Clinton Hill Historic District

Clinton Hill was originally farmland, owned principally by the Ryerson family. In the 1830s, the land began to be divided and sold off for residential development. By 1880, the area became a suburban retreat, with villas on Clinton and Washington Avenues, surrounded by brownstones, stables, and carriage houses. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area began to attract some of Brooklyn's wealthiest residents. Mansions replaced the old suburban villas, which lacked modern conveniences and were thus considered unfashionable. This second period of growth in the district began in 1874 when Charles Pratt, John D. Rockefeller's partner in the Standard Oil Company, erected a mansion for himself on 232 Clinton Avenue. Soon after, Pratt built four other residences as wedding presents for his sons. Influenced by Pratt's commitment to the area, other millionaires began to move into the district and Clinton Avenue became known as the “Gold Coast” of Brooklyn.

However, with the emergence of Manhattan as the preeminent borough in the early twentieth century, the very wealthy began to leave Clinton Hill. By the 1920s, most of the old residences had been destroyed or divided into apartments and rooming houses. Fortunately, four of the Pratt mansions still exist today at 229, 232, 241, and 245 Clinton Avenue. Some of the finest residences in the area were purchased or donated to the Pratt Institute and St. Joseph's College.©2014