History
The departure of the Dodgers for sunny Los Angeles in 1957 accelerated a decline in the fortunes of Brooklyn that had begun shortly after WWII as city dwellers increasingly heeded the call of the suburban life. The closing of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1966 was symbolic low point in Brooklyn history. Gradually, however, young families were beginning to move to Park Slope. Efforts to restore and renovate neglected brownstones began in Brooklyn Heights and soon spread. A group of parents and educators started the Montessori School of Brooklyn with one teacher and 25 children, in a rented room on Beverly Road and Ocean Avenue. The school’s educational philosophy was based on the pedagogical theories of Dr. Maria Montessori, with spaces and materials organized into areas of interest to the children in order to encourage structured learning. In the mid-1970’s the school moved to 701 Carroll Street, the site of the current Lower School, and changed its name to the Carroll Street School. Meanwhile, at the Berkeley Institute, boys were admitted to the 7 th and 8 th grades for the first time.
