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City Living: Clinton Hill

By Magdalene Perez | Special to amNewYork

Find it Clinton Hill is bounded by Franklin Avenue to the east, Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street to the south, Vanderbilt Avenue to the west and Myrtle Avenue to the north.

Clinton Hill is a neighborhood that defies the strict molds other New York neighborhoods fit into. While Park Slope can easily be pegged as a mommy-trap or Williamsburg as a hipster haven, Clinton Hill in nothing if not diverse in age, ethnic makeup and income.

The first seeds of the community were planted in the 1830s when rich industrialists decided to move up the hill from Brooklyn Heights, which earned the neighborhood the nickname the Gold Coast. Rich oil baron Charles Pratt was one of those pioneers, and after building not one but several mansions on Clinton Avenue, he settled down and founded Pratt Institute.

Today the school, with concentrations in architecture and design, draws a young and vital demographic to a neighborhood that is otherwise pretty grounded. And at nearby St. Joseph's College, students pursue degrees in business administration and nursing.

"Those two schools bring a lot of young, artistic people into the community," said Sharon Barnes, a member of the Society for Clinton Hill, a neighborhood association. "We have a very, very active community of writers, artists and entrepreneurs."

And as parents get more involved in the community's public schools, some are bypassing Park Slope for a home in the hill as well.

"That's very positive. It says that they feel that the future is bright enough that they feel confident about having a family here," Barnes said.

Real estate

With everything from 19th-century mansions to brownstones, carriage houses and freshly built condos on the market, Clinton Hill gives buyers and apartment hunters an unusually wide range of options and, by extension, plenty of room for different budgets.

For renters, one-bedrooms cost as low as $1,300, while a four-bedroom, two-bath can fetch up to $4,700 per month, said Vicki Negron, a broker for The Corcoran Group. Buyers can expect to shell out anywhere from $250,000 for a studio to up to $3.5 million for a larger house or apartment. Townhouses start comfortably in the middle of that range, around the high $800,000s, Negron said.

"You can still get a $250,000 one-bedroom in Clinton Hill, but I think those days are almost over," she said.

What's renting

-- Two-bedroom historic carriage house with cook's kitchen, steam room and private garden on Franklin Avenue and Quincy Street, 2,200 square feet, temporary rentals up to three months: $8,000 per month -- Renovated one-bedroom with hardwood floors at Taaffe Place and Willoughby Avenue: $1,700 per month -- Renovated one-bedroom with driveway parking and garden access at Lafayette and Classon avenues: $3,000 per month -- First-floor studio with eat-in kitchen at Clermont and Myrtle avenues: $1,075 per month -- Three-bedroom loft apartment with high ceilings on Taaffe Place: $2,500 per month -- Third-floor studio in 16-unit brownstone at Spencer Court and DeKalb Avenue: $975 per month

What's selling

-- One-bedroom, one-bath loft in converted shoe factory on Greene Avenue near Classon Avenue, bamboo floors, granite counters, 2,000 square feet: $785,000 -- One-bedroom, two-bath apartment with patio in new mid-rise condo on Washington Avenue near Fulton Street, 1,557 square feet: $749,000 -- One-bedroom, two-bath condo with separate kitchen on Irving Place near Fulton Street, 1,000 square feet: $485,000 -- Two-bedroom, two-bath duplex condo with private garden on Classon Avenue near Myrtle Avenue, 1,530 square feet: $918,000

To eat

Eating and drinking options in Clinton Hill proper are few and far between, but there are a few gems hidden among the brownstones. Foodies thrive on Myrtle Avenue, and for those who find themselves yearning for more, nearby Fort Greene offers a veritable bounty of choices.

The Brown Betty Cafe A staff of two cooks up organic and free-range meals at this tiny Clinton Hill restaurant. Pan-seared salmon comes with organic sides of the day, and jerk chicken is grilled to order. Make sure to come early for brunch; with only four tables to squeeze into, diners can expect a wait and a $7 per person minimum. 466 Grand Ave. 718-398-8800

Locanda Vini e Olli Housed in a beautifully restored 103-year-old drugstore, this Italian restaurant serves moderately priced Tuscan dishes under the same rolling ladders that pharmacists once used to fetch medicines. Try the daily assortment of olives and cheeses paired with ricotta thyme ravioli ($14) or guazzetto al limone, a mixture of mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp and leeks ($25). 129 Gates Ave. 718-622-9202

Le Grand Dakar This Senegalese restaurant, hidden among the brownstones, is a standout in a borough known for African cooking. Spicy mackerel ($6) is served up a la Dakar street cart, and lamb-rib yassa ($14) comes tender with lemon sauce and caramelized onions. 285 Grand Ave. 718-398-8900