By any indication, The Brooklyn Historical Society’s inaugural gala Saturday night was wildly successful.

The crowd of 700 was larger than anyone had anticipated, as were the proceeds, about $300,000. When the witching hour came at 11, guests had to be coaxed to leave. Some simply moved the party to Bar Below on Smith Street.

The event’s chairwomen, Sarah Beatty Buller, Lisa Detwiler, and Janet Offensend, accomplished their goal: “We wanted to build on the energy and excitement about Brooklyn. And we wanted to break away from any kind of notion that the Historical Society is anything less than hip,” Mrs. Offensend said.

Brooklyn residents designed the invite and catered the affair, and guests beamed with Brooklyn pride.

“This is a well-executed party, better than any party in Manhattan,” said Marc Agger, a partner in Pierless Fish Corp. (Marty Markowitz’s smoked salmon supplier of choice).

“We’ve seen 20 to 30 people we know – you don’t get that in Manhattan,” said Brooklyn Heights resident Richard Fitch. “There’s a nice neighborhood, common-cause feeling,” added his wife, Allegra. The common cause at the Brooklyn Historical Society is to preserve local history in an inclusive manner.

“Our whole mission is outreach,” said the society’s chairman, James Laughlin. “We invested $40 million,” he added, most of it used to re store the society’s building on Pierrepont Street, its home since 1881.

“The building is the single most valuable asset,” he said.

The star of the party was indeed the building. Its spaces seemed perfectly suited to socializing. The president of the society, Jessie Kelly, stood in the foyer, greeting guests and steering them toward an exhibit on Brooklyn beer. Upstairs, the library’s nooks and crannies became intimate dining alcoves, and its empty shelves, resting places for plates and glasses. (The books have been in storage for five years; they return in December under the supervision of a recently hired collections specialist.)

“This is a beautiful, unique space,” said Michael Whang of Brooklyn Heights. It is one of the few interior spaces with landmark status in the city.

“I can’t remember going to a party in this type of building; it’s gorgeous,” said Sheryl Jones of Manhattan.

Mr. Agger, the upscale fishmonger, who is on the board of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, took a broader view: “Look at the beautiful women, the people moving around on multiple levels… Great architecture creates an ambience, a sensibility.”

Guests included the executive director of the Independence Community Foundation, Marilyn Gelber; the president of Kingsborough Community College, Regina Peruggi; the chairman of Keyspan, Robert Catell; a board member of the Brooklyn Museum, Constance Roosevelt; the president of the Brooklyn Heights Association, Nancy Bowe, and partners in East Side Company Bar on Essex Street, Matthew Maddy and Kathryn Weatherup.

The society’s renaissance is of course part of a larger Brooklyn renaissance.

“Brooklyn is really happening; there’s an atmosphere of optimism,” said board member Mark Buller, who owns a building materials business. “Brooklyn remains our most vibrant marketplace,” he said. He lives in Manhattan and is active on several Brooklyn boards, including that of the Brooklyn Public Library.