, who may be of any race, comprised 19.79% of the population. 18.00% of the population
reported speaking Spanish at home, 5.95% Russian, 4.19% French or a French-based creole, 3.92% Chinese,
3.10% Yiddish, 2.10% Italian, 1.42% Polish, 1.13% Hebrew, 1.09% Arabic and 0.68% Urdu.
Of the 880,727 households in Brooklyn, 38.6% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 33.3% had children under the age of 18
living in them. Of all households 27.8% are made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.41.
In Brooklyn the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to
44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. Brooklyn has
more women, with 88.4 males for every 100 females.
The median income for households in Brooklyn was $32,135, and the median income for a family was $36,188.
Males had a higher median income of $34,317 than females, whose median income was $30,516. The per capita
income was $16,775. About 22% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including
34% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.
Brooklyn has long been a magnet for immigrants, and presently has substantial populations from many countries,
including China, Jamaica, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia. The borough also attracts people previously
residing in the United States. Of these, most come from Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC/Baltimore,
Boston, and Seattle. An overwhelming majority of those who leave Brooklyn go to the Broward, Dade, Palm Beach,
and Orange Counties of Florida. The Brooklyn population continues to grow because there is more immigration
than emigration.
Residents of Brooklyn are known as Brooklynites, and their distinctive Brooklyn accent is colloquially known as
Brooklynese.
city until its consolidation into New York in 1898, Brooklyn is New York's most populous borough, with nearly 2.5
million residents. Brooklyn is coterminous with Kings County, which is the most populous county in New York
State, and the second most densely populated county in the United States (after New York (Manhattan)).
Though a part of New York City, Brooklyn maintains a distinct character of its own. Brooklyn is characterized by
cultural diversity, an independent art scene, distinct neighborhoods, and a unique architectural heritage.
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely
inhabited by the Canarsie Native American tribe. The first Dutch settlement was Midwout (Midwood), established in
1634. The Dutch also purchased land in the 1630s from the Mohawks around present day Gowanus, Red Hook,
the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Bushwick. The Village of Breuckelen was authorized by the Dutch West India Company
in 1646 and became the first municipality in what is now New York State. At the time Breuckelen was part of New
Netherland.
The Dutch lost Breuckelen in the British conquest of New Netherland in 1664. In 1683, the British reorganized the
Province of New York into 12 counties, each of which was sub-divided into towns. Over time, the name evolved
from Breuckelen, to Brockland, Brocklin, Brookline, and eventually Brooklyn. Kings County was one of the original
12 counties, and Brooklyn was one of the original six towns within Kings County. The county was named in honor
of King Charles II of England.
In August and September 1776, the Battle of Long Island (occasionally now called, anachronistically, the "Battle of
Brooklyn") was fought in Kings County. It was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the
Declaration of Independence, and the largest battle of the entire conflict. New York, and Brooklyn along with it,
gained independence from the British with the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
The first half of the 19th century saw urban areas grow along the economically strategic East River waterfront,
across from New York City. The county had two cities: the City of Brooklyn and the City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn
annexed Williamsburgh in 1854, which lost its final "h." It took until 1896 for Brooklyn to annex all other parts of
Kings County. The building of rail links such as the Brighton Beach Line in 1878 heralded explosive growth, and in
the space of a decade the City of Brooklyn annexed the Town of New Lots in 1886, the Town of Flatbush, the Town
of Gravesend, and the Town of New Utrecht in 1894, and the Town of Flatlands in 1896.
Brooklyn had reached its natural municipal boundaries at the ends of Kings County. The question was now
whether it was prepared to engage in the still-grander process of consolidation now developing throughout the
region.
In 1898, Brooklyn residents voted by a slight majority to join with Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Richmond
(later Staten Island) as the five boroughs to form modern New York City. Kings County retained its status as
one of New York State's counties.
Brooklyn has many well-defined neighborhoods, many of which developed from distinct towns and villages that
date back to its founding in the Dutch colonial era in the early 1600s.
Today, Downtown Brooklyn is the third-largest central business district in New York City, after Midtown Manhattan
and Lower Manhattan. It has many commercial towers and a rapidly increasing number of residential buildings.
The northwestern neighborhoods between the Brooklyn Bridge and Prospect Park, including Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Clinton Hill, Vinegar Hill, DUMBO, Fort Greene, Gowanus, Park Slope,
Prospect Heights, and Red Hook, are characterized by many Nineteenth Century brick townhouses and
brownstones. These neighborhoods include some of the most gentrified and affluent neighborhoods in Brooklyn,
along with ample subway lines, cultural institutions, and high-end restaurants.
Further North along the East River lie Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Traditionally working class communities with
a vibrant cultural mix, many artists and hipsters have moved into the area since the late 1990s. Further changing
the area, the city completed an extensive rezoning of the Brooklyn waterfront in 2005 which will allow for many new
residential condominiums. As prices have risen, redevelopment has moved eastward away from the waterfront
into Bushwick along the L subway line.
Central and southern Brooklyn contains many more architecturally and culturally distinct neighborhoods, some of
which grew rapidly in the late 19th and early 20th century as upwardly-mobile immigrants moved out of tenement
buildings in Manhattan neighborhoods like the Lower East Side. Borough Park is largely Orthodox Jewish;
Bedford-Stuyvesant is one of New York City's most notable black neighborhoods; Bensonhurst is historically
Italian. East Flatbush and Fort Greene is home to a large number of middle-class black professionals. Brighton
Beach is home to many Russians and Pakistani. Since 1990, Brooklyn has seen a rise in new immigration to
neighborhoods like Sunset Park, home to flourishing Mexican and Chinese American communities.
According to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, there are 2,486,235 people (up from 2.3 million in 1990),
880,727 households, and 583,922 families residing in Brooklyn.GR2 The population density was 13,480/km²
(34,920/mi²). There were 930,866 housing units at an average density of 5,090/km² (13,180/mi²).
In 2000, 41.20% of Brooklyn residents were white; 36.44% were black; 7.54% were Asian; 0.41% were Native
American; 0.06% Pacific Islander; 10.05% were of other races; and 4.27% were from two or more races. People of
Hispanic or Latino origin, who may be of any race, comprised 19.79% of the population. 18.00% of the population
reported speaking Spanish at home, 5.95% Russian, 4.19% French or a French-based creole, 3.92% Chinese,
3.10% Yiddish, 2.10% Italian, 1.42% Polish, 1.13% Hebrew, 1.09% Arabic and 0.68% Urdu.
Of the 880,727 households in Brooklyn, 38.6% were married couples living together, 22.3% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 33.3% had children under the age of 18
living in them. Of all households 27.8% are made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was
65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.41.
In Brooklyn the population was spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to
44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. Brooklyn has
more women, with 88.4 males for every 100 females.
The median income for households in Brooklyn was $32,135, and the median income for a family was $36,188.
Males had a higher median income of $34,317 than females, whose median income was $30,516. The per capita
income was $16,775. About 22% of families and 25.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including
34% of those under age 18 and 21.5% of those age 65 or over.
Brooklyn has long been a magnet for immigrants, and presently has substantial populations from many countries,
including China, Jamaica, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Russia. The borough also attracts people previously
residing in the United States. Of these, most come from Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC/Baltimore,
Boston, and Seattle. An overwhelming majority of those who leave Brooklyn go to the Broward, Dade, Palm Beach,
and Orange Counties of Florida. The Brooklyn population continues to grow because there is more immigration
than emigration.
Residents of Brooklyn are known as Brooklynites, and their distinctive Brooklyn accent is colloquially known as
Brooklynese.
Carroll Gardens is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, USA. The area is named for Charles Carroll, a revolutionary war
veteran who was also the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Carroll Gardens park, a block-long area of
playgrounds, walkways and sitting areas between Court and Smith Streets, with Carroll Street as its southern boundary, was constructed in the
late-19th century and is named for Charles Carroll. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6.
A long-standing Italian neighborhood of family-run stores, Carroll Gardens is now sprinkled with cafes, boutiques and antique shops. Many of the
people drawn in by this infusion consider the neighborhood part of a new "meta-neighborhood" called BoCoCa, a name comprising the first two
letters of each of the three neighborhoods in it, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. It shares its northern boundary with Cobble Hill at
Degraw Street and Boerum Hill at Warren Street, while extending south to Hamilton Avenue and Red Hook. Prior to the gentrification movement in
the mid 1960s, Carroll Gardens was considered by residents to be part of Red Hook. In the late 1940s, however, the southern tip of Red Hook was
cut off from the rest of the neighborhood by the building of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Gowanus Expressway, and the area now known
as Carroll Gardens took on a separate and distinct character of its own. Today, Carroll Gardens is a middle-class, upscale community, while Red
Hook, which had retained its working-class, waterfront ambiance, has only begun to feel the effects of gentrification.
Before Italians settled the area, Carroll Gardens was settled by Irish Americans in the early 19th century and, in the mid-19th Century, by
Norwegian-Americans, who founded the Norwegian Seamans' Church, an imposing brownstone structure that was once visited by the King of
Norway during an official visit to the United States, and which still stands (although it is now a condominium) on the corner of First Place and
Clinton Street. In 1846, Richard Butts created the front "gardens" to the famous brownstone houses in the oldest section of the neighborhood. The
brownstones are set back from the street by 30-40 feet, to create atypical (for Brooklyn) large front gardens. The Carroll Gardens Historic
District, which includes some of the finest examples of these brownstones with large front gardens, is bounded roughly by Carroll Street to the
south, President Street to the north, Hoyt Street to the east and Smith Street to the west.
Carroll Gardens is a unique residential neighborhood that is primarily distinguished by its Italianite-style brownstone rowhouses with atypical
setbacks that create deep front yards. This style was influenced by an influx of Italian immigrants in the early twentieth century. The Carroll
Gardens Historic District was designated in 1973 to preserve the aesthetic neighborhood character that these brownstones create.
Carroll Gardens has been undergoing a revitalization since the mid 1980’s, when the neighborhood began to attract young professionals and their
families. Court Street has again become a thriving commercial corridor serving Carroll Gardens and its adjacent neighborhoods.
One of the greatest community needs for Carroll Gardens, as well as for the Gowanus and Red Hook neighborhoods, is for significant publicly-
accessible open space. The Gowanus Canal CDC hopes to meet this need through the revitalization of the Gowanus Canal, including the
restoration of the local aquatic habitat, the creation of street-end parks, and someday, the creation of a continuous promenade along the Canal
which will provide public access to one of the community’s greatest assets – the Gowanus Canal
The neighborhoods of Gowanus, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens are connected by their history and share many hopes for the future. Between
1840 and 1950, Red Hook and Gowanus supported many thriving industrial businesses along the Red Hook waterfront and Gowanus Canal; its
great docks were used by gasworks, coal yards, soap factories and tanneries. The wealth of jobs provided by these industries attracted a vibrant
waterfront community with a diverse ethnic character. The neighborhoods supported several waves of immigrants – German, Irish, Scandinavian,
Italian, Puerto Rican, Philippine and African-American – many of whom settled in the nearby brownstone rowhouses of Carroll Gardens.
The construction of the Gowanus Expressway in 1942 and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in 1950 effectively severed Red Hook, Gowanus and Carroll
Gardens. The construction process and physical separation was to have a tremendous negative impact on local businesses, oppressing the
neighborhoods’ vibrancy and character. Neighborhood decline was compounded by economic changes occurring throughout the 1950’s and 1960’
s that led to a shift away from manufacturing, and technological advancements in the shipping industry that led to a drastic decline in the industrial
use of the waterfront. Neighborhood flight of thousands of people and jobs out of the area was quickly transformed into pervasive neighborhood
blight. High unemployment and poverty rates, coupled with low educational levels have defined the socio-economic profile of the Gowanus and
Red Hook neighborhoods for years.
Historical Sites
• P.J. Hanley's, Court St. & 4th Pl. - Established in 1874, during prohibition, Al Capone brewed beer in the basement of the speakeasy.
• St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church, 467 Court St. - Originally constructed to serve as a Cathedral, a beautiful church built with the finest Italian
and European stones and marble.
veteran who was also the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. The Carroll Gardens park, a block-long area of
playgrounds, walkways and sitting areas between Court and Smith Streets, with Carroll Street as its southern boundary, was constructed in the
late-19th century and is named for Charles Carroll. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 6.
A long-standing Italian neighborhood of family-run stores, Carroll Gardens is now sprinkled with cafes, boutiques and antique shops. Many of the
people drawn in by this infusion consider the neighborhood part of a new "meta-neighborhood" called BoCoCa, a name comprising the first two
letters of each of the three neighborhoods in it, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. It shares its northern boundary with Cobble Hill at
Degraw Street and Boerum Hill at Warren Street, while extending south to Hamilton Avenue and Red Hook. Prior to the gentrification movement in
the mid 1960s, Carroll Gardens was considered by residents to be part of Red Hook. In the late 1940s, however, the southern tip of Red Hook was
cut off from the rest of the neighborhood by the building of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Gowanus Expressway, and the area now known
as Carroll Gardens took on a separate and distinct character of its own. Today, Carroll Gardens is a middle-class, upscale community, while Red
Hook, which had retained its working-class, waterfront ambiance, has only begun to feel the effects of gentrification.
Before Italians settled the area, Carroll Gardens was settled by Irish Americans in the early 19th century and, in the mid-19th Century, by
Norwegian-Americans, who founded the Norwegian Seamans' Church, an imposing brownstone structure that was once visited by the King of
Norway during an official visit to the United States, and which still stands (although it is now a condominium) on the corner of First Place and
Clinton Street. In 1846, Richard Butts created the front "gardens" to the famous brownstone houses in the oldest section of the neighborhood. The
brownstones are set back from the street by 30-40 feet, to create atypical (for Brooklyn) large front gardens. The Carroll Gardens Historic
District, which includes some of the finest examples of these brownstones with large front gardens, is bounded roughly by Carroll Street to the
south, President Street to the north, Hoyt Street to the east and Smith Street to the west.
Carroll Gardens is a unique residential neighborhood that is primarily distinguished by its Italianite-style brownstone rowhouses with atypical
setbacks that create deep front yards. This style was influenced by an influx of Italian immigrants in the early twentieth century. The Carroll
Gardens Historic District was designated in 1973 to preserve the aesthetic neighborhood character that these brownstones create.
Carroll Gardens has been undergoing a revitalization since the mid 1980’s, when the neighborhood began to attract young professionals and their
families. Court Street has again become a thriving commercial corridor serving Carroll Gardens and its adjacent neighborhoods.
One of the greatest community needs for Carroll Gardens, as well as for the Gowanus and Red Hook neighborhoods, is for significant publicly-
accessible open space. The Gowanus Canal CDC hopes to meet this need through the revitalization of the Gowanus Canal, including the
restoration of the local aquatic habitat, the creation of street-end parks, and someday, the creation of a continuous promenade along the Canal
which will provide public access to one of the community’s greatest assets – the Gowanus Canal
The neighborhoods of Gowanus, Red Hook and Carroll Gardens are connected by their history and share many hopes for the future. Between
1840 and 1950, Red Hook and Gowanus supported many thriving industrial businesses along the Red Hook waterfront and Gowanus Canal; its
great docks were used by gasworks, coal yards, soap factories and tanneries. The wealth of jobs provided by these industries attracted a vibrant
waterfront community with a diverse ethnic character. The neighborhoods supported several waves of immigrants – German, Irish, Scandinavian,
Italian, Puerto Rican, Philippine and African-American – many of whom settled in the nearby brownstone rowhouses of Carroll Gardens.
The construction of the Gowanus Expressway in 1942 and the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel in 1950 effectively severed Red Hook, Gowanus and Carroll
Gardens. The construction process and physical separation was to have a tremendous negative impact on local businesses, oppressing the
neighborhoods’ vibrancy and character. Neighborhood decline was compounded by economic changes occurring throughout the 1950’s and 1960’
s that led to a shift away from manufacturing, and technological advancements in the shipping industry that led to a drastic decline in the industrial
use of the waterfront. Neighborhood flight of thousands of people and jobs out of the area was quickly transformed into pervasive neighborhood
blight. High unemployment and poverty rates, coupled with low educational levels have defined the socio-economic profile of the Gowanus and
Red Hook neighborhoods for years.
Historical Sites
• P.J. Hanley's, Court St. & 4th Pl. - Established in 1874, during prohibition, Al Capone brewed beer in the basement of the speakeasy.
• St. Mary's Star of the Sea Church, 467 Court St. - Originally constructed to serve as a Cathedral, a beautiful church built with the finest Italian
and European stones and marble.
Columbia Street Waterfront District Brooklyn New York
ZIP Code 11231
Columbia Street Waterfront district is undergoing a rebirth. The area is home to musicians, artists,
blue collar and white collar workers and their families as well as many long time residents. The
Brooklyn Queens Expressway built in 1957 cleaved working class Columbia Street with its mixed brick
and brownstone row houses from its more prosperous Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
New York neighborhoods. Signs of Columbia Street Brooklyn New York's renaissance are evident in
the Real Estate values which have increased dramatically in the last few years. The price range of
homes in the Columbia Street Waterfront district Brooklyn New York are $800,000's to over 1 million
dollars.
Neighborhood Boundaries: From the East River on the west to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and
Hicks Street on the east, from Atlantic Avenue on the north to Hamilton Avenue and the Brooklyn
Battery Tunnel entrance on the south
Surrounding Brooklyn Neighborhoods: Columbia Street Waterfront District is surrounded by Carroll
Gardens to the East, Red Hook to the South and Cobble Hill to the North East.
Columbia Street Waterfront District
And not to forget the distinct neighborhood of Columbia Street Water Front District which extends from
Atlantic Avenue to Hamilton Avenue, a block or so west of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Once a
bustling district of waterfront establishments, Columbia Street is rapidly undergoing a revival, a pocket
of restaurants, bakeries and bistros doing quite nicely just off Degraw Street. Not to mention lots of
(not so) wild talk of pier renovation which might include a cruise ship terminal. Around the corner on
Union Street you'll find a vibrant Brooklyn - where it's been, and where it's heading - newer shops side
by side with century old businesses, many run by second and third generation family members. If
you're lucky you'll also run into Sal, the Mayor of Sackett Street, who will be happy to answer your
historical questions.
ZIP Code 11231
Columbia Street Waterfront district is undergoing a rebirth. The area is home to musicians, artists,
blue collar and white collar workers and their families as well as many long time residents. The
Brooklyn Queens Expressway built in 1957 cleaved working class Columbia Street with its mixed brick
and brownstone row houses from its more prosperous Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens Brooklyn
New York neighborhoods. Signs of Columbia Street Brooklyn New York's renaissance are evident in
the Real Estate values which have increased dramatically in the last few years. The price range of
homes in the Columbia Street Waterfront district Brooklyn New York are $800,000's to over 1 million
dollars.
Neighborhood Boundaries: From the East River on the west to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and
Hicks Street on the east, from Atlantic Avenue on the north to Hamilton Avenue and the Brooklyn
Battery Tunnel entrance on the south
Surrounding Brooklyn Neighborhoods: Columbia Street Waterfront District is surrounded by Carroll
Gardens to the East, Red Hook to the South and Cobble Hill to the North East.
Columbia Street Waterfront District
And not to forget the distinct neighborhood of Columbia Street Water Front District which extends from
Atlantic Avenue to Hamilton Avenue, a block or so west of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Once a
bustling district of waterfront establishments, Columbia Street is rapidly undergoing a revival, a pocket
of restaurants, bakeries and bistros doing quite nicely just off Degraw Street. Not to mention lots of
(not so) wild talk of pier renovation which might include a cruise ship terminal. Around the corner on
Union Street you'll find a vibrant Brooklyn - where it's been, and where it's heading - newer shops side
by side with century old businesses, many run by second and third generation family members. If
you're lucky you'll also run into Sal, the Mayor of Sackett Street, who will be happy to answer your
historical questions.
"Home to New York's Working Fleet"
The Erie Basin Bargeport (a joint venture between
Reinauer Transportation & Hughes Maritime) is a
maritime industrial facility located at the foot of Columbia
Street in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York. It
contains 30 acres of land and 56 acres of underwater
property. It is less then five minutes from the Brooklyn
Battery Tunnel and is located on a peninsula; onto which
there is only one entrance. This entrance is guarded 24
hours a day by uniformed security provided by the landlord.
Erie basin has over 4000 lineaer feet of deepwater pier
space available to commercial vessels for lay berthing.
there is a barge loading berth for transferring cranes and
materials between shore to barge. The facilities are
available to change crews, take on water or make topside
repairs to your vessel, (crane service is available). Their
warehouse, office and shed space is available for
non-marine, as well as marine uses.
The Erie Basin Bargeport (a joint venture between
Reinauer Transportation & Hughes Maritime) is a
maritime industrial facility located at the foot of Columbia
Street in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York. It
contains 30 acres of land and 56 acres of underwater
property. It is less then five minutes from the Brooklyn
Battery Tunnel and is located on a peninsula; onto which
there is only one entrance. This entrance is guarded 24
hours a day by uniformed security provided by the landlord.
Erie basin has over 4000 lineaer feet of deepwater pier
space available to commercial vessels for lay berthing.
there is a barge loading berth for transferring cranes and
materials between shore to barge. The facilities are
available to change crews, take on water or make topside
repairs to your vessel, (crane service is available). Their
warehouse, office and shed space is available for
non-marine, as well as marine uses.
In July 2007 Mick Maurer moved to Woodhull Street in the Columbia Street Waterfront District
of Brooklyn, NY.
of Brooklyn, NY.
In 2000-2001 Mick Maurer and Manos Gioxaris lived on 2nd Place in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY.
Below are pictures of friends who came over for dinners.
Below are pictures of friends who came over for dinners.
Close-Up on the Columbia Street Waterfront District
by Marissa Pareles
July 1st, 2004 11:55 AM
North of Red Hook proper, along the industrial piers lining Upper New York Bay, is a three-block-wide strip of
multi-family houses, community gardens, galleries, and graffiti, all bathed daily in salty air and soft, flattering light.
Residents of the Columbia Street Waterfront District, mainly whites and Latinos more affluent than their Red
Hook neighbors, peer over industrial containers and monstrously elegant cranes at the lower Manhattan skyline
and (if they're lucky) a bit of the water, too. The shoreline isn't actually accessible from any point in the
neighborhood, since industrial trade and the Port Authority have complete reign. Neither is the breathtaking view
actually superior to the one in Red Hook. The geographical quirks fuel residents' two major debates: their locale's
name and affiliation, and the fate of the coveted, vulnerable, and revenue-attracting waterfront.
"It has a Red Hook zip code. The Red Hook Marine Terminal is two blocks from here. How could this not be Red
Hook?" argues Harry Hawk, co-owner of Union Street's franks-and-beer PR phenomenon Schnäck. In fact, the
Columbia Street district's distinct identity dates to those energetic Dutch colonists, who called it "Red Mills," as
against its neighbor, Red You-know-what. Assorted European dockworkers and a Norwegian maritime
community hedged out settlers' descendants during the 19th century. In the 1920s, the Columbia Street district
was a thriving center of Italian-American and, to a lesser degree, Puerto Rican community life.
The mid-20th century wasn't so kind, as Mafia families set up shop and the construction of Robert Moses's
multimillion-dollar Brooklyn-Queens Expressway cut off commerce from adjacent Cobble Hill and Carroll
Gardens years before the project's official 1958 completion. The construction of sewer lines, meant to ameliorate
the Gowanus Canal pollution crisis, destroyed 33 neighborhood buildings (including the home and headquarters
of the Mafia-affiliated Gallo family) and caused accidental deaths in 1975 and 1977. Fetid sewer trenches lay
open during the resulting bureaucratic fumble. In the recent 20 years, community efforts have brought the
neighborhood (along with Red Hook and Gowanus, sort of) back to livability. The port itself has done brisker trade
than in earlier years. Artists, middle-class families, and a few hipsters, yuppies, and singles have arrived—
"unfortunately," says twelve-year-old resident Nicole Langley about the latter group—attracted by the industrial-
chic–maritime-bucolic je ne sais quoi. Their presence has paved the way for the neighborhood's newest crises:
the possibility of gentrification (likely, unless you count the difficulty of actually getting here) and the question of
opening up the waterfront to residents while maintaining existing jobs and dealing with the imminent corporate
presence in Red Hook (superstore Fairway and a traffic-drawing IKEA plan to set up shop, and their landscaping
plans dovetail with neither official proposals nor activist longings).
Boundaries: Atlantic Avenue to the north, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the east, Hamilton Avenue to the
south, and the waterfront (Upper New York Bay) to the west.
Transportation: Take the F or G trains to Carroll Street; or the A, C, or F to Jay Street/Borough Hall; or the M, R, 2,
3, 4, or 5 lines to Borough Hall. The B61 bus rides Columbia Street, linking the neighborhood to Red Hook and
downtown Brooklyn. You can even ride up to Jackson Avenue, if you're so inclined. The B71 travels down Sackett
and Union streets from Crown Heights and Park Slope. All told, it's about 35 minutes to 14th Street in Manhattan
on the F. Consider bikes, mopeds, and skates to bridge the gap.
Main Drags: Columbia Street is the only horse in town, with the eatery-heavy, low-scaled two blocks between
Union and Degraw streets flashing parkland, skyline, nightlife, and gallery space as a kind of picture postcard of
the local scene. The vista is nicest a few blocks north, and the dry cleaners and supermarket are farther south.
The initial two blocks of Union Street feature the nabe's cheapest and best food, plus some great knickknack and
convenience stores. The water, of course, is also a main drag, as captured by Berenice Abbott's 1936 view of the
stately traffic off Pier 5.
Average Price to Rent: Studios rent for between $1,000 and $1,200; one-bedrooms from $1,350 to $1,450; two-
bedrooms, $1,600 to $2,000; and three-bedrooms, $2,300 to $2,800. According to Bill Ross, owner of William S.
Ross Real Estate, the most common rental is one floor of a brownstone—a one-bedroom, one-bath space with
living room, kitchen, den, and sometimes double exposure—for about $1,600.
Average Price to Buy: Buildings in both major categories—mixed commercial-residential on Columbia Street
and multi-family on side streets—go for slightly upwards of $1 million. Local non-millionaire sculptor Launa
Beuhler bought a former bank building in the 1980s, when prices were gentler and, in Hawk's words, "a paperboy
could buy a house" due to the high crime rate. "It's become very nice over there," says Ross, "I think it's going to be
one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York City. And I think the bars and restaurants that have opened there
are some of the hippest, coolest places in the whole city."
Green Space: Of the four community gardens in the district, all administered by residents and the city-sponsored
GreenThumb program, Human Compass Community Garden (adjacent to the commercial action, at Sackett and
Columbia streets) is the most otherworldly; Columbia Street's own Garden of Good and Evil, decked in lush
vegetation and large-scale children's art, has a pleasant outer garden open to visitors daily. In the fenced-off inner
sanctum, a rabbit named Soleil respects the flora in exchange for regular feedings by Launa Beuhler, who
teaches art classes there. Across the street from Human Compass is Art Lot (206 Columbia Street), currently
featuring Adam Brent's leafy installation Cooked Green. The living sculpture is on view 24-7, and open (i.e., the
surrounding fence is open) on the first Saturday of each month. If Upper New York Bay doesn't tempt you to a dip,
swim laps at the cleaner and more refreshing Red Hook Pool (Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay Street, 718-
722-3211), which opened for the summer this past weekend.
Community Organizations: Friends of Mother Cabrini Park protects the park in question, named in honor of the
patron saint of immigrants. The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Initiative and Neighbors United for Columbia Street
District recently put out a powerful fact sheet calling for a continuous greenway along the entire northwest coast of
Brooklyn—essentially, a tree-lined bike and pedestrian route away from cars and trucks—and denouncing
Department of Transportation efforts to widen the district's streets for traffic.
Best Restaurants: Trendy haute Mexican joint Alma (187 Columbia Street, 718-643-5400) has rooftop elegance
and a shimmering, near-panoramic view. For flavor, however, try the neighborhood's major delicacies: the $4
panelle sandwiches at Ferdinando's (151 Union Street, 718-855-1545) and the beer milkshakes at Schnäck (122
Union Street, 718-855-2879, schnackdog.com). Ferdinando's didn't invent the Sicilian specialty—chickpea
pancakes, ricotta, and Pecorino Romano on a roll. It just perfected it. Harry Hawk, the mind behind the above-
mentioned ice cream cocktail, says, "I really thought I had invented . . . a culinary masterpiece." Disappointingly,
he later found a beer milkshake reference in Steinbeck. Robert Sietsema calls the venerable House of Pizza and
Calzone (132 Union Street, 718-624-9107) the 70th best Italian restaurant in the city—which, when you think about
it, is saying a lot.
Best Bars: B16, Alma's downstairs cocktail joint, helps contain the scenesters waiting two hours for Saturday
night rooftop seating. During off-hours, the pitch-dark, high-ceilinged back room is ecstatically calm, with the odd
older couple hanging out by the pool table. You might catch even a grad student typing a thesis on a laptop in one
of the straight-backed, velour love seats that, like everything in this building, look more comfortable than they are.
Best Stores: In 2001, the Voice called General Nitemare's cluttered, encyclopedic furniture stash the city's "Best
'30s, '40s, and '50s Collectibles" (196 Columbia Street, 718-858-8659). The quirky owner will even refinish your
selection, but don't count on 24-7 service, as GN's voicemail notes, "Monday—sometimes. Tuesday—sometimes.
Wednesday—never."
Politicians: City councilmembers Bill DeBlasio and David Yassky, State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman, State
Senator Martin Connor, and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velaquez—all Democrats.
Crime Stats: The 76th Precinct serves the Columbia Street Waterfront District, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens,
Boerum Hill, and Red Hook. As of late May, it reported one murder, up one from the previous year-to-date; five
rapes, up two; 37 robberies, down 27; 40 felonious assaults, up two; and 52 burglaries, down eight. Between
1993 and 2003, crime dropped 61.21 percent, less than the city's overall 66.05 percent decrease.
Copyright © 2007 Village Voice LLC, 36 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003
by Marissa Pareles
July 1st, 2004 11:55 AM
North of Red Hook proper, along the industrial piers lining Upper New York Bay, is a three-block-wide strip of
multi-family houses, community gardens, galleries, and graffiti, all bathed daily in salty air and soft, flattering light.
Residents of the Columbia Street Waterfront District, mainly whites and Latinos more affluent than their Red
Hook neighbors, peer over industrial containers and monstrously elegant cranes at the lower Manhattan skyline
and (if they're lucky) a bit of the water, too. The shoreline isn't actually accessible from any point in the
neighborhood, since industrial trade and the Port Authority have complete reign. Neither is the breathtaking view
actually superior to the one in Red Hook. The geographical quirks fuel residents' two major debates: their locale's
name and affiliation, and the fate of the coveted, vulnerable, and revenue-attracting waterfront.
"It has a Red Hook zip code. The Red Hook Marine Terminal is two blocks from here. How could this not be Red
Hook?" argues Harry Hawk, co-owner of Union Street's franks-and-beer PR phenomenon Schnäck. In fact, the
Columbia Street district's distinct identity dates to those energetic Dutch colonists, who called it "Red Mills," as
against its neighbor, Red You-know-what. Assorted European dockworkers and a Norwegian maritime
community hedged out settlers' descendants during the 19th century. In the 1920s, the Columbia Street district
was a thriving center of Italian-American and, to a lesser degree, Puerto Rican community life.
The mid-20th century wasn't so kind, as Mafia families set up shop and the construction of Robert Moses's
multimillion-dollar Brooklyn-Queens Expressway cut off commerce from adjacent Cobble Hill and Carroll
Gardens years before the project's official 1958 completion. The construction of sewer lines, meant to ameliorate
the Gowanus Canal pollution crisis, destroyed 33 neighborhood buildings (including the home and headquarters
of the Mafia-affiliated Gallo family) and caused accidental deaths in 1975 and 1977. Fetid sewer trenches lay
open during the resulting bureaucratic fumble. In the recent 20 years, community efforts have brought the
neighborhood (along with Red Hook and Gowanus, sort of) back to livability. The port itself has done brisker trade
than in earlier years. Artists, middle-class families, and a few hipsters, yuppies, and singles have arrived—
"unfortunately," says twelve-year-old resident Nicole Langley about the latter group—attracted by the industrial-
chic–maritime-bucolic je ne sais quoi. Their presence has paved the way for the neighborhood's newest crises:
the possibility of gentrification (likely, unless you count the difficulty of actually getting here) and the question of
opening up the waterfront to residents while maintaining existing jobs and dealing with the imminent corporate
presence in Red Hook (superstore Fairway and a traffic-drawing IKEA plan to set up shop, and their landscaping
plans dovetail with neither official proposals nor activist longings).
Boundaries: Atlantic Avenue to the north, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to the east, Hamilton Avenue to the
south, and the waterfront (Upper New York Bay) to the west.
Transportation: Take the F or G trains to Carroll Street; or the A, C, or F to Jay Street/Borough Hall; or the M, R, 2,
3, 4, or 5 lines to Borough Hall. The B61 bus rides Columbia Street, linking the neighborhood to Red Hook and
downtown Brooklyn. You can even ride up to Jackson Avenue, if you're so inclined. The B71 travels down Sackett
and Union streets from Crown Heights and Park Slope. All told, it's about 35 minutes to 14th Street in Manhattan
on the F. Consider bikes, mopeds, and skates to bridge the gap.
Main Drags: Columbia Street is the only horse in town, with the eatery-heavy, low-scaled two blocks between
Union and Degraw streets flashing parkland, skyline, nightlife, and gallery space as a kind of picture postcard of
the local scene. The vista is nicest a few blocks north, and the dry cleaners and supermarket are farther south.
The initial two blocks of Union Street feature the nabe's cheapest and best food, plus some great knickknack and
convenience stores. The water, of course, is also a main drag, as captured by Berenice Abbott's 1936 view of the
stately traffic off Pier 5.
Average Price to Rent: Studios rent for between $1,000 and $1,200; one-bedrooms from $1,350 to $1,450; two-
bedrooms, $1,600 to $2,000; and three-bedrooms, $2,300 to $2,800. According to Bill Ross, owner of William S.
Ross Real Estate, the most common rental is one floor of a brownstone—a one-bedroom, one-bath space with
living room, kitchen, den, and sometimes double exposure—for about $1,600.
Average Price to Buy: Buildings in both major categories—mixed commercial-residential on Columbia Street
and multi-family on side streets—go for slightly upwards of $1 million. Local non-millionaire sculptor Launa
Beuhler bought a former bank building in the 1980s, when prices were gentler and, in Hawk's words, "a paperboy
could buy a house" due to the high crime rate. "It's become very nice over there," says Ross, "I think it's going to be
one of the hottest neighborhoods in New York City. And I think the bars and restaurants that have opened there
are some of the hippest, coolest places in the whole city."
Green Space: Of the four community gardens in the district, all administered by residents and the city-sponsored
GreenThumb program, Human Compass Community Garden (adjacent to the commercial action, at Sackett and
Columbia streets) is the most otherworldly; Columbia Street's own Garden of Good and Evil, decked in lush
vegetation and large-scale children's art, has a pleasant outer garden open to visitors daily. In the fenced-off inner
sanctum, a rabbit named Soleil respects the flora in exchange for regular feedings by Launa Beuhler, who
teaches art classes there. Across the street from Human Compass is Art Lot (206 Columbia Street), currently
featuring Adam Brent's leafy installation Cooked Green. The living sculpture is on view 24-7, and open (i.e., the
surrounding fence is open) on the first Saturday of each month. If Upper New York Bay doesn't tempt you to a dip,
swim laps at the cleaner and more refreshing Red Hook Pool (Red Hook Recreation Center, 155 Bay Street, 718-
722-3211), which opened for the summer this past weekend.
Community Organizations: Friends of Mother Cabrini Park protects the park in question, named in honor of the
patron saint of immigrants. The Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Initiative and Neighbors United for Columbia Street
District recently put out a powerful fact sheet calling for a continuous greenway along the entire northwest coast of
Brooklyn—essentially, a tree-lined bike and pedestrian route away from cars and trucks—and denouncing
Department of Transportation efforts to widen the district's streets for traffic.
Best Restaurants: Trendy haute Mexican joint Alma (187 Columbia Street, 718-643-5400) has rooftop elegance
and a shimmering, near-panoramic view. For flavor, however, try the neighborhood's major delicacies: the $4
panelle sandwiches at Ferdinando's (151 Union Street, 718-855-1545) and the beer milkshakes at Schnäck (122
Union Street, 718-855-2879, schnackdog.com). Ferdinando's didn't invent the Sicilian specialty—chickpea
pancakes, ricotta, and Pecorino Romano on a roll. It just perfected it. Harry Hawk, the mind behind the above-
mentioned ice cream cocktail, says, "I really thought I had invented . . . a culinary masterpiece." Disappointingly,
he later found a beer milkshake reference in Steinbeck. Robert Sietsema calls the venerable House of Pizza and
Calzone (132 Union Street, 718-624-9107) the 70th best Italian restaurant in the city—which, when you think about
it, is saying a lot.
Best Bars: B16, Alma's downstairs cocktail joint, helps contain the scenesters waiting two hours for Saturday
night rooftop seating. During off-hours, the pitch-dark, high-ceilinged back room is ecstatically calm, with the odd
older couple hanging out by the pool table. You might catch even a grad student typing a thesis on a laptop in one
of the straight-backed, velour love seats that, like everything in this building, look more comfortable than they are.
Best Stores: In 2001, the Voice called General Nitemare's cluttered, encyclopedic furniture stash the city's "Best
'30s, '40s, and '50s Collectibles" (196 Columbia Street, 718-858-8659). The quirky owner will even refinish your
selection, but don't count on 24-7 service, as GN's voicemail notes, "Monday—sometimes. Tuesday—sometimes.
Wednesday—never."
Politicians: City councilmembers Bill DeBlasio and David Yassky, State Assemblywoman Joan L. Millman, State
Senator Martin Connor, and Congresswoman Nydia M. Velaquez—all Democrats.
Crime Stats: The 76th Precinct serves the Columbia Street Waterfront District, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens,
Boerum Hill, and Red Hook. As of late May, it reported one murder, up one from the previous year-to-date; five
rapes, up two; 37 robberies, down 27; 40 felonious assaults, up two; and 52 burglaries, down eight. Between
1993 and 2003, crime dropped 61.21 percent, less than the city's overall 66.05 percent decrease.
Copyright © 2007 Village Voice LLC, 36 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003
