In the late 1800s Park Slope became a magnet for Brooklyn’s well-to-do, a retreat for those who wished to live lavishly as well as in close proximity to Brooklyn’s lovely historic landmarks, the green expanse of Prospect Park, and quick commuter routes to Manhattan. But the appeal of today’s Park Slope lies in its people as well as its places. Within its blocks of beautiful brownstones, Park Slope is home to a diverse and ever-changing community of residents who cherish the neighborhood’s unique history and architecture.

Since its beginnings as “Prospect Hill,” Park Slope has been divided into two smaller neighborhoods, North Slope and South Slope. Although real-estate prices and immigration have continued to keep these communities separate, the distinction is becoming blurred. The North Slope, for example, adjacent to Grand Army Plaza and the 7^th Avenue shopping area, offered the only stores or restaurants in “ the Slope” until 1990s.  But nowadays shops and dining areas are opening in South Slope as well.

Park Slope is named for its nearness to Prospect Park and its location on a gradual incline from the Gowanus Canal to the park. From the time of its colonization by the Dutch in the 1600s until the middle of the nineteenth century, the land was used primarily for farming, except for a brief, explosive moment during the Revolutionary War. On August 27, 1776, at the start if the Battle of Brooklyn, the outflanked American soldiers faced approximately 4,000 British troops at Battle Pass, which is today within Prospect Park, just north of the rebuilt Wild –life Conservation Center.

Even though Flatbush Road (now Flatbush Avenue) was well traveled, Park Slope was not developed until the 1870s, when Prospect Park was completed and horse-drawn tail cars reached the area. During this period the first row houses, most of which were four stories tall, were constructed and the earliest mansions were built north of 9^th Street, Two of these early buildings have need designated New York City landmarks. One, the William B. Cronyn residence at 271 9^th Street between 4^th and 5^th Avenues, was built from 1856 to 1857 and later housed the Charles A. Higgins India Ink Company. The other, Public School 39, also known as the Henry Briston School, was erected in 1877 and can be found at 417 6^th Avenue.

When a cable railway began crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883, professionals and entrepreneurs were drawn to the area because of the easy commute to Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan. Brownstone construction kept pace with this new demand.

During the late 1800s Prospect Park West (then 9^th Avenue) from Grand Army Plaza to 1^st Street was known as the Gold Coast of Brooklyn. Mansions were constructed whose splendor matched that of the 5^th Avenue mansions in Manhattan, Park Slope magnates included George Tangeman, who produced Royal and Cleveland Baking Powder and whose house, built in 1892, still stands at 274-276 Berkeley Place; Thomas Adams, Jr., who conceived of Chiclets chewing gum and lived at 119 8^th Avenue (1888); and William Childs, inventor of Bon Ami cleanser. Child’s home, at 53 Prospect Park West, was built in 1901 and now houses the Brooklyn Ethical Culture Society.

Magnificent mansions still exist in the rest of the landmarked historic district of Park Slope as well, and some of the finest Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne residences in the United Stated still grace its streets. The houses on Carroll Street and Montgomery Place are among the most notable. The Venetian Gothic Montauk Club, which opened in 1891m offered private membership and a luxurious interior for entertaining. It remains a private club, but its upper floors have need sold and are now rented as apartments.

Three historic churches also stand in this section of Park Slope: St. John’s Episcopal Church (1889; parsonage, 1887), and Brooklyn Memorial Presbyterian Church (1883; chapel, 1888). The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music is housed in what was once the Park Slope Masonic Club (1881), which was originally a private residence on 7^th Avenue at Lincoln Place.

At the turn of the century more unassuming, less-expensive row houses and apartment buildings were put up west of 7^th Avenue and south of 9^th Street at homes for workers at local factories and at the nearby Gowanus Canal. But grand structures were sill being conceived, such as the now – landmarked, imposing Classical Revival synagogue Beth Elohim (1910; temple house, 1928), which stands at 8^th Avenue and Garfield Place.

Construction in Park Slope slowed after World War I because subway lines had been built to reach areas farther south of the park that were still untouched and thus more desirable to developers. Between the world wars, the working-class sections of South Slope were home to predominantly Irish and Irish American residents.

After World War II, wealthier Park Slope residents moved into North Slope. Some of the luxurious brownstones were turned into rooming houses and later demolished for new apartment buildings. Other buildings were abandoned. Only in the 1960s and 1970s did residents begin to work to recover the value of these lovely homes, and they initiated a national movement in the process. Affordable row houses bought at that time are either still being enjoyed by their original buyers or have been sold at great profit as the neighborhood is once again thriving.

For much of the 1970s and 1980s, wealthy upper-middle-class Park Slope residents lived only in the North Slope, whereas the South Slope was known as the home of newer immigrants from Puerto Pico, Latin America, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Ireland. But South Slope residents have been busy beautifying, organizing and revitalizing their section of the neighborhood, and the division between north and south has become less distinct. Indeed, investing in a South Slope home has been wise choice for many, As ever more couples stay in Brooklyn to raise families, even today’s upscale young professionals are unlikely to be able afford a home in North Slope.

Park Slope has a vocal and supportive lesbian community, and since 1993 the Lesbian History Archives, one f the largest collections of lesbian research materials in the United States, has been housed in the neighborhood. Park Slope is also noted for its large number of writers, editors, academics, and lawyers. Some joke that almost everyone in Pak Slope is a recent transplant from the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is true that unlike some Brooklyn neighborhoods, where most residents are Brooklyn natives, Park Slope contains few residents who grew up in the borough.

Park Slope’s sites and attractions are as varied as its residents. A popular annual attraction is the Seventh Heaven Street Fair. Sponsored by local merchants, the fair draws residents and visitors to7th Avenue. Park Slope’s main shopping thoroughfare, which features popular craft stores, jewelry shops, cafes, and restaurants. Both 5^th and 4^th Avenues have new stores and restaurants as well. Since 1998 food connoisseurs have delighted in the neighborhood’s seasonal green market Saturday at the 5^th Street entrance to Prospect Park, and enjoy shopping at one of the largest food cooperatives in the United Stated, a Park Slope favorite since 1973.