Page 695 - Demo

(Jeanie Black, photo)They Put The Vinegar BackIn The Hill,A n d F ought C ity H a ll BY PETER HALEYAfter too many years spent being the Rodney Danger-field (%u201c I can%u2019t get no respect%u201d ) of Brooklyn neighborhoods, Vinegar Hill is starting to be taken seriously by everyone from the Mayor to artists fleeing from the increasingly commercialized (and expensive) locales of SoHo, NoHo, and Tribeca.The principal reasons for Vinegar Hill%u2019s lack of recognition are, first, that its name disappeared and, second, that many years later, this waterfront community bordering the Brooklyn Navy Yard began disappearing as well. But through the combined efforts of newcomers and longtime residents, this urban village of industrial lofts and three- and four-story brick buildings is making a comeback.The most obvious sign of comeback has been Mayor Ed Koch%u2019s announcement that Vinegar Hill will be among 22 neighborhoods in the city designated for a new federal housing loan program aimed at small homeowners. The project, modeled after the city%u2019s successful attempts to [continued on page 13]November 30,1978, THE PHOENIX, Page 11