Dreaming of rose bushes fig trees and Madonna statuettes? Then you must be standing in Carroll Gardens. This leafy Brooklyn neighborhood boasts a unique charm. Carroll Gardens is nestled between Degraw Street and Hamilton Avenue. It is bounded by Hoyt and Hicks Streets.
This small slice of Brooklyn’s brownstone belt packs a punch. Carroll Gardens tells us much about New York City. Its past and present weave together immigration labor and urban design. Ecology religion race and gentrification all play a role.
Let’s start our schlep through Carroll Gardens. We will explore its unique history and character. Pay attention to the deep front lawns and stoop-sitters. Notice the tiny pasticcerias that make this place special.
Carroll Gardens wasn’t always called that. Until 1964 this area was known as South Brooklyn. It was even considered part of Red Hook. Young businesspeople coined the name Carroll Gardens. They sought to improve the area’s reputation. This name distinguished it from Red Hook.
The name caught on with realtors and residents. One resident said cabs would refuse to go to Red Hook. Now they say Carroll Gardens and there’s no problem. Neighborhood names communicate who belongs. They also show who does not.
This area used to be divided between Pointers and Creekers. Pointers lived near the seaport. Creekers lived closer to the canal. A retired longshoreman recalled pie and cake wars. If someone gave the wrong answer about pie or cake they would get beat up. There was no right answer.
After World War II these geographic boundaries became racial. In the late 1960s Carroll Gardens residents opposed integrated public housing. They also opposed a new public high school. The possibility of an influx of nonwhites worried many residents. This was a solidly white working-class area.
In the 1980s and 1990s hate crimes occurred. Black youths from Red Hook ventured onto the wrong turf. One 16-year-old explained you pass the line you get chased out.
Despite these issues Carroll Gardens retained its character. Italian-American neighborhoods were distinctive. Residents only traveled elsewhere when necessary. They exhibited hostility to outsiders. Intense familialism gave these communities stability. It also gave them insularity.
Italian names grace the awnings of many shops. Elderly residents exchange pleasantries. At Van Westerhout club elderly men chat in Bari dialect. This club is open to those from Mola di Bari. Mola di Bari is a small fishing village on the Adriatic Coast.
Italians settled in this area in the late 19th century. Most came from Sicily and Naples. Nearly 80 percent were men. Many stayed temporarily to earn higher wages. They later returned to their native villages. Enough remained to establish a thriving Italian community.
The neighborhood’s demographics are shifting. Upper-middle-class professionals moved here in the 1960s. They purchased and restored inexpensive fixer-uppers. By 2012 Italian-Americans declined to 22 percent. In 1980 they were 52 percent. Median income doubled over the same period.
The history of Sacred Hearts church reminds us this wasn’t always Italian. For almost a century the district was dominated by the Irish. They owned or rented homes. They worked the wharves and shipyards. As the Italian community grew the archdiocese gerrymandered parishes. This kept tensions between the two groups from boiling over.
This church originally housed St Stephen the Irish congregation. Sacred Heart the first Italian parish was established seven years later. In the 1940s Robert Moses’s expressway slashed through the neighborhood. The Archbishop merged the two parishes. Most Irish had left the neighborhood. Italian worshippers easily integrated into a church. They were once not considered welcome.
In 1948 a replica of Mola’s patron saint arrived from Italy. The statue has been carried around Carroll Gardens twice each year ever since. It is carried on Good Friday and the second Sunday in September. The procession draws former residents and visitors from near and far.
Carroll Gardens has a rich and complex history. From pie wars to shifting demographics. From Italian immigrants to upper-middle-class newcomers. This neighborhood has constantly evolved. It retains its unique character. It offers a glimpse into New York City’s past and present.