Windsor Terrace is a neighborhood located in the borough of Brooklyn, New York. It is surrounded by Prospect Park to the northeast and Green-Wood Cemetery to the southwest. Its southeastern boundary is Caton Avenue, while to the northwest it is bordered by Prospect Park West.
As of 2010 census, there were 20,988 people, 9,214 households, and 4,847 families residing in the area. The median income for a household in the village is $75,419.
Windsor Terrace is between the neighborhoods of Park Slope to the northwest and Kensington to the southeast. The neighborhood is largely residential and many residents there having settled in brick row-houses and small wood-frame homes when the neighborhood was first developed at the turn of the century. It has also attracted immigrants over the years, giving the area an increasingly multicultural image.
During 17th century, the area was formed part of the original Vanderbilt estate that was given to the pioneering settler. The land was known for sufficient fertility and housed dense forests and highly productive farms, before it followed the rest of 19th century Brooklyn to make way for modest homes for city folk with jobs. It was originally favored by people of quite modest means, but this profile has been upgraded increasingly over the years.
In 1933, the subway was arrived with the building of the IND South Brooklyn Line, the Culver Line, including the 15th Street–Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway Stations. The Prospect Expressway runs through the middle of the neighborhood, effectively separating it into two halves. Some of the neighborhood streets are Seeley Street, 11th Avenue/Terrace Place, and Prospect Park West.
Well-known people living in Windsor Terrace include Frank McCourt (writer), Pete Hamill (writer), and Isaac Asimov (writer). The neighborhood is mainly home of Irish and Italian-American families and has become increasingly diverse including large numbers of Latino and Hispanic people. The Brooklyn Public Library has had a Windsor Terrace branch since the 1920s. It has followed the neighborhood pattern of gradual upgrades from humble beginnings.
Today, the library has 9 computers, wireless Internet access, multi-lingual materials and spacious reading and meeting areas. It follows the example of its mother organization with vigorous outreach and continuous investment in enriching its collection and broadening its services. The Windsor Terrace Alliance (WTA) is an organization giving a strong voice to residents, community groups, and businesses of Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn especially on issues such as education, traffic, appropriate residential and commercial development, neighborhood beautification and quality of life.
The Holy Name Church is a symbol of the undying commitment that Windsor Terrace represents. The respected institution has served the community for over 100 years, with quiet pride in its unbroken record of improvement and evolution from a pastoral community to a modern residential suburb of substance, integrity and character. It is also a familiar and reassuring landmark of Windsor Terrace.
