Carroll Gardens - Definition and Overview

Carroll Gardens is a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York named for Charles Carroll, a revolutionary war veteran who was also the only Roman Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence.

This long standing Italian neighborhood of family-run stores is now sprinkled with chic cafes, boutiques and antique shops. Many of the people drawn in by this infusion consider the neighborhood part of a new "meta-neighborhood" called BoCoCa, a name comprised of the first two letters of each of the three neighborhoods in it, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens. It shares its northern boundary with Cobble Hill at Degraw Street and Boerum Hill at Warren Street, while extending south to Hamilton Avenue and Red Hook.

Before the Italians settled the area, Carroll Gardens was settled by Irish Americans in the early 19th century. In 1846, Richard Butts created the front "gardens" to the famous brownstone houses in the oldest section of the neighborhood, on 1st, 2nd and 3rd streets, between Court street and Henry street. The brownstones are set back from the street by 30-40 feet, to create atypical (for Brooklyn) large front gardens. These gardens have now become a great symbol for the area.