10. Verandah Place is an architectural gem
Verandah Place in the Cobble Hill Historic District is a tiny street that transports visitors back to the neighborhood’s origins. The street’s short and quaint rowhouses are located next to Cobble Hill Park, created in the 1960s. Two mansions were on the park’s land, and after they were torn down, community members planned to build a supermarket in their place. Verandah Place is more a mews for horse-drawn carriages of Brooklyn’s past than a proper street, measuring just 20 feet wide.
It was created as a service alley during the neighborhood’s pre-Civil War development. Located between Henry and Clinton streets, the street’s south side is lined with picturesque small brick residences built up to the sidewalk, some originally built as stables and later converted to residential use. Some were built as homes for local workers. Ironically, there are no verandahs to be found on this street.
The quaint and historic street, though, did not always have such a charming reputation. By the early 20th century, Verandah Place was known, according to the Brooklyn Standard-Union, as “the worst spot in the entire precinct, and that is saying a great deal.” Those on the north side of the street constructed a 15-foot tall brick wall, which remained for years.