Carroll Gardens Historic District

This quiet residential district derives its name from Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland, and from the unusual front gardens of the area's brownstones. It was originally part of the tract of land purchased from the Mohawk Indians by the Dutch West Indies Company in 1636. Interest in the neighborhood was spurred by the opening of the Hamilton Avenue Ferry in 1846; that year, Surveyor Richard Butts showed great foresight when he laid out the district to include garden setbacks, creating front yards between 25 and 29 feet deep. These front gardens create a feeling of space and openness that is rare in an urban environment.

Construction was spurred with the improvement of Carroll Park during the 1870s; the district's row houses were completed between 1869 and 1884, and possess an architectural unity, which stems from the brevity and high standards of the construction period. Many of the two- and three-story brownstones are designed in the late Italianate and French Neo-Grec styles, each individualized by ornamental elements. For instance, Nos. 260 and 268 on Carroll Street have “eyebrow” lintels, each with different brackets, while No. 268 is further distinguished by original paneled doors and a bracketed cornice. ©2014