Get to know Carroll Gardens

Carroll Gardens began crafting its distinct serene identity in the 1960s, back when people still considered it part of Red Hook. Officially, a divide started in the 1940s when the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens and Gowanus Expressways created the broadly accepted present-day boundaries between the neighborhoods. However, it was as early as the 1860s that Carroll Gardens established its signature residential uniqueness. Carroll Gardens brownstones bucked the prevailing Brooklyn trends of the time, set farther back from the street than most to make room for their fantastic front gardens. A typical example of this style is still visible in the neo-Grec and late Italianate rectangle of rowhouses that comprise the Carroll Gardens Historic District. Yet whether home is a preserved landmark or located above a beloved local shop, people love Carroll Gardens for that undeniable sense of freshness it tucks into Brooklyn.

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Carroll Gardens Commerce & Culture

While you may have guessed the second half of the Carroll Gardens’ name comes from its plethora of gardens, the first comes from another landscaped source. Carroll Park—itself named for Declaration of Independence signatory Charles Carroll—is the borough’s third-oldest green space and remains a shady refuge and neighborhood centerpiece cherished by all. But the appeal of this neighborhood doesn’t end with its embrace of nature. Underscoring the general greatness of Brooklyn’s culinary fare, even a smaller area like Carroll Gardens squeezes in its share of unmissable spots. Carroll Gardens contains three busy commercial strips, with Smith Street forming one of the borough’s premier restaurant rows. Court Street, a major thoroughfare connecting through Cobble Hill and into Brooklyn Heights, includes recent trendy arrivals alongside old-school establishments open for decades. Union Street mixes residential and commercial, with many Carroll Gardens favorites found directly on or just off of it.