Red Hook

A once-forgotten Brooklyn neighborhood is newly hip

By Sara Stefanini | Special to amNewYork

December 7, 2006

Once a forgotten, crime-ridden corner of South Brooklyn, Red Hook has slowly become a destination for the artsy and adventurous -- those who are attracted to the quiet, the smell of sea water and the views of the Statue of Liberty.

Unlike most city neighborhoods, residents in this waterside community wave to one another in the streets or stop and chat in the low-key bars and restaurants that line Van Brunt Street.

"It's like living in a small town in the big city," said Sohui Kim, 36, who moved to Red Hook six years ago and opened The Good Fork restaurant this year. "There's not much I don't like about this place. I even like that it's not close to the subway, because it keeps it small."

From the 1970s to 1990s, Red Hook, where about 60% of the 11,000 residents live in public housing, was plagued by violence and drugs. But in the late 1980s, artists from lower Manhattan started moving into the neighborhood, lured by the cheap real estate and empty industrial buildings. In about the last six years, quaint pubs, boutiques and cafes have opened and art galleries have moved into the abandoned waterfront warehouses, reviving the area.

Plans for larger businesses such as an IKEA and a Carnival Cruise terminal to open on the waterfront have generated controversy. Some worry they will destroy Red Hook's charisma, while others say they will bring more jobs to the neighborhood, where unemployment hovers around 20%. So far, the Fairway supermarket, which opened last spring, has been welcomed as a much needed addition.

"Fairway has been really good," said Paul Brown, who grew up in Red Hook. "It means we can actually buy groceries here in Red Hook."

Real estate

Demand for Red Hook real estate has soared in the last two years, said Marsha Yarde, a broker for Fillmore Real Estate. Unlike most Brooklyn neighborhoods, Red Hook does not have many condominiums, so most homes are two- and three-family townhouses, she said.

What's renting
-$1,000 for a studio
-$1,300 for a one-bedroom
-$1,500 for a two-bedroom

On sale now
-$499,000 for a two-bedroom condo
-$799,000 for a two-family townhouse
-$998,000 for a two-family townhouse with garden
-$829,000 for a three-family townhouse

Just sold
-A one-family for $699,000
-A two-family for $1.65 million