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May 4, 2009

Clinton Hill House Tour Wrap

Unfortunately, we were not able to make it to this year's Clinton Hill House Tour. While the weather was less than ideal, there were some great houses on the tour that we are dying to hear about. Clinton Hill blog has a nice post up about it, with some extra photos on Flickr. What were the highlights for everyone? Update: The Local blog has a great slideshow up now.

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okay honest question. why are these hour tours so expensive? I was reading about it in the courier this weekend and for some reason i thought it was free but was shocked that they cost upwards of 30 bux.?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at May 4, 2009 10:44 AM

Despite the rain it seemed to be quite the crowd. 447 Clinton Ave was open as well as 275 Washington, two old mansions being re-devleoped. 275 is going to be a condo and the second floor was almost finished, I liked the way the 3 bedroon, 2 bath entire 2nd floor wrapped around the center hall staircase. The master bedroom was far from the other two. Nice finishes. 447 Clinton going to be a green rental with radiant floors. I was struck by how small some of the windows were. Charles Pratt house was a treat.

Posted by: DeLepp at May 4, 2009 10:45 AM

rob- there are a lot of expenses to running a house tour and they are put on by nonprofit community groups for the most part who have very little money. Even with all volunteer help, it gets expensive. there's printing, advertising, food, table and chair rentals, signs, sound equipment, etc.

Posted by: bxgrl at May 4, 2009 10:55 AM

Rob,

They're often the neighborhood association's principal fund raisers. Also, they're expensive to produce--the printing and graphics cost alone runs into the thousands.

If you want to see EXPENSIVE house tours,look at some of the Manhattan ones (no doubt priced to exclude riff-raff,like you and me). The Greenwich Village tour, for example, costs $150, $300 with the reception! The only $30 Brooklyn tour is Brooklyn Heights; most are $25, $20 in advance.

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 4, 2009 10:55 AM

gotcha. duh i didnt even think about the advertising, food, etc.. okay so it's not so bad. :) i do plan on attending one though. probably not the park slope one since i already live there (and oddly that one is only 20 bux!) what is the next one? im interested mostly in the bed stuy one and bay ridge. i feel like the rest of brownstone brooklyn probably just all looks the same.

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at May 4, 2009 11:00 AM

rob- you promised to come to the crown Heights one too, don't forget! I'm holding you to that -we need the money :-)

Posted by: bxgrl at May 4, 2009 11:09 AM

Rob, Crown Heights North will also be interesting. Our neighborhood has some of the most varied architecture in Brooklyn. This will be only our 3rd tour. It is Oct 3, and tix will be $20 in advance, $25 at door.

Which house had the skylight shown above? Looks to be 1850's - 1870's.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at May 4, 2009 11:09 AM

will def. go to the crown heights one :) is there a dress code btw?

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at May 4, 2009 11:24 AM

Evening attire is always appropriate. :)

Pants are always a plus to avoid arrest, and I highly recommend comfortable walking shoes to avoid aching feet.

Posted by: Montrose Morris at May 4, 2009 11:37 AM

you need to wear period-appropriate clothing to each home.

Posted by: z at May 4, 2009 11:38 AM

No using taxis or subway either- you have to come in horse and carriage.

Posted by: bxgrl at May 4, 2009 11:41 AM

Rob,

Here's the NYT listing of all the NYC tours:

http://tinyurl.com/c2bdjm

You might like our [PLG] tour too--it's on May 31st.

As far as dress codes, I've never seen one listed. Shirts and shoes would probably be appreciated at most house tours :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 4, 2009 11:41 AM

lol ill try my best :)

*rob*

Posted by: PitbullNYC at May 4, 2009 11:42 AM

"Evening attire is always appropriate. :)"

Horrors MM--not before 6!

Proper formal wear would be a morning coat and striped pants [plus, of course, a shirt and shoes] :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 4, 2009 11:44 AM

Tickets are tax deductible too. And the Brooklyn Heights tour is $25 if you're a member of the BHA. If you WANT to pay more, you usually can. Some of these tours have more expensive tickets -- $150-$250 -- that include a brunch and an earlier start time so you don't have to wait in long lines. No dress code. I'l be working the BH tour as usual this year. Say HI!

Posted by: Ringo at May 4, 2009 11:57 AM

This was my first house tour and I really enjoyed it. For me the highlights were 41 Cambridge Pl and 447 Clinton. The Cambridge Place house was a true restoration and the couple tried to preserve every last detail and recreate anything that had been lost right down to the original wallpaper. It felt cozy and seemed like people actually lived there unlike some of the homes which felt more like a showroom. I wish more of it had been open as I would have loved to see the kitchen.
447 Clinton was still very much under construction but you were able to see what the layouts of the apartments will be and the original details that had been preserved. Without seeing the finishes it's hard to tell but these look like they will be jaw-dropping. They are definitely the grandest rentals I've ever seen. The parlor floor has a 2000 sq foot duplex with gorgeous mantels and a very open plan. There is another duplex upstairs that has the original interior staircase that would have been I guess the service stairs. These led up to the top floor which had all the beams exposed in the ceiling. I don't know if that's staying that way but I loved the effect in contrast with the lower floor which was more polished. I just can't get over the fact that these will be rentals and I'm dying to know what the rents will be.
I was really not impressed with the condos at 275 Washington..I thought the layout was nice and spacious but the kitchen and bath were just not right.

Posted by: boofer at May 4, 2009 12:04 PM

boofer, as for 275, if I recall what I really liked about the baths is that they both had windows, which is unusual. As for the kitchen, why are some developers insistent on putting in huge islands. Are we all pastry chefs at night? Money would have been better spent on an industion cook top and a double oven. Still that layout was super if you had kids, or worked from home.

Posted by: DeLepp at May 4, 2009 12:57 PM

Interesting to note that probably more than half the properties featured are currently for sale. As a long time house tour organizer, I'd say that's a reflection of the increasing difficulty of persuading homeowners to open up their houses just for the glory of it.

The two mansion conversions (275 Washington and 447 Clinton) were intriguing, as renovations in progress always are. Both are pretty high end but both also show up the weaknesses of developer conversions vs the more individual approach of an owner conversion. At 447 Clinton, shiny white reproduction rococco marble mantles had been installed in every apt. Clearly a good faith attempt to match the long-gone Italianate originals. But they looked ersatz and cheesy and took up too much room in the top floor bedrooms. Also the bathrooms on that floor had been placed in a way that chopped up the original floor plan. Though I will admit the original secondary staircase in the duplex was very special. 275 Washington was generally more sympathetic -- if you could see past the OTT decorating that had obviously been thrown in place very quickly to stage the place. MONTROSE: The skylight was from one of these two houses -- Clinton Ave I believe.

I loved the little house on Cambridge Place. A true labor of love, right down to the hand-stencilled walls (in lieu of wallpaper) and the installation of Lincrusta wainscotting. The carriage house on Waverly had a wonderful atmosphere (exposed ceiling beams, brick walls, Balinese-influenced decor) but the recent reno wasn't holding up well.

Finally, the Charles Pratt mansion on Clinton Ave was a special treat. The central hallway had an amazing marble floor (quite large rectangular slabs, well worn but otherwise in perfect condition), massive walnut window architraves, walnut built-in bookcases, and -- a first for me -- original walnut parquet flooring. Wow!

In spite of the rain, it was a pleasure to walk around Clinton Hill, truly a beautiful neighborhood with an amazing variety of architectural styles.

Posted by: grand army at May 4, 2009 1:15 PM

« Signs of Life for Williamsburg Condos? Set-Back at 229 Court Street »

May 4, 2009

Clinton Hill House Tour Wrap

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