About three years after actress/writer Amy Schumer and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, purchased 19 Cranberry Street in Brooklyn Heights, the couple put it on the market to move closer to their son's school in Manhattan. The house famously served as exteriors of the Castorini family home in Academy Award-winning film Moonstruck, but the interiors were shot elsewhere and the couple put their own touches on the house. While many historic details and interior renovations remain intact, the backyard was redesigned by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (the landscape architects behind Brooklyn Bridge Park and new designs at Brooklyn Botanic Garden). It was listed for $14 million in March 2025, and a price reduction brings it down to $12.75 million.
While Schumer and Fischer renovated the interiors of their house on Cranberry Street to their standards and preference, the owners of 69 Orange Street treated the house as a museum, updating the electrical systems and water pipes in a historically respectful way and retaining the original milk-paste paint as long as possible (h/t New York Post). It is located next door to the historic, abolitionist Plymouth Church, and 59 Orange Street's owners discovered a crawl space and tunnel leading to the church. As such, the owners are seeking official certification recognizing it as part of the Underground Railroad. They are also listing it for just under $5 million, a nearly 50% reduction from when it was initially listed in June 2023, with a preservation clause to ensure future buyers maintain the house's integrity.
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The two houses are both located on Brooklyn Heights' "fruit streets," Cranberry Street, Orange Street, and Pineapple Street. In a neighborhood where the majority of streets are named after prominent political figures (Clinton, Adams, and Monroe) and local families (Pierrepont, Schermerhorn, and Tillary), the fruit streets stand out for the whimsy of their names. Pineapple Street author Jenny Jackson, who used to live on her book's titular street, told Dwell that her friends used to say, "That's the cutest address ever!" of her former abode. This article looks at a history of the "fruit streets," what makes them special today, and the rare availabilities located on them.
Orange Street
How the fruit streets got their names
Theories differ on how the fruit streets got their names. According to NYC Parks, Martha Middagh, herself a member of one of Brooklyn's most prominent families, found the practice of naming streets after local aristocracy pompous. But according to the WPA Guide to New York City published in 1939, Miss Middagh didn't like the neighbors the streets were named after. Either way, she reportedly removed the street signs in the middle of the night and replaced it with her own, botanically themed ones. The city put the original signs back, she changed them, and so the cycle continued until an aldermanic resolution made her signs official. (P.S. One block north of Cranberry Street, Middagh Street runs from High Street to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.)
Another explanation traces the origins back to the Hicks brothers, local landowners whose mother's maiden name, interestingly enough, was Middagh (h/t Forgotten New York). They sold exotic fruits and reportedly named the streets after their wares, not to mention laid out the nearby "tree streets," Poplar and Willow Streets. (The Hicks family, too, has a street in Brooklyn named after them, this one running from the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO to Congress Street in Cobble Hill.)
Fruit Streets today
Regardless of how the fruit streets got their names, they are located in the heart of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, the first historic district to be established in New York City. The Fruit Street Sitting Area, which is named for its proximity to Orange, Cranberry, and Pineapple Streets, connects Columbia Heights to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and overlooks the East River and Manhattan skyline.
"The architecture of the Heights is a remarkable example of stylistic development, rarely found in any American city" - Brooklyn Heights Historic District designation report
The fruit streets are largely residential, with the exception of local favorite Vineapple at 71 Pineapple Street, but located in close proximity to popular dining on Henry Street. The nearby Clark Street 2/3 subway stop is the first one in Brooklyn, allowing for convenient access to Manhattan.
19th century rowhouse at 13 Pineapple Street
The fruit streets as well as the tree streets have been home to several notable figures over the years. Poet Walt Whitman lived on Cranberry Street as a child, and author Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's while renting a room at 70 Willow Street (now a New York City Landmark). Decades before Moonstruck hit theaters, 19 Cranberry Street was home to Edward Rullman, chairman of the Brooklyn Heights Association's Design Advisory Council and a key figure in the movement to designate the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. Most recently, best-selling novel Pineapple Street, which centers on an "old money New York family," was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and is now being developed into a television series.
Fruit and tree street listings
69 Orange Street, #TH
$4,995,000 (-16.1%)
Brooklyn Heights | Townhouse | 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths | 2,700 ft2
69 Orange Street, #TH (Douglas Elliman Real Estate)
40 Orange Street, #TH
$6,995,000 (-3.5%)
Brooklyn Heights | Townhouse | 5 Bedrooms, 3 Baths | 2,960 ft2
40 Orange Street, #TH (Brown Harris Stevens Brooklyn LLC)
19 Cranberry Street, #TH
$12,750,000 (-8.9%)
Brooklyn Heights | Townhouse | 5 Bedrooms, Unknown Baths | 5,568 ft2
19 Cranberry Street, #TH (Modlin Group LLC)
49 Willow Street, #3E (Corcoran Group)
54 Orange Street, #4D (Compass)
From the Listing: A large studio situated on a dreamy quiet block in the Fruit Streets of Brooklyn Heights in an elegant mid-century co-op. There is an elevator taking you to this unit on the 5th floor. Hardwood floors are in great shape and the unit gets lovely northern light with open views over the gardens of Plymouth Church all the way to the Manhattan Bridge. There is a built-in a/c and the kitchen and bathroom were recently renovated. There is excellent closet space. See floor plan and full details here.
71 Pineapple Street, #A3 (Terra Magia Inc.)
From the Listing: Gorgeous, bright, and stylish 1-bedroom brimming with charm in a prime location. Hardwood floors, oversized windows, and a huge exposed brick wall with faux fireplace offer an inspiring living space for all of your needs! Easily customize this this apartment with tons of space for bedroom and living areas. See floor plan and full details here.
80 Cranberry Street, #4H (Bond New York)
From the Listing: Gorgeous studio with a unique panorama and lots of character in an Art Deco doorman building! Spacious foyer, apartment features two closets. An open kitchen with full-size stainless steel appliances; copious storage space in the windowed kitchen and good size countertop space. Yes, a dishwasher. See floor plan and full details here.
49 Willow Street, #2A (Corcoran Group)
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