Carroll Gardens

Carroll Gardens is a residential area in western Brooklyn known for its narrow streets lined with 19th-century brick rowhouses that sit behind front yards. Businesses along Court Street offer bakeries, cafés, and small shops that stay busy on a winter afternoon or under sunshine.

In the 1840s, this area developed as a middle-class residential district with generous lot sizes for families from Manhattan. Italian immigrants moved here starting in the 1950s and shaped the district with their own businesses and parish churches.

Specialty grocery stores along Smith Street still display handmade pasta and imported canned goods that recall the Italian immigrants who shaped this area. On summer weekends, families sit on their front stoops and chat with neighbors while children play on the wide sidewalks.

A walk along President Street shows the typical architecture with front gardens and shady trees. Visiting the area on a weekday brings quieter streets and open businesses without crowding.

Some of the older brick rowhouses still show original iron window grilles that were meant to deter burglars. These wrought-iron details often date from before 1900 and were never replaced.

Location: Brooklyn

Shares border with: Gowanus

GPS coordinates: 40.68000,-73.99444

Latest update: December 13, 2025 19:23