Cobble Hill Historic District

The name Cobble Hill originally referred to a steep conical hill at the present intersection of Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street with Court Street. One of the tallest hills on Long Island, it served as a lookout for American forces at the beginning of the Revolution and again during the War of 1812.

Development of the neighborhood, which is separated from Brooklyn Heights by Atlantic Avenue, followed its incorporation into the independent city of Brooklyn in 1834, and the opening of the South Ferry two years later. During the 1830s, rural homesteads and suburban mansions began to populate the area.

By 1840, large land holdings containing these rural homesteads and mansions were subdivided and row houses, along with other building types, were constructed in a variety of architectural styles. Several of the buildings in this district were designed by distinguished New York architects of the period. The 1843 house on 296 Clinton Street is the work of Richard Upjohn, architect of Trinity Church, and St. Frances Cabrini Chapel, located at DeGraw Street and Strong Place, was built in 1852 according to Minard Lafever's design.

By the 1860s, Cobble Hill had transformed into a densely populated, suburban community, complete with banks, stores, churches and other services. In the 1870s, the Tower and Home Buildings on Hicks, Warren, and Baltic Streets, and the Workingmen's Cottages on Warren Place were designed by William Field & Son for laborers and their families. These remarkable buildings represent some of the nation's first planned low-income housing.

The 1988 extension of the district added three buildings on Henry Street: two row houses from an original group of eight built in 1852-53 and the Polhemus building of 1896-97, which was a free clinic for the poor who lived near the Brooklyn waterfront, and a training facility for nearby Long Island College Hospital. ©2014