Williamsburg Apartments in Brooklyn

Williamsburg Apartments

Few neighborhoods in all of New York City have undergone such rapid change in the past decade and a half than Williamsburg in Brooklyn, once a largely ignored community of ethnic enclaves; today one of the city's most coveted and dynamic areas in which to live.

As recently as the early 1990s, Williamsburg apartments were almost irresistibly inexpensive, and artists, musicians and other creative types began moving in droves… followed, as is always the case in stories of gentrification, with young people of means who loved the energy of the place.

Cheap apartments in Williamsburg became more scarce, especially near the Bedford Avenue and Lorimer Street stations of the L train, an express subway line to the happening Manhattan communities of the East Village and Union Square, a proximity that has helped define the "new" Williamsburg, both as a cultural and commercial influence and as scenes to strive to be hipper than.

Repeat After Me, Williamsburg is More Than the Area Around the Bedford Avenue L Train Stop

Contrary to popular belief, Williamsburg covers a rather large area, with a population of some 125,000. The nabe is bordered to the north by North 14^th Street and Nassau Avenue (and the neighborhood of Greenpoint); to the east by  McGuiness Boulevard and Bushwick Avenue (and Bushwick); to the south by Flushing Avenue (and Bedford-Stuyvesant); and to the east by Kent Avenue and the East River.

The main commercial strip for residents of Williamsburg apartments remains Bedford Avenue, but Berry Street to the east and Driggs Avenue to the west also have a large number of appealing bars, stores, coffee shops, and restaurants, as do any number of the streets radiating from Bedford. This is the area commonly thought of as Williamsburg, as it has become the center of activity.  However, when ad for an apartment says that it is in Williamsburg, don't automatically assume that it's in this tiny, 5 square block area.

Williamsburg Apartments are WIthin Walking Distance of Great Restaurants and Bars

Williamsburg is nearly always in contention when lists are made of New York City's best eating neighborhoods, with its dozens of excellent, reasonably-priced restaurants such as the barbecue joints Pies and Thighs and Fette Sau; the top-notch New American Dressler and NYC icon Peter Luger; the amazing sandwich spot Saltie and beloved brunch hangout Egg; the fanatically fresh Marlow and Sons and the always-a-party Fatty 'Cue; and the originals of Fornino and Motorino, both of which are often called the best pizza in town.

Nightlife (including many terrific music clubs), art gallery, dining and shopping options are abundant in Williamsburg, but there is some green space, too, most notably the slightly scruffy but hugely popular McCarren Park, with its playing fields and ball courts, running track, playground and dog run. And right across the street from the park is the spectacular Depression-era McCarren Pool, left abandoned for years, cleaned up and used in the recent past as a venue for free concerts, and soon, if all goes according to plan, reopened as a swimming pool.

A great source for what's going on in Williamsburg is Free Williamsburg, filled with information on events, restaurants, bars, galleries, and more.

"Old" WIlliamsburg vs. The Williamsburg of Today

The opening of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903 marked the turning point in the area’s history.  An influx of thousands of upwardly mobile immigrants and second-generation Americans fleeing Manhattan settled in apartment housing in Williamsburg in the early 1900’s. 

Williamsburg boasts many landmark buildings such as the Domino Sugar Refinery which may be converted to apartments for residential use. Other landmarks include The Kings County Savings Institution, an example of ornamental French Empire architecture, the Willamsburg Savings Bank, and The Williamsburg Houses, a group of 20 four-story buildings angled 15 degrees to the street grid for optimal sunlight.   The latter three are on the list of NYC Designated Landmarks.

If you are fortunate enough to make your home in Williamsburg you will eventually discover the summer celebration called  the “Festa dei Gigli” (feast of lilies) in honor of St. Paulinus of Nola, a city near Naples, Italy, a highlight being the 100 foot tall statue carried around  with its entourage of musicians and singers filling the air with Neopolitan melodies.

In the past decade, gentrification and its proximity to Manhattan has made Williamsburg popular with recently arrived “hipsters”, giving rise to the many musicians and artists in the area, plus small art galleries and venues giving live music a platform.  

Large-scale rezoning in 2005 resulted in a dramatic shift in the Williamsburg neighborhoods, once characterized by immigrant enclaves and manufacturing and light industry, notably Domino Sugar.   This change brought new residential buildings and converted warehouses with their blue cast-iron facades to the attention of developers and investors. 

HEARD ON THE STREET

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