The Axel

545 Vanderbilt Avenue, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, NY 11238

Owing to its central location in northwestern Brooklyn, Clinton Hill is almost unfathomably close to neighborhoods that would otherwise feel relative worlds apart. But its proximal position is merely a bonus: Clinton Hill's lush, brownstoned blocks attract on their own terms. Traces of the past help to create a captivating present. Clinton Hill’s coveted 19th-century rowhouses span many architectural styles, including Beaux-Arts, Italianate, and Neo-Grec. Multiple façade arches and a two-story oriel window make the Queen Anne-style Lincoln Club an absolute head-turner. There’s even a collection of winsome freestanding mansions on Clinton Avenue, some of which connect to the industrialist Charles Pratt, founder of the eponymous Pratt Institute. Playing host to Pratt, an internationally-recognized institution for art and design, adds all the more to the neighborhood's good looks and leafy environs.