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March 20, 2009

It's Almost House Tour Time!

fg-house-tour-2008-0309.jpg
Spring's almost here, which means it'll be house tour season before you know it. Long-time Brownstoner reader Bob Marvin has been compiling this season's list and was nice enough to pass along the fruits of his labor. We've digested the dates in this section but have included full logistical and contact information for all the tours on the jump. Enjoy.

May 3: Clinton Hill
May 9: Brooklyn Heights
May 17: Park Slope
May 31: Prospect Lefferts Gardens
June 14: Victorian Flatbush
June 14: Brownstone Brooklyn Garden District
October 3: Crown Heights North
October 17: Bedford Stuyvesant
October 18: Prospect Heights

CLINTON HILL
Sponsor: Society for Clinton Hill
Date: Sunday, May 3, 2009, noon to 5 pm, rain or shine
Price: $20 advance sale, $25 day of tour
Advance Sale: Brooklyn Flea, Saturdays, Lafayette/Vanderbilt
Day of tour: St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 259 Washington Avenue
Email: Wash308@aol.com
Website: www.societyforclintonhill.org

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
Date/Time: Saturday, May 9, 2009
Price: $30
Sponsor: Brooklyn Heights Association
Telephone: 718-858-9193
Website: www.brooklynheightsassociation.org

PARK SLOPE
Park Slope Civic Council 50th Annual House Tour
Date: Sunday, May 17, 12-5:30pm
Price: $20 in advance, $25 day of Tour
Sponsor: Park Slope Civic Council
Telephone number: 718-832-8227
Website: www.parkslopeciviccouncil.org

PROSPECT LEFFERTS GARDENS
39th Annual Prospect Lefferts Gardens House and Garden Tour
Sponsor: The Lefferts Manor Association
Date: Sunday, May 31st, Noon--5 PM
Price: $25, tour day, $20 in advance
Telephone: 718.284.6210/718.462.0024
Email: plghousetour@earthlink.net
Website: http://www.leffertsmanor.org

VICTORIAN FLATBUSH
Date: June, 14, 2009 1p.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Tour starts at the Temple Beth Emeth 83 Marlborough Road
Price: $20 in advance; $25 at the door.
Telephone: 718-859-3800
Website: www.fdconline.org

BROWNSTONE BROOKLYN GARDEN DISTRICT
Sunday Garden Walk 2009
Date: Sunday, June 14, 11 - 5pm
Price: $15 advance, $20 day of walk
Sponsor: Brownstone Brooklyn Garden District
Website: http://bbgd.wordpress.com

CROWN HEIGHTS NORTH
Date: Saturday, October 3rd, Noon to 5 pm
Price: Advance sales $20, Door price $25
Sponsor: Crown Heights North Association, Inc (CHNA)
Phone: 917-748-4664
Website: www.crownheightsnorth.org

BEDFORD STUYVESANT
31st Annual Brownstoners of Bedford-Stuyvesant House Tour
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2009
Time: 11:00 – 4:00 pm
Starting Point: Boys High School, 832 Marcy Avenue
Price: $20
Telephone: 718-953-7328

PROSPECT HEIGHTS
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 12:00 to 5:00
Price: $20 advance, $25 day of tour
Sponsor: Prospect Heights Association
Telephone number: (718) 393-7653




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:30 AM | Comments (20)
Categories: House Tours

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Comments

Thanks for running this Mr. B. One brief caution--we're still getting last minute corrections, so there'll be some changes, but the dates are correct as is (I THINK) the contact information. I'll send a copy of the final version of the card as soon as it's ready.

You've omitted one tour--the "Brooklyn Garden District Sunday Garden Walk" on June 14th. Granted, it's not a house tour but I'd think you'd see something of the ground floors of some of the houses. I'm not sure--I've never been on this one because it's often been on the same day as our (PLG) tour. This year it's on the same day as the Victorian Flatbush tour. Other than that, there are NO conflicts--all the house tours are on different dates--practically a first.

BTW, I don't want to give the impression that I compile this information every year. The job rotates among representatives of various neighborhoods putting on tours.We've been distributing cards with all the information for 12 years or so. This is only the second time I've coordinated it.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 20, 2009 11:12 AM

Sorry--I see that the garden tour IS there after all--staring me right in the face--how embarrassing :-(

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 20, 2009 11:18 AM

And you can't even claim the hangover excuse. Where were you last night, Mr. M?

Posted by: brownstoner at March 20, 2009 11:21 AM

Hey, Bob, how about a package discount? Or is that just too much bookkeeping?

Posted by: altervoce at March 20, 2009 11:23 AM

Thanks for the list! But oh my I see the one I'm dying to go on, the Bed Stuy tour, isn't until October. That seems like years away...how will I ever manage?

Posted by: mopar at March 20, 2009 11:29 AM

so is the crown heights north one too. can't it be earlier?

Posted by: more4less at March 20, 2009 11:53 AM

more4less- oh g-d, NOOOoooooooo!!!! It would kill us for sure this time! It's amazing how much work goes into these things. We need all the time we can get. :-)

Posted by: bxgrl at March 20, 2009 11:59 AM

Late spring just gets too crowded to find a date for our house tour. There is always something else going on, and other tours have established dates, so when we planned our tour, we chose the fall to make sure people would be able to come. Now there is the spring tour go round, and the fall tour circuit.

I hope many decide to come to the Crown Heights North tour this, our third year. We are eager for all to see the real Crown Heights North, in all its fall splendor.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at March 20, 2009 12:02 PM

love the house tours. thanks for posting the information. can't wait to check them out!

Posted by: bkny at March 20, 2009 12:07 PM

"I hope many decide to come to the Crown Heights North tour"

Count me in, MM!

Posted by: cobblehiller at March 20, 2009 12:27 PM

I think this is something I would be interested in, but am unsure what exactly a "house tour is" are you walking through people's homes?

Posted by: gemini10 at March 20, 2009 12:59 PM

Gemini, exactly. Each group finds 8 or so homeowners willing to open up a part or the entire home (it's up to them)to paying tourgoers. Homeowners usually play hosts, along with the sponsoring organization's volunteers, and you get to walk through the houses, maybe the backyards. It's great fun.

Many tours like to show works in progress - projects that aren't complete, so that we can come back in a couple of years to see the results. The monies gathered from the tour go the organizations hosting them, and provide monies for their preservation, outreach, scholarship, and other worthy programs.

You always meet really great people, tour goers, homeowners and organizers alike, and you get to walk around neighborhoods you may not be too familiar with, and see the sights. In a way, the whole neighborhood is on tour.

Most tours try to provide a variety of architectural and decorating styles, houses with different budgets and owners with different interests and tastes. You should try to attend a couple. Once you do, you're hooked.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at March 20, 2009 1:11 PM

what about fort greene??

Posted by: katiebk at March 20, 2009 1:36 PM

MM - you are the best - thank you!

Posted by: gemini10 at March 20, 2009 1:48 PM

Fort Greene alternates with Clinton Hill. Next year no CH tour, but there will be a FG tour.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at March 20, 2009 2:04 PM

for this year's CH tour, praying house list includes a bunch of those big houses on Clinton Ave - such as:
- that Mansion rumored to have sold for 1.8M cash; that 1 w/ the ladder on roof
- that teen challenge house for sale 5.5M
- that massive shingle house at corner of dekalb
- the near complete re-hab / condo conversion of former church near gates ave

Posted by: more4less at March 20, 2009 2:19 PM

Great list.
Brooklyn Designs also said they'll do a Dumbo house tour in May http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/03/bklyn_designs_a.php

Posted by: AmyL at March 20, 2009 2:48 PM

gemini- some of the House Tours, like CHN's, also include neighborhood churches as well as the houses. CHN has some totally amazing ones. The Roman Catholic Church looks like it was dropped out of the Renaissance, and St' Bat's is an Arts and Crafts treasure. Those are just 2!

Posted by: bxgrl at March 20, 2009 3:01 PM

"And you can't even claim the hangover excuse. Where were you last night, Mr. M"

How do you know what I was doing instead. Mr.B?

Actually, I was too lazy to go all the way to the Heights--sorry I missed it:-(

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 20, 2009 3:27 PM

altervoce,

I think a "package discount" would be a wonderful idea, but since each tour is organized by a different organization and, unlike the days of the old Brooklyn Brownstone Conference in the '70s, coordination is limited to putting out a card, it would be VERY difficult to organize.

In the "old" days, there were MANY more house tours, including Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Greenpoint, and a block in Park Slope that had there own tour. Conflicts with dates were more frequent and some tours did make arrangements. For example, I recall Boerum Hill and PLG honoring each other's house tour tickets one year, in the '70s, when our tours fell on the same day.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at March 20, 2009 3:38 PM

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