Neighborhood Spotlight: The Low-Rise, Low-Key Appeal of Brooklyn Heights

By Sarah Deming It’s being hailed as a new celebrity hotspot by such reliable sources as The New York Times , but the truth is famous names are nothing new in Brooklyn Heights. Matt Damon and Amy Schumer are just the latest New Yorkers to discover the joys of this jewel box of a neighborhood, beloved for its grand townhomes, green spaces, and prime location just south of the Brooklyn Bridge. View the full issue. The best news? The new A-listers’ arrival isn’t changing the character of this cherished enclave one bit, according to longtime locals. “Celebrities choose a neighborhood like this because they can live in style and be left alone,” says Seth Kamil, cofounder of Big Onion Walking Tours. “Just look at the street names—Pierrepont, Livingston, Schermerhorn— these were the prerevolutionary aristocracy who all lived within a stone’s throw of the Heights. “But a lot of people forget that the artists who got priced out of Greenwich Village in the ’50s and ’60s landed here too,” Kamil continues. “Truman Capote lived in the basement of 70 Willow Street when he wrote Breakfast at Tiffany’s .” Brooklyn Heights Promenade. (Photo: MARIA USPSHUTTERSTOCK) A SENSE OF HISTORY The lion’s share of Brooklyn Heights’ stunning brownstones were built by the late 1800s, when it was New York’s first designated suburb. “It retains that feeling of respite from the density of the city,” says interior designer Ellen Hamilton, a longtime resident. “And because it’s a historic district, change is subtle. Stores improve, real estate values ascend, and floor- through brownstones go back to single-family homes, but many facades haven’t changed dramatically in over 150 years. Brooklyn Heights transports you in time. It’s such an exciting place to be if you love design and history.” Brooklyn Heights Association Executive Director Lara Birnback agrees. “The neighborhood retains its unique character, and I hope it always will. At the same time, we are developing more retail, restaurants, and services.” Birnback calls the community “a great healthy mix of longtime residents who are extremely invested in the neighborhood and newer individuals and families bringing different perspectives on how we should grow.” The Center for Brooklyn History’s Othmer Library, set for an event. The BHA has fostered business development along Montague, the neighborhood’s main street. Beloved independent Books Are Magic recently opened a new shop here, and there is always a line outside Instagram darling L’Appartement 4F, which produces some of the finest hand-rolled croissants in the city. Foodies also flock to the Middle Eastern grocers along Brooklyn Heights’ Atlantic Avenue boundary, which has become a local restaurant row, led by farm-to-table favorite Colonie. In fact, Brooklyn Heights just got its first Michelin star (the only Michelin star in the city awarded to a Black executive chef) with the exquisite Clover Hill, in historic Willowtown, at the southwestern corner of the neighborhood.