October 16, 2009

House Tour Double-Shot This Weekend

Lots of ground to cover this weekend for house-tour lovers...Tomorrow, the 31st Annual Bedford Stuyvesant House Tour runs from 11 am to 4 pm; you can buy tickets in advance from Brownstone Books at 409 Lewis Avenue or pick them up at the kick-off spot at Brooklyn Academy High School at 832 Marcy Avenue. On Sunday, the action shifts to Prospect Heights, where ten homes—including three architects' residences—will be open for viewing. The self-guided tour goes from 12 to 5 p.m., and you can purchase tickets ($20 ahead; $25 same day) at Forest Floor Antiques at 659 Vanderbilt Avenue. For more info., call 718-393-7653 or visit their website.

October 2, 2009

Crown Heights House Tour Tomorrow

The Crown Heights House Tour, of which we are again a sponsor, takes place tomorrow from 12 to 5 p.m. This year, the self-guided tour includes 9 houses, 2 churches, 1 community garden, 2 museums, and 1 non-profit space. Tix are available in advance through the Crown Heights North Association for $20 or at the door for $25. The tour launches from St. Gregory the Great Roman Catholic Church at 991 St. Johns Place (corner of Brooklyn Avenue). Enjoy!

July 23, 2009

Houses Needed for Prospect Heights House Tour!

The Prospect Heights House tour is always a fun one so we're hoping this post will inspire some local homeowners to step up to the plate and volunteer to be on this year's tour, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 18th from 1-5 p.m. The organizers are looking for a wide range of homes, including apartments as well as houses, new as well as old. If you are interested, please contact Bob Biegen at biegen AT aol DOT com to schedule a walk-through with the organizers. For old time's sake, you can also go check out this video we made (along with the help of rumur.tv) of the tour two years ago.

June 12, 2009

Victorian Flatbush House Tour 2009

After almost being cancelled, the annual Victorian Flatbush House Tour is a go on Sunday! In the end, the organizers were able to pull together an impressive list of ten houses. The tour starts at Temple Beth Emeth at 83 Marlborough Road; you can buy tickets in advance here. The houses are open from 1 to 6 pm, which should give you plenty of time to come to opening day at the new Brooklyn Flea underneath the Brooklyn Bridge!

June 2, 2009

PLG House Tour Recap

We've been hearing rave reviews from readers who attended the Prospect Lefferts Gardens House Tour this past weekend. Here's one:

These homes were nearly across the board respectful to original architecture and historic qualities, while being exuberant and inventive expressions of individual owners. My absolute favorite: the house on Chester Court (owned by two interior design professionals). Also a favorite: the Fenimore St. garden designed by Nigel Rollings. But wouldn't want to limit my praise there. So many distinct and wonderful renovations. Of all the homes, only one or two had the odd merit of being very nice but not extraordinary.

Other reactions?

May 19, 2009

Park Slope House Tour Wrap

So how was the Park Slope House Tour this past weekend? We couldn't make it but we heard from one reader who liked it. "They had a lot of old school period restorations with mucho detail, and the more modern renos were really well done," she wrote. "They also had homes from all over PS, not just the primo landmarked areas." Other reactions?

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.

April 30, 2009

Victorian Flatbush House Tour in Jeopardy!

The 2009 Victorian Flatbush House Tour is scheduled for June 14 but it might not happen at all if some more home owners don't step up to the plate. According to the Ditmas Park Blog, the FDC needs ten more homes in order for the house tour to take place. Last time around in 2007, the event attracted over 500 people; the tickets, which sell for $20 in advance and $25 day of, are a meaningful source of funding for the Flatbush Development Corporation which organizes the tour. The last date to have your house included is May 8, so hop to it people! It would be a serious bummer if this were cancelled.
Victorian Flatbush House Tour Endangered [Ditmas Park Blog]
Photo by Flatbush Gardener

March 20, 2009

It's Almost House Tour Time!

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

Continue reading "It's Almost House Tour Time!"

March 5, 2009

Closing Bell: Brownstone Voyeur

Brownstone Voyeur is a new joint project from casaCARA and Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn. The project will be a regular Thursday series that will take you behind those pretty Brooklyn facades to see what’s inside. First up, a classic modern in Cobble Hill.

November 13, 2008

Closing Bell: Rough Market Makes Strange Bedfellows

TH%20Tour%20postcard%20invite-1.jpg
House tours are normally the domain of neighborhood groups, but this Sunday, November 16th from noon to 3PM, it's the brokerage firms getting them going. "The continuous price chopping of townhouses and brownstones has not resulted in any contracts signed among the major Brooklyn firms (Elliman, Brown Harris, Corcoran) over the last few months," wrote a rep from Elliman. "In an effort to step up the traffic and hopefully the chatter, a historic district home tour has been coordinated." Eight homes are up for gawking, priced between $1.6-$2.2 million, but no one real estate firm is taking charge; they're joining forces to combat the crummy market. "Just an example of how as the market shifts, so does the cooperation of real estate agents who recognize that sharing information and being inclusive is a strategy to court today's stand-offish buyers." If you go, please send some photos and a round-up. The tour begins at 306 Washington Avenue. It's free.

July 3, 2008

The Boerum Hill House Tour on Video

While this video doesn't actually show last month's Boerum Hill House Tour, it highlights 10 of the event's featured locations. Fun facts abound, like: "It is thought that modern Hoyt Street followed an old Native American trail to the original Gowanus Creek, where large oysters could be found at certain times of year. They were a staple of the local diet" and "Rumors abound that monkeys were kept in cages atop the facility [at 423-443 Atlantic] for testing the effectiveness of Ex-Lax." The Boerum Hill Association put the footage together (part 2 here and part 3 here), and the audio is from a longer podcast they produced to accompany people on the tour.

June 13, 2008

A Look at Last Weekend's Victorian Flatbush House Tour

Finally, a few photos of last Sunday's house tour of Victorian Flatbush have surfaced! Forgotten NY put up a few shots last night along with this short song of praise: "The homeowners shown on this page struggle valiantly and mightily to keep the modernization and Fedderization of Brooklyn at bay, and FNY thanks them for giving us a glimpse of civilization in a city that occasionally no longer values it." Hear hear!
Flatbush House Tour [Forgotten NY]

June 10, 2008

Victorian Flatbush House Tour Photos, Anyone?

We've been trying in vain to track down some photos from last weekend's house tour of Victorian Flatbush. If you happen to have taken any, please shoot some along to brownstoner@brownstoner.com or put them up on Flickr and send us a link.
Thanks

June 6, 2008

Closing Bell: Flea Plus Garden Tour, House Tour, Art Walk

As we were gearing up for week 10 of the Brooklyn Flea, it was fun to have this video love letter from New York Magazine's Fabiola Beracasa land in our inbox. Lots of food, fashion and fun in this one. As great a line up as we've got teed up for Sunday, there are a bunch of other must-see events going on around the borough this weekend. Three we've got our eyes on: (1) Brownstone Brooklyn Garden Walk; (2) Victorian Flatbush House Tour; (3) Atlantic Avenue Artwalk. For the uninitiated, the Flea runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday and is located at 176 Lafayette Avenue in Brooklyn. Closest trains are the C and G to Washington/Clinton. Or you can take any of the number of trains that go to Atlantic Station and make the 10-minute stroll up Lafayette Avenue from there.

May 30, 2008

Prospect-Lefferts and Boerum Hill House Tours Sunday

PLG

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!

May 9, 2008

Brooklyn Heights House Tour Tomorrow

The annual Brooklyn Heights House Tour takes place tomorrow from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour, which costs $30, includes a townhouses of the Federal, Italianate and Greenk Revival variety as well as two carriage houses (one modern and one old-school). Tickets can be reserved by calling 718-858-9193; the tour kicks off at the St. Ann's School Lobby at 129 Pierrepont Street.
Brooklyn Heights House Tour 2008 [BHA]
BH House Tour 2007 [Brownstoner]

May 5, 2008

Fort Greene House Tour Wrap

98 South Oxford Street

Like the Brooklyn Flea, the Fort Greene House Tour yesterday benefited from some much overdue sunshine. We were only able to hit about half the stops on the tour, but there was nary a clunker among them. As expected, the highlight (for us at least) was a look inside the modern studio building designed by British architect David Adjaye. Unfortunately no interior photos were allowed. It was a modern design that employed cool (as in temperature) colors and clean lines while also feeling extremely livable. As for the more traditional homes on the route, we were most seduced by 219 Carlton Avenue, whose judicious use of European fixtures and some impressive cabinetry enabled the house to be at once comfortable in its traditional shoes and a little lighter and less stuffy than your average townhouse. As you'll see from the slideshow, we also made it to 237 Cumberland Street (a condo project with quite a backyard) as well as 297 Cumberland Street and 98 South Oxford Street, both of which had some serious old-school charm. What were your favorites?

April 24, 2008

Gearing Up for the Fort Greene House Tour

The 2008 Fort Greene House Tour is coming to you live on May 4 from 12-5 p.m. While the tour will feature its usual assortment of old-school brownstone-y goodness, the must-see stop this year will undoubtably be the David Adjaye-designed art studio which we called "pretty cool" when it was completed back in late 2005. Advance tickets are available for $20 at BAM, Yu Interiors, Gnarly Vines, The Saturday Green Market and, you guessed, the Brooklyn Flea. The tour kicks off in the garden across from BAM. For more info, you can also call 718-875-1855. Happy touring.

October 19, 2007

Bed Stuy House Tour On Saturday

On Saturday, the Brownstoners of Bed Stuy will be hosting their 29th Annual House Tour. Kicking off from the Boys High School at 832 Marcy Avenue, the tour will feature eight homes, one apartment and two businesses. Advance tickets for self-guided tour, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., are available for $20 at a number of local establishments, including Brownstone Books at 409 Lewis Avenue and Bushbaby at 1197 Fulton Street. There's also a home ownership workshop from 9 to 10:30 a.m. to provide people with advice about how to finance the purchase of a home in the area.
Bedford-Stuyvesant House Tours Lure Younger Buyers [NY Daily News]

October 11, 2007

Prepping for the Prospect Heights House Tour

On the heels of last weekend's Crown Heights North House Tour, architecture and interior design gawkers get a shot at some of Prospect Heights most interesting properties this Sunday. Sponsored by the Prospect Heights Association, the house tour will feature nine homes— seven houses and two apartments— including 153 Prospect Place (left) and 364 Sterling Place (right). The tour also coincides with an effort by the neighborhood's preservationist community to obtain Landmark status as the spectre of large-scale development looms from the north. Tickets are $15 in advance from Tillies on Vanderbilt, Berman Realty at 105 7th Avenue and Tom's Restaurant at 787 Washington; tix are also available on the day of the tour from Forest Floor Antiques (which is the kick-off point as well) for $20. For more info, call 718-707-1277.
2007 Prospect Heights House Tour [PHNDC]
Prospect Heights House Tour Photos [Flickr]
Photos by Tracy Collins

October 2, 2007

House Tourers, (Re)Start Your Engines: Crown Heights Next

The late spring/early summer house tour schedule can get pretty intense. But by now you've had plenty of time to rest up for what's coming down the pipe the next two weekends. On Saturday, October 6, the Crown Heights North Association is hosting its First Annual Crown Heights North House & Garden Tour. Celebrating the area's recent designation as a Historic District, the tour will feature ten houses, two churches and one community garden. There's a kick-off event (at which public officials are expected) from 10:30 to 12:00 at St. Gregory's at 991 St. Johns Place; this is also where you pick up tix and start your tour. We've seen some of the descriptions of the houses on the tour and it sounds sweet. Here's a taste: "the intact fretwork screens over the stained glass transom windows, the intricate detail in all of the door frames, fireplaces and columns, and the stairwell bench flanked by columns, framed with more intricate fretwork carving, all on perfect parquet floors.” There's also a house that was renovated using almost exclusively salvaged materials. Tickets are $25; the tour ends at 5 p.m. Also, we'll have more on it next week, but, for planning purposes, the Prospect Heights House Tour takes place on Sunday, October 14.
House Tour Info & Tickets [CHN]

June 12, 2007

Scenes from the Crown Heights Walking Tour

About 100 people or so joined in on the walking tour of Crown Heights North on Sunday, starting off at St. Gregory's Church and ending at the corner of Bedford and Dean. In between, tour guides from the Crown Heights North Association provided tour-goers with architectural and social history about the neighborhood. The afternoon ended with a tea at the Bergen Street Community Garden. Did any readers attend? What was the most interesting thing you learned on the tour?
Photos courtesy of The Crownheightser

June 11, 2007

2007 Victorian Flatbush Tour: The Day After

From the looks of the massive photoset that local blogger Flatbush Gardener uploaded to Flickr last night, this year's house tour of Victorian Flatbush was a winner, a sentiment echoed in his blog post on the day. "This was the third year in a row I've gone on the house tour [and] this year was actually one of the best overall," he writes. "There was variety in the houses shown, largely because nearly every neighborhood of Victorian Flatbush was represented on the tour." Were other readers also impressed? What were the highlights of the tour?
2007 Victorian Flatbush House Tour [Flatbush Gardener]
2007 Victorian Flatbush House Tour [Flickr]

June 6, 2007

2007 Prospect Lefferts Gardens House Tour Recap

Checking out the two slide shows from Planet PLG and frequent Brownstoner contributor Bob Marvin made us extra bummed that we were not able to make it this year. While it looks like the tour had its usual staple of old-school goodness, we think the photos of the modern interior renovation look amazing. Was that the highlight for most people?
Planet PLG House Tour Slide Show [Flickr]
Bob Marvin's PLG House Tour Slide Show [Brooklyn Camera Club]

House Tours