How Red Hook, Brooklyn is Completely Turning Things Around

Red Hook is a section of Brooklyn, New York that was once famous for being the home to H.P Lovecraft, Normal Mailer, as well as Al Capone. This historic area then became victim to the crack epidemic that was marauding cities all over the county. Life Magazine labeled Red Hook “The Crack Capital of America” in 1988. Fortunately, like other areas of New York, Red Hook is undergoing a renaissance, and the once crime ridden streets are becoming filled with residential treasures, attractions and amazing things to do and see.

The once vacant storefronts that made part of Red Hook seem like a ghost town, are now full of thriving businesses catering to Brooklyn residents as well as tourists who want to see more of authentic New York. From restaurants to shopping, Red Hook, once strictly a maritime city, has it all a train ride away from Midtown.

Red Hook has benefited from the opening of the popular Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, which hosts the Queen Mary 2 and other prestigious tourist ships. Red Hook is now a northern version of Miami, a port of call teaming with people from all over the world.

Between 1993 and 2010 there was a dramatic downturn in crime, with rapes down 87% and car thefts 85%; however, there has been a recent uptick in crime statistics after 2010, according to DNA Info. Grand larceny remains a problem for the area, however, the residents and police are working hard together to reduce the problem. Reviving a neighborhood requires structural changes that include attracting thriving businesses willing to take a chance that will in turn attract a population who wants to invest in real estate, whether to own it themselves, or garner as lucrative rental properties.

In 2004, Fairway Grocery opened in Red Hook on the site of a previously unused shipping yard. The land clearance and store construction was one of the first major renovation projects in the area, attracting young professionals to make Fairway their hometown grocery with a trendy built in café. The store encompasses a vast 33,000 square feet, which made going to the local market a new experience for those residing in South Brooklyn.

Not to be outdone, IKEA struck a land deal that caused some controversy as the land that it purchased included an active ship repair yard and the sale of the shipyard property that resulted in 100 workers that contracted on the property on the unemployment line, according to South Brooklyn.com. The deal included deconstructing the famous Todd Shipyards’ building. To accommodate the vast IKEA parking lot for up to 1,400 cars, the Red Hook Graving Dock also had to be filled. It was a loss for the maritime industry in the area, but a win for the neighborhood shoppers who loved to shop for furniture. With all of the home renovation going on in that area, a lot of couches and bedroom sets would be needed.

As early as 2003, The New York Times, Residential Real Estate; A Red Hook Renewal on Tiffany Place  was writing about the conversion of industrial properties to condos and apartment complexes on Tiffany Place.  According to the article, there had been previous attempts to convert the area but the rezoning that went into affect in 2001 gave the green light to several successful projects by New York developers such as Marshall Sohne, a Brooklyn lawyer who saw the potential of developing pricey homes in a former commercial hit and miss area that contained small stores and offices . These new properties aren’t cheap, with the prices in the 2003 article listed at $449 per square foot. This gentrification started putting Tiffany Place on the map as a sought-after address.

Van Brunt street now is home to upscale bars and restaurants who attract a different clientele than its former seafaring crowd. The patrons of the local bar are more likely to be actors and artists, than rough and ready sailors. The area is now called a “foodie’s delight” and hosts several thriving businesses that are cashing in on the newer, well-healed inhabitants. If you love gourmet pastry, the acclaimed coffee shop Baked is the place to go. Located in the heart of the neighborhood at 359 Van Brunt Street and has intriguing pastries like Red Hook’s Red Hot cake and other delicacies.

Though the Red Hook neighborhood in Brooklyn is part of the big city, the residents have a sense of community spirit. In 2012 Hurricane Sandy devastated the area with damaging winds and torrential rain. One bar, which was a former speakeasy during prohibition, was severely affected. Sunny’s Bar, which has been a longstanding neighborhood pub, owned by the Balzanno family since 1800, had been flooded to the point of near ruin. Volunteers helped the owner pump out the basement and rebuild so that this popular old watering hole could reopen.

The future is bright for Red Hook, with The Red Hook Waterfront Arts Festival highlighted at Jazz Fests, Farmers Markets, and other popular venues that show the beauty that this neighborhood has to offer. If you want to live in Red Hook, you’d better save your pennies, as a small one bed, one bath co-op is going for $650 thousand, and condos are averaging at over 2 million, according to Trulia’s listings.

Red Hook is situated in a high risk flood zone, yet home buyers are undaunted and are willing to take the risk. A New Post Article from 2013 headlining Red Hook latest Brooklyn home trend cites that the prices are higher than ever thought possible, even for properties that require considerable repairs. Although sequestered from the rest of Brooklyn, on the other side of the BQE, residents love the neighborhood feel, and those with the funds are having historic homes redesigned by pricey architects.

These new builds and remodeled units are dramatically changing the demographics of the neighborhood. Some say that New Yorkers, like the Italian American working class who used to inhabit this neighborhood, have been priced out of Brooklyn. However, the overall renaissance of this neighborhood– from crack capital to hipster paradise– is not so surprising, as Red Hook was originally a popular home for industrialists and intellectuals, and is now just coming full circle.