by guestblogger and BOND agent Tom Stuart
The Clinton Hill Cooperative Apartments remain one of the best values
in Brooklyn. The simple brick exteriors give way to spacious layouts
with large windows with incredible city and Brooklyn views from the
upper floors.
Many people don’t realize that the buildings and gardens were designed
by famed architect Wallace Harrison and built between 1940-1943 to
house workers from the Brooklyn Navy Yards. Some of Harrison’s most
famous projects include the United Nations complex, participation in
Rockefeller Center, the Time Life Building, and the master plan for
both Lincoln Center and Battery Park City.
The 12 building complex of nearly 1200 apartments is split between two
“campuses” along Clinton Avenue in Clinton Hill. Clinton Ave is
sometimes referred to as “Massion Row” and is still lined with large
homes built in the 1870s and 1880s mainly by the Pratt Family. Both
campuses are close to most of Clinton Hill and Fort Greene’s amenities
including great restaurants and shops, the Brooklyn Academy of Music,
Pratt Institute and St. Joseph’s College as well as Fort Greene Park,
designed by Olmstead and Vaux who also designed Central Park and
Prospect Park. The farmer’s market and Brooklyn Flea bring people to
the area each weekend and the close proximity to Manhattan makes the
neighborhood all the more attractive.
The apartments were converted to Coops in the 1980s through a
non-eviction plan and still house some renters, original purchasers,
plus many residents
who discovered them over the years. The original
interiors had separate kitchens, built in cabinetry, a dining area,
and spacious bedrooms and living areas. Most apartments are 1 or 2
bedrooms, with a few studios in each building and even some terraces
on the North Campus. The shape of the buildings allows all apartments
to have two exposures, and makes every one feel like a corner
apartment. It is still possible to find units with the original
finishes and layouts, but there are also many degrees of renovation
which have occurred over the years – from sponsor renovations to
complete gut renovations creating modern open floor plans in recent
years. The coops continue to improve and update – they are currently
replacing all 24 original Westinghouse elevators with faster, safer,
and more reliable modern elevators.
One of the best features of the Coops is the friendly, community of
owners. It is a place where neighbors know one another and usually say
hello. It’s common for people to spend time in the lobby, or outside
in the landscaped gardens catching up with friends.