Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Vinegar Hill is a neighborhood in the borough
of Brooklyn
in New York City
on the East River
waterfront
between DUMBO
and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The neighborhood is served by Brooklyn Community Board 2
. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 84th Precinct.
Vinegar Hill gets its name from the Battle of Vinegar Hill
, an engagement near Enniscorthy
during the Irish Rebellion of 1798
. Originally settled by the Irish
, this community has maintained its 19th century look while facing modernization and development from all sides.
Vinegar Hill stretches from the East River
waterfront
to Front St and from the Brooklyn Navy Yard
to Bridge St, roughly comprising a six block area, although, before the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the 1950s, Vinegar Hill's area was significantly larger, extending south to Tillary St.
Most of Vinegar Hill consists of 19th century Federal Style and Greek Revival style homes mixed with industrial buildings. The streets on Hudson Ave, Plymouth, Water and Front are made of Cobblestones.
The Vinegar Hill area includes the Vinegar Hill Historic District and is home to the Con Edison Hudson Ave Substation.
On the corner of Evans and Little streets is Quarters A, the Commandant's House, a Federal Style mansion which was once home to Commodore
Matthew C. Perry.
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
waterfront
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
between DUMBO
DUMBO, Brooklyn
Dumbo, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another that continues...
and the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The neighborhood is served by Brooklyn Community Board 2
Brooklyn Community Board 2
Brooklyn Community Board 2 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Vinegar Hill, Fulton Mall, Boerum Hill, Fort Greene, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Fulton Ferry, and Clinton Hill...
. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 84th Precinct.
Vinegar Hill gets its name from the Battle of Vinegar Hill
Battle of Vinegar Hill
The Battle of Vinegar Hill was an engagement during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on 21 June 1798 when over 15,000 British soldiers launched an attack on Vinegar Hill outside Enniscorthy, County Wexford, the largest camp and headquarters of the Wexford United Irish rebels...
, an engagement near Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...
during the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
. Originally settled by the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, this community has maintained its 19th century look while facing modernization and development from all sides.
Vinegar Hill stretches from the East River
East River
The East River is a tidal strait in New York City. It connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island from the island of Manhattan and the Bronx on the North American mainland...
waterfront
Shore
A shore or shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In Physical Oceanography a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past and present, while the beach is at the edge of the shore,...
to Front St and from the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
to Bridge St, roughly comprising a six block area, although, before the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the 1950s, Vinegar Hill's area was significantly larger, extending south to Tillary St.
Most of Vinegar Hill consists of 19th century Federal Style and Greek Revival style homes mixed with industrial buildings. The streets on Hudson Ave, Plymouth, Water and Front are made of Cobblestones.
The Vinegar Hill area includes the Vinegar Hill Historic District and is home to the Con Edison Hudson Ave Substation.
On the corner of Evans and Little streets is Quarters A, the Commandant's House, a Federal Style mansion which was once home to Commodore
Commodore (USN)
Commodore was an early title and later a rank in the United States Navy and United States Coast Guard and a current honorary title in the U.S. Navy with an intricate history. Because the U.S. Congress was originally unwilling to authorize more than four ranks until 1862, considerable importance...
Matthew C. Perry.