Fort Greene House Tour?
Life got in the way of my plans yesterday and we sadly had to miss the Fort Greene House Tour. Did anyone go? How was it? Was it fun? Was it crowded? Did it rain? What were the highlights? Aren’t there a bunch of house tours in other neighborhoods coming up soon?
Life got in the way of my plans yesterday and we sadly had to miss the Fort Greene House Tour. Did anyone go? How was it? Was it fun? Was it crowded? Did it rain?
What were the highlights?
Aren’t there a bunch of house tours in other neighborhoods coming up soon?
I saw every house and most of them were pretty terrific in their own way. I don’t know what the frame of reference is but I did not see one small kitchen. (And I cook and bake.) Some were too big in proportion to the eating space. My favorite was probably the smallest with the marble mosaic floor. Compact and efficient.
I was disappointed with my Chez Oskar eggs benedict brunch – cold potatoes, one egg hard, the other OK and all over-salted.
My experience was very similar to VHR’s. But we had a marvelous time, and can attest to the cooling properties of a mid-tour Italian ice.
Maybe I was misled by photos into missing some of the best ones. In retrospect, wish I’d gone to the wood frame place on Cumberland and the one on the park.
I was also surprised at how small several of the kitchens were.
17 South Elliot Place was my favorite, as much for the beautiful bones as the witty decor with a strong point of view. Who knew two walls covered in antique hangers could look so fantastic?
305 Cumberland had a surprise around every corner and was beautifully done. And all that outdoor space!
It’s too bad the weather wasn’t cooler. It was already hot and humid where we were so it must have been worse in Brooklyn.
All it all it sounds like it was a nice time. I would imagine the Fort Greene restaurants generally benefitted from the lunching and brunching crowd attracted by the House Tour! There must have been a festive air about it!
I loved the way the DeKalb house was done, too, but it felt VERY narrow. That kitchen was probably my favorite.
Overall, we thought the tour was great, and really appreciate the homeowners opening their houses. It seemed fairly crowded. And definitely very HOT.
I also went to on the House Tour but was sorely disappointed. I think 305 was the best house – the others were not that interesting. I go on at least 5-6 house tours each year – I was really surprised that there were not more quality renovations. Oh well!
Crowds seemed normal and I’m a pretty devoted attendee. My fave was the 22ft wide Italianate on South Elliott. Not an especially fancy renovation (and who needs it with such great bones) but superb decorating/taste: wonderful, vibrant colrs; great art; fun furniture; very creative layout in the front parlor — always the toughest room in a brownstone to do right. I also loved 305 Cumberland. Originally a quite shallow woodframe house with a new rear extension full of light and space.
VHR: Seems a little silly to complain about “lots of steps.” After all there’s a reason we call brownstones, “vertical living.” Also, we should all give huge props to the home owners brave enough to show their houses. House tours are a major fundraiser in each community and, speaking as an HT organizer myself, it’s so tough to get people to show their homes. It’s almost always a great experience but very daunting for the owners none the less.
The bf and I really enjoyed the tour. I thank those who organized it and those who opened their doors to the masses.
VHR,
I find your take interesting. I know the owners of a number of the houses that were on tour. But I had hoped to see the ones that were recently renovated and ones I didn’t know.
It seems Babs liked the narrow house on DeKalb although you didn’t like the small kitchen on its third floor. Remember though–it’s narrow with a ground floor apartment so the kitchen in the main quadplex couldn’t go into the parlor floor and is really only one flight up across the landing from the dining room. I heard it’s not quite finished but quite lovely.
I’m a little surprised you didn’t find much to your taste. Maybe your tastes run in toward the very mod. I would imagine you liked the house on Cumberland a great deal. It looks very nice in the photos I’ve seen. Good luck with your renovation. It’s not always as simple as it may seem at first. Renovations can be a real nerve-tester. Of course, when you say you don’t think you need a designer, can I assume you’ll at least have an architect? Someone has to file plans and you’ll have to get permits.
Indeed, there are a good number of houses in the neighborhood that may have been on the house tour over the years…that you might have liked. Each tour is only a snapshot of that year and the people who decided they’d open their houses. There are many great houses but they may be on the tour once in ten years. It would be very hard to show your house every house tour.
I wonder how many people showed up. A girlfriend of mine said it was more crowded than ever but no one I’ve spoken to knows the actual number of visitors.