That Was Fast: 'The Degentrification of Red Hook'

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Red Hook Hotness was officially born on June 1, 2006. It is buried as of today, with the hole dug and the dirt tossed in by New York Magazine, which offers up evidence of the "Red Hook's degentrification." The story starts out, "What the hell is happening in Red Hook?" and goes on to quote a resident who says of the heady days of mid-2007 when Van Brunt Street seemed like it was moments from wall to wall cafe, wine bars and boutiques, and the MacLarens were revving their engines: "That moment was there. It was definitely there. Everyone felt it at the same time. And then," she says, "it just went away."

Offered as evidence of death:

The Pioneer bar has shut down. So has the bistro 360 and, just recently, the live-music venue the Hook. Buildings put on the market for $2.5 million have stayed empty and unsold. Landlords hoping to get $2,500 a month for a Van Brunt storefront—the rent that Barbara Corcoran was asking—have found no takers. In fact, Corcoran’s spot sat unrented for over two years, until a local business took the space at the cut rate of $1,800 a month. The perception of the neighborhood got bad enough that in August the Post ran a story headlined "Call It ‘Dead’ Hook."

And it's scarier still, friends. Could the degentrification of Red Hook spread like a plague to Bushwick, Bed-Stuy (boy, now that would be quick) and -- nooooooooo -- Williamsburg? What if gentrification is actually "a self-extinguishing phenomenon?" It is way too early on a Monday morning to contemplate the "Red Hook Real-Estate Slowdown Theory of Yuppie-Hipster Equilibrium." For now, all we can say is that the pupusa ladies couldn't be reached for comment, as the season at the Ballfields ended a few weeks ago.
· The Embers of Gentrification [NYMag]
· Red Hook: Looks Like We Made It [Curbed]
· On the Hook [TONY]

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