The sun., 1909-05-16
The BOROUGH or BROOKLYN
CHANGES IN ITS RESIDENCE
DISTRICTS.

/
ShouiderinE Out the Brsnuston,
Dwellings or Its Exclusive Nelgh
borhoods Rise OF New Districts
A student OF economics would find tn,
study OF present day living aooommoda
tions in the Borough Of Brooklyn subjsc
well worthy Of consideration. Two distinc
tendencies are apparent-the gradua
decline Of the old residence districts anc
the rise OF newer home sections. Tn.
old fashioned private houses OF brown
! stone. brick or frame construction am
passing. Intheir stead are coming apart
ment hotels. elevator apartment houses
and fats in the city proper two family
dwellings on the outskirts OF the city
and detached residences In the distrtcts
that are still moro or less suburban.
An interesting transformation 10 takina
place in old Clover Hill. now known a. the
Heights. Twenty or thirty years age
when the ferries were the only means Of
Communication between New York and
Brooklyn the business mon OF downtown
Manhattan, particularly Of tho financial
and wholesale districts. built fne resi-
denoes on the Heights and made It the
centre Of social activity. The high. grass
grown bluffs were just across the East
River from tho lower end OF Manhattan
Island and the Wall street ferry and the
Montague street cablc car placed them
within easy reach OF New York.
Then came the opening Of the Brooklyn
Bridge. the extension OF the elevated
railroads and the multiplication OF trolley
lines. An important shopping district
developed along lower Fulton street and
tall Office buildings appeared in the square
facing the Borough Hall. Retail busi-
ness crept into the side streets from Court
street westward. and the waterfront was
built on with ,unsightly warehouses and
with steamship docks.
Gradually the original owners de-
creased in numbers. Their children did
not fancy the old style houses. with their
spacious sombre roops. their heavy
chandeliers and old fashioned furniture.
so they sought moro modern quarters
elsewhere. The old houses could not be
remodelled to suit modern ideas and yet
the land they occupied was 40 valuable
that II did not pay to build new residences
there. Aocordingly.tall hotels aud apart
ments arose wherever old residences
The physical transformation Of the
Heights has proceeded very slowly. Re-
meath the surface the change has been
moro rapid. The present day visitor
who walks throu gh one OF the quiet side
streets sees the same unbroken rows Of
fronts that faced the thor
oughfare a generation ago. Apparently
there has been no change whatsoever,
but in reality the character OF the neigh
borhood is altogether different In one
block there may be half dozen boarding
houses. To be sure, there is no outward
evidence that they accommodate roomers,
but careful inquiry will reveal their true
character.
All this means that the Heights is loeing
much of its original efclusiveness: that
society folk who formerly made their
homes there are moving elsewhere. Tho
period ia ell advanced. as even
the most casual oniooker may see.
II will be some time bsfore Clover Hill
10 entirely transformed into an apart
ment hotel and retail business centre,
but the movement b now 90 we'll advanced
that there u no longer any doubt. a. to
The nature Of ~ ultimate development.
The Borough Hall station OF tho subway
b within few minutes walk Of any part |
,f the Heights. From the centre OF the |
financial district to the Brooklyn subway |
'tation is n ride Of only six minutes With
'uoh facilities for rapid transit the old
lime residence neighborhood cannot ex-
,eot to hold out much longer,
Like the Heights, the Hill section of
ii one Of the exclusive residence
iistricts OF years ago that are steadily
,ut surely changing into hotel and
Ipartment house eneighborhoods. Board
ng houses have crept intu many Of the
trsets and tall fats have risen on the
ties Of several old residences. Clinton
venue will no doubt remain as It d and
q IL has been for some time to come; but
hanged entirely within ten yoars.
Clinton avenue was opened nearly a
entury ago. during one Of the carly real
state booms In Kines county. II ex-
ended from the Wallabout Market to
he Brooklyn and Jamaica turnpike
through what were then known AZ the
pader Farms. The region built up
apidly. Building plots OF half an acre
r more were sold along its extent, and
nth the planting Of trees and the build
AZ Of houses wen back from the roadway
he character OF the avenue was clearly
The Characteristics that marked Clinton
venue In the beginning have been main
Aimed up to the present time. Some