Cobble Hill Brooklyn

Early history and development

Cobble Hill, named after the conical-shaped hill called “Cobleshill” or “Ponkiesbergh” at the current intersection of Atlantic Avenue, Pacific Street, and Court Street, was originally settled in the 1640s by Dutch farmers when Willem Kieft, the director of New Netherland, granted land patents in the area. The hill was used as a fort—known as “Cobble Hill Fort,” “Smith’s Barbette,” or “Corkscrew Fort”—during the American War of Independence. The British, during their occupation, cut off the top of the hill to prevent it from being used to overlook their headquarters in Brooklyn Heights. They also seized the estate of Philip Livingston for use as a naval hospital. Cobble Hill was fortified again during the War of 1812, when it was called “Fort Swift.”

In 1834, the Village of Brooklyn, chartered in 1816 and primarily comprising present-day Brooklyn Heights, became a city and soon expanded south beyond Atlantic Street (now Atlantic Avenue) to include South Brooklyn.

Until the establishment of the South Ferry in 1836, which connected Atlantic Avenue to Manhattan’s Whitehall Street, South Brooklyn remained primarily rural. However, with the gridiron street pattern established in 1834, the area developed rapidly. Streets were progressively laid out, and new buildings were constructed, starting near the waterfront and moving inward. This transformation changed the rural community into a middle-class suburban residential area dominated by small rows of houses, which began to be built as early as 1835. By 1860, the transformation was nearly complete, and none of the farmhouses from the neighborhood’s rural period remained.

The 1840 tax list and street directory indicated that present-day Cobble Hill contained 45 houses and 112 residents. Despite a housing boom that caused prices to rise, it was still possible in 1850 for a clerk to rent a row house with a large backyard for $200 a year (equivalent to $6,146 in 2019). This affordability led to an influx of new residents from Manhattan.

20th century

In the 20th century, Cobble Hill saw an influx of immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and the Middle East. Some low-rise apartment buildings were constructed before the 1920s. After a period of relative quiet, by 1950, brownstones were being rejuvenated, leading to a neighborhood renaissance and the revival of the “Cobble Hill” name. This revival was possibly inspired by a real estate agent who saw the name “Cobles Hill” on a 1766 map and updated it. Organized community groups fought against large housing projects and successfully lobbied the city to designate the area as an historic district.

The Cobble Hill Historic District was first designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (NYLPC) on December 20, 1969, and extended on June 7, 1988. The district is roughly bordered by Atlantic Avenue to the north, Court Street to the east, Degraw Street to the south, and Hicks Street to the west, with a “bite” removed from the northeast corner of that rectangle. It spans approximately twenty-two city blocks. According to the NYLPC, the Cobble Hill Historic District is an “unusually fine 19th-century residential area” that “retains an aura of the past with its charming streets and architecture.” The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Today, on the two main commercial streets—Court and Smith Streets—generations-old family-run stores and businesses, such as Italian meat markets and barber shops, coexist with trendy new shops, restaurants, and cafes. Atlantic Avenue, the northern border of the neighborhood, features one of New York City’s largest collections of Middle-Eastern shops, some of which have been there for decades. The northern part of Smith Street is known as Brooklyn’s “Restaurant Row” due to the large number of eateries and bars that opened during the late 1990s and early 2000s. With a second wave of specialized bars along the corridor in the late 2000s, Smith Street became an upscale weekend nightlife destination.