Cobble Hill - A Transformed Brooklyn Neighborhood

Cobble Hill was transformed from a rural area to a residential neighborhood beginning in 1836 after the South Ferry began operating to and from Manhattan. The community features quiet, tree-lined streets and elegant row houses primarily built between 1840 and 1880 in Greek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival, and Queen Anne styles. After suffering years of decline, young professionals reclaimed Cobble Hill in the 1960s and 1970s and today the historic houses are used as single-family homes, owner-occupied homes with rentals, co-ops, or condos. Additionally, co-ops can be found in larger residential buildings, in a 19th Century housing complex originally built for working class families, and even in a former school building.

Although separated, Cobble Hill is very much an extension of its sister neighborhood Brooklyn Heights. The community has been considered either South Brooklyn or Brooklyn Heights until the 1950s when a realtor re-christened it Cobble Hill, which was the original name the Dutch had given it in the mid-17th Century.

A small park with a playground was created in Cobble Hill in 1965 on a site formerly occupied by two large houses and a church. A supermarket was originally planned for the site, but residents successfully lobbied for a park. In 1969, part of Cobble Hill was designated a historic district by the New York City Landmark Commission, and additional houses were added in 1988.

Cobble Hill is conveniently located near the Borough Hall subway hub, allowing for an easy commute into Manhattan, and is near the Federal and State courthouses, Borough Hall, and the Municipal Building. St. Francis College, Packer Collegiate Institute, and St. Ann's School are located in Brooklyn Heights, and Brooklyn Friends School, Brooklyn Law School, New York Technical College, Polytechnic Institute, and Long Island University are a short walk away. In addition, Long Island College Hospital, which was established in 1848, is located in Cobble Hill as are many doctors' offices.

Cobble Hill's commercial corridor is a strip that has become less mom and pop and more hip in recent years in response to the influx of trendy new stores and restaurants that continue to open. A 1.5 mile stretch has been undergoing a renaissance in recent years. Serving as a destination for shopping and dining with new stores, restaurants, and galleries opening next to established Middle Eastern businesses and antique stores.