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May 30, 2008

Prospect-Lefferts and Boerum Hill House Tours Sunday

Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Boerum Hill are both holding their annual home and gardens tour this weekend. A few of the spaces featured on the Prospect Lefferts Gardens tour include: A brother and sister team's conversion of an apartment in a 1900s Victorian two-family house from a one-bedroom to an "ingenious duplex" decorated by "startling artwork." The complete remake of a 1921 brick home that was heavily damaged by fire and smoke and left uninhabited for five years. An aspiring designer's complete makeover, of a one-bedroom rental making us of all 550 square feet, in a 1925 building facing the park. An "in progress' 1909 limestone home that showcases an array of artifacts, eclectic furnishings and artwork, some of it by the owner. Refreshments and music await at the end of the tour in a rose garden and basement "speakeasy" that plays hommage to 1950s kitsch. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on tour day, and can be purchased online or at K-Dog & Dunebuggy, 43 Lincoln Road. The tour is on Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. We recieved less information on the homes featured in the Boerum Hill tour, also on Sunday from 1 until 5 p.m. The tour features eight homes, one newly opened lounge and one restored retail space. Ticket holders are entitled to special food and drink offers at local establishments, and admission to the post-tour reception at the Mugavero Center, which features a silent auction and free food and drinks. Tickets are the same price and can be purchased online, at 493 Atlantic Avenue (Gumbo) or 363 Atlantic Avenue. Between these tours and the flea market (free to get in), there's no excuse to spend Sunday inside!




Posted by sarah ryley at 2:05 PM | Comments (18)
Categories: Boerum Hill, House Tours, Prospect Lefferts Gardens

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In anticipation of complaints, YES, it IS a shame that both tours are on the same day. FWIW, PLG has been using the first Sunday in June for many years and Boerum Hill switched the date of their every-other-year HT, but no recriminations--after all, there are only so many Sundays in the Spring :-(


It occurs to me that a really hardy person COULD make both tours if they were so inclined. Our tour starts an hour earlier than BH's so you could arrive at noon, spend a couple of hours in PLG, and still make the other tour. I recall that MANY years ago, before Boerum Hill's 20 year house tour hiatus, we actually honored each other's tickets when our tours happened to fall on the same day, but this is no longer the case.

Less energetic (or manic) types will have to choose. You KNOW which tour I'd like you to go on, but whichever you do choose, I hope you'll enjoy it--they're both great house tours.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 2:52 PM

BTW, the last two PLG photos, of a small kitchen and bath, are in the 550 sq. ft. rental apartment. The tenant renovated the spaces (with the landlord's approval, I presume) to show off his talent as a designer.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 3:04 PM

Very cool and inclusive to have a rental apartment on a house tour too, PLG. NYC is a city full of apartments so it's nice to see that kind of residence represented.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 3:09 PM

By no means the first rental apartment on our HT, but apartments are hard to get--for that matter HOUSES are hard to get on tour--not just in our neighborhood but AFAIK, in EVERY neighborhood.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 3:24 PM

There is, of course, no such thing as Boerum Hill. It is the "East Williamsburg" of South Brooklyn. It is all Gowanus. But doesn't Boerum Hill just sound, oh, say, and 8% rent hike better?

And I don't get it, how do you tell people not to spend Sunday inside, so come to this house tour. What are they, inside out houses?

Posted by: ol mucky at May 30, 2008 3:59 PM

There is such a thing as Boerum Hill - a legally established historic district.
Maybe not everything some call Boerum Hill is in the historic district - but it does exist.
Gowanus is a canal. Not a neighborhood.

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 4:06 PM

Ol Mucky - grumpy much? House tours are a great way to walk around (outside) a neighborhood - they really don't work well when it is raining.

And isn't the dispute over "Boerum Hill" way way lost for Gowanus purists (altho having arrived after the renaming dispute, I think Gowanus sounds more interesting)? This past weekend I wandered around PLG and really liked it. Felt both good and bad like my corner of Clinton Hill.

Also the Hamilton Heights House tour uptown on Sunday. Not sure even Bob would think you could do that and PLG and Boerum Hill!

Posted by: Putnamdenizen at May 30, 2008 4:06 PM

"startling artwork"? on a Sunday?

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 4:14 PM

"Also the Hamilton Heights House tour uptown on Sunday. Not sure even Bob would think you could do that and PLG and Boerum Hill!"

Only if you had a private helicopter and were an accomplished skydiver :-)

I don't know that HTs" really don't work well when it is raining". My wife and I would not have ever seen PLG if it hadn't been raining on the day of the '74 HT.

As to the Boerum Hill name, it was, of course, made up in the '60s [around the same time as the PLG name]. Granted, there is no hill, but there WAS a Boerum family. BH is historically part of Gowanus (as are Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens) and we're part of Flatbush--so what?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 4:21 PM

Is Tracey Boudine going to be one of the realtors? That woman is awful. Look at what I just found.
http://realflatbush.blogspot.com/2008/05/racial-steering-real-estate-broker-from.html

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 5:26 PM

The PLG house tour (and every other house tour I ever heard of)is not run by brokers. Several brokers contributed to our HT (and are credited in the booklet). Tracy Boudine is not one of them. FWIW I've never heard her name mentioned in association with RE sales in our area.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 5:39 PM

Oh Goody! Perfect weekend activity. And I love, love, love the lemony kitchen with honed granite countertops, and the gorgeous staircase with the pillow tufted bench at the bottom.

But, what.. nary a recessed light visible anywhere? Oh the HUMANITY.

Posted by: Nokilissa at May 30, 2008 6:31 PM

Enjoy...

Posted by: guest at May 30, 2008 7:10 PM

I just noticed that the link for purchasing PLG tickets online doesn't work. The correct URL is:

leffertsmanor.org

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 30, 2008 8:21 PM

Humanity is overrated. I do not understand why someone would open their home to a gaggle of strangers. If I'm not selling it, or hosting a party, you don't see it.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 8:26 AM

8:26,
That's exactly why it's hard to get tour houses. Fortunately there are still many people who are willing to do this for their community; others are fearful, selfish, or just can't be bothered but, as you point out, humanity is [at least in some cases] overrated.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 31, 2008 11:58 AM

If I ever opened up my house to the house tour in PLG which we might do someday, it would be solely to help out our community with the endeavor. Knowing how hard it is to get houses to participate. I have to think that's probably the one and only reason anybody does it! But then that says something really nice, that people care enough about their neighborhoods to put their house on tour even if the prospect is painful. And think of all the work they have to do to prepare. So many many thanks to all the homeowners in both PLG and Boerum Hill - sorry we who are helping out on the PLG tour will miss seeing the fine houses of Boerum Hill.

Posted by: guest at May 31, 2008 1:40 PM

I thought the tour was quite good, esp given the variety of homes on display. Always a fun day. I had never seen an apartment on the tour before, I think the owner did a fantastic job on the place. From what I'm told, he did all of the work himself, he gave me his card (www.ryanjamesdesign.com).

Also really liked the house on Lefferts Ave.

Posted by: guest at June 5, 2008 12:45 PM

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