Park Slope House Tour Recap
We thought the Park Slope House Tour on Sunday was very impressive. From our favorite of the day, the period restoration at 867 President Street, to the modern carriage house renovation on 4th Street, every house we saw (and we missed two) had something either awe-inspiring or instructive about it. Interestingly, the tour go-ers seemed…
We thought the Park Slope House Tour on Sunday was very impressive. From our favorite of the day, the period restoration at 867 President Street, to the modern carriage house renovation on 4th Street, every house we saw (and we missed two) had something either awe-inspiring or instructive about it. Interestingly, the tour go-ers seemed a little older and less numerous than at the Clinton Hill house tour; the houses were by and large in a different league too. Of course, it’s only fair to point out that they would sell for twice as much. What were your favorite parts of the tour?
Reading the comments here just remainds me of exactly why I don’t put my house on the tour, even though the PS Civic counsel begs me to almost every year.
So many catty comments from the armchair critics, so few homeowners willing to subject themselves to your petty, envious, uninformed opinions.
I was actually quite underwhelmed by the tour. In a couple of instances I was reminded that no amount of money can make up for a basic lack of good taste.
No, photography was prohibited.
Are there any photos for those of us who could not attend?
A special treat was that from that wonderful corner-windowed kitchen of the house on Third Street, you could see the back of the house on Second Street that is owned by writers Jonathan Safran Foer and Nicole Krauss. Some readers might recall that it was written up here extensively on Brownstoner some time ago, and that it includes a double-length lot stretching all the way through to Third Street (where there is a gated parking space). What you wouldn’t know about this house unless you see the view from behind is that it includes a magnificent, multi-level extension with solarium-type windows that must bring tremendous light into the house. The garden, too, is magnificent (if low key) with steps leading up from the Second Street lot to the Third Street lot. I don’t suppose this house will ever be on the Park Slope House Tour! (I thought the House Tour was fabulous, and enjoyed every house, from the Moroccan palace on Second Street to the modern, converted carriage house on Fourth Street. Kudos to the Park Slope Civic Council for a great event!)
President St. looked and felt like a museum but so what. It really felt like 1880 to me. I was surprised at the relatively low turnout compared to last years mob scene and the partly clowdy weather made the day very comfortable. Since the last stop on my route was 4th St., and that fabulous carriage house with the interior garden, it was then a short walk to 5th Avenue where I immediately pigged out on those sweet potato fries. Very enjoyable day for sure!
Just another way of saying that Clinton Hill is overpriced for the state of the neighborhood. Although- If I could, I’d live in a full house in CH rather than PS. But given the train, restaurant, park and safety factors, CH should currently be at more of a discount that it is as compared to PS. It’s as if there’s been a trendiness premium applied to the normal CH discount.
The VERY high Victorian decorating style in many of these houses was a slight disappointment. But I loved 3rd St — gorgeous art nouveau windows on the parlor floor facing the street reminded me of iron work in the Paris metro. Also fabulous attention to finishes in that house. The house with the wacky “pie warming radiator” (in brownstoner’s pic above) had another cute feature in the dining room — a small fireplace with built in oak benches on either side (an inglenook, I guess). I also liked the new kitchen and basement reno in the house on Montgomery Place.
i actually agree that ps is a relative steal.
houses of the same quality on the upper west side are selling for 6-9 million these days (i choose upper west side as an example as it seems similar to park slope in some aspects, although i MUCH prefer ps)
sure, it’s manhattan so there would be a premium i suppose, but it’s always been my opinion that park slope is a jewel of a neighborhood and the access to good restaurants, bars, subways, schools, the park is as good as it gets if that’s the lifestle you’re after.