Sunset Park: On The Rise
When the Gowanus Expressway opened in 1951, it cut the once-thriving neighborhood of Norwegians, Finnish, Danish, German and Irish immigrants in half and led to a mass exodus of the European population. Hispanic immigrants filled the void in subsequent decades followed by a large influx of Asians. The result? Some of the most authentic ethnic…
When the Gowanus Expressway opened in 1951, it cut the once-thriving neighborhood of Norwegians, Finnish, Danish, German and Irish immigrants in half and led to a mass exodus of the European population. Hispanic immigrants filled the void in subsequent decades followed by a large influx of Asians. The result? Some of the most authentic ethnic food stores and restaurants in the borough. Both the residential and commercial real estate markets have been on the rise (the industrial zone has a vacancy rate of just 1% and townhouses now fetch over $800,000). Despite the neighborhood’s resurgence, it’s hard to get people to agree about its exact boundaries. Ron Schweiger, the Brooklyn borough historian, estimated that they are from 35th Street in the north to 65th Street in the south, Fort Hamilton Parkway to the east and the waterfront to the west. That sound about right to people? What do say, Sunset Parker? Are there any stand-out local real estate brokers that deserve mention?
Sunset Park: Brighter Days Ahead [AM NY]
Photo by ilonaphotos
Hello Evelyn Nice to hear of your childhood in the Brunbeck Studio. Your grandfather was the american cousin to my grandfather – born in Denmark 1875.
Søren Brunbech, Librarian Denmark sb@vejlebib.dk
My Grandfather & then my Father Owned the Brunbeck Photo Art Studio at 4710 5th Avenue from 1903 to the 1970s.The Studio was one flight up & took up that whole floor. We lived upstairs in the front apartment. I loved growing up in that neighborhood. My Grandparents came from Norway as did many then. I went to PS 94 & then Dewey Jr, H.S. We frequently went to Sunset Park & it was a treat to shop along 5th Avenue.
True what was I thinking. Discussing architectural aesthetics on a blog devoted to brownstone architecture. What was I thinking?
Hah to say that a frame house in sunset park is slightly less grand than a brownstone is the understatement of the year.
along third avenue there was an elevated trolley line. robert moses incormporated part of the structure into the gowanus expressway. there went the neighborhood…
For anyone interested in some historical perspective: I had cousins in SP on 42nd st. b/n 3th and 4th av. Same block as that fabulous Catholic church St. Michael’s,where BTW “Heaven Help Us” (1985)was filmed. I spent a couple weeks there each summer from the late ’50’s-early 60’s there until they moved away. The area was heavily Irish and changing to Puerto Rican during this time. My cousins lived in a frame row house of the style described by Sunset Parker above-2 floors for the family and an apartment on the 3rd floor-hallway shared by all-although they used the 2 family as one.
We used the pool at Sunset Park every day during the summer-totally safe and no sense of danger. My cousins’ house was not as nice as their friends whose houses-limestones-faced the park, which impresed me with their grandeur. I t was a different world.
I’m convinced the renovation of the elevated Gowanus Exp. helped run the neighborhood down in the early ’60’s. The noise of the piledrivers which I can remember to this day, half a block away from my cousins, was deafening and I’m convinced drove many of the more stable families out.
Rick, who posted above, is my neighbor. He is right about the brownstones and limestone in SP. They are much nicer than the frame houses in the south slope. In fact, 47th, between 5th and 6th (our street) and 48th street are, in my opinion, the nicest in the neighborhood. You will also find great housing stock on 42nd, 43rd, 45th and the blocks in the mid 50s, all between 4th and 5th Avenues.
Sunset Parker, above, is right about the commute too. I agree that it is one of SP’s best secrets. My commute to Manhattan from SP is much shorter than my trip on the F train from PS (for 5 years).
I’m a Park Sloper with a young son who’s grown fascinated, recently, with the combination of (i) the better housing prices in Sunset Park and (ii) the stellar test scores of PS 172. Does anybody have any experience with the latter?
I’ve lived in Sunset Park for the last 8 years. This area has changed. Many brownstones still have all their original detail. Most of them are from around 1910. A few weeks ago a 3 and a half story Brownstone at 47th & and 6th ave sold for 980k! This is a new record for a building of that size out here. Many nice building can still be had for much less. I feel that these brownstone houses are much nicer than the frame houses in South Slope. ( Just a few blocks away ).