Photo credit: Drew Dies and Katherine Pastrana courtesy of Compass.
This seven-bedroom free-standing Ditmas Park townhouse at 777 Rugby Road, asking $2.275 million, has plenty of curb appeal, starting with a big, gracious front porch perfect for summer afternoons. On a leafy block lined with ornate Victorians, this home has been renovated to create plenty of space for modern living while keeping its bygone-era charm.
6sqft’s series “My sqft” checks out the homes of New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Stephanie Berman’s family home in Ditmas Park, which got a full renovation from Fauzia Khanani, founder of design firm Studio Fōr. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!
Advertising professional Stephanie Berman went into a design consultation with designer Fauzia Khanani, of Studio Fōr, simply seeking advice on decor for her Ditmas Park home. “I figured that Fauzia might help me choose a few new throw pillows and maybe a rug or two,” Stephanie told us, “but once we sat down to talk, I realized that soft furnishings were not going to do it.” After the free two-hour session, won through a silent auction at work, Stephanie and her husband Drummond concluded they actually wanted a full renovation of their century-old home, where their family has lived for over a decade.
Through an in-depth collaboration with Fauzia, the Bermans’ home was refreshed with brightly painted walls, Mid-century modern touches, eclectic elements, and, of course, new throw pillows. For this project, the first in the neighborhood for Studio Fōr, Fauzia told us: “We wanted to add some modernity to the house but also be respectful of the original design and context.”
This stunning home has everything you could possibly want from a Ditmas Park Victorian: sprawling, standalone, and full of original details such asparquet floors, stained glass, French doors, built-ins, a sun porch, and even a Jardin à la Française out back. Located within the neighborhood’s eight-block historic district, 485 East 17th Street is asking $2.995 million for its three stories of well-maintained space.
In addition to being an enchanting single-family home with a big front porch and a garage, this Ditmas Park house at 516 Rugby Road has the fun history of being the home of “Futurama” star Philip J. Fry (h/t Curbed). The seven-bedroom house was the childhood home of one of the popular cartoon’s writers, Eric Kaplan. The well-preserved 1905 Brooklyn home is asking $2.195 million.
How many Brooklynites can boast an in-ground pool? A recently listed stunner at 520 Argyle Road in Ditmas Park brags this rare amenity, in addition to five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, original stained glass from the late 1800s, and 19-foot cathedral-style ceilings. The property, asking $2.785 million, has hit the market just in time for all your summer entertaining fantasies.
Image Prospect Park Alliance
For walkers, joggers, and cyclists, Prospect Park will soon be a completely car-free refuge. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday that the park will permanently become car-free, beginning January 2, 2018. Currently, Prospect Park’s East Drive is still open to cars during morning rush hour.
Prospect Park previously went car-free this past summer. From July to September, cars were not allowed to cut through via the park’s East Drive as part of a pilot program, forcing those who use the road during morning rush hour to find another route. The car-free summer saw “enormous” support from those who use the park recreationally, according to DOT, especially since walkers, joggers, and cyclists outnumber cars more than 3 to 1 in the mornings.
There isn’t a driveway yet, but the listing makes it known that one of the many luxuries of this pretty Victorian house at 416 Marlborough Road in the heart of Ditmas Park‘s leafy “Victorian Flatbush” enclave is a potential curb cut/driveway in the side yard. Other gracious additions include four porches for lounging and a lovely backyard gazebo for entertaining, all for $1.75 million.
The Brooklyn neighborhood of Ditmas Park has made a name for itself because of the freestanding Victorian homes lining its suburban-like streets, but here’s a two-bedroom, pre-war condo up for sale in the ‘nabe, what the listing calls “truly a rare find” for the area. It’s asking $450,000 at 2108 Dorchester Road, a 1912 building with 48 units. Inside, high ceilings and three exposures make for a cheery, bright apartment.
The listing also calls this lovely one-bedroom co-op at 601 East 19th Street sweet, cozy and tranquil, and we have to agree with those adjectives, at least from the looks of this top-floor apartment in an elevator building in Flatbush-Ditmas Park. Freshly updated interiors highlight charming details both old and new, like original arched entryways and chevron-patterned hardwood floors. Best of all, the sprawling co-op has more room that you’d expect for $399,000–700 square feet including a very large bedroom, separate kitchen and tons of closets–all a short walk from the B and Q subways, cafes and shops at Newkirk Avenue and Cortelyou Road.
Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to the landmarked Ditmas Park home of architectural preservationist Norma Barbacci. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch!
Michelle Williams’ move to Ditmas Park may have put the neighborhood on the real estate map, but for those in the know, the area’s history is far more profound than any of its celebrity residents. More than a century ago, Ditmas Park was not much more than farmland, but with the arrival of the subway also came interest from developers. One notable developer who descended upon the area was Dean Alvord. In 1899, Alvord initiated a new housing project that he envisioned as a “park in the city” for the rich. What followed was the construction of a range of large and stately suburban-style houses, built in an assortment of styles, from Tudors to Victorians. The development was a great success, and even drew in Manhattan’s upper crust (among them Guggenheims and the Gillettes). However, as New York declined in the 70s and 80s, so did Ditmas Park. But fast-forward a few decades you’ll come to seen an area that is experiencing a revival. Though it admittedly remains quite sleepy when compared to other burgeoning Brooklyn neighborhoods, Ditmas Park’s suburban vibes make it the ideal destination for city-loving families—particularly when its architecturally grand proportions are taken into account.
In this My sqft feature, we check out one urban family’s lovely home, a landmarked wood construction owned by preservation architect Norma Barbacci and her husband, architectural conservator Glenn Boornazian. The pair purchased the house in 2004 and raised two children within its historic walls. Ahead Norma takes us through the space—which maintains most of its 1903 character—and introduces us to the Ditmas Park of 2016.
125 affordable units available at energy-efficient building in East New York, from $419/month 
Manhattanhenge magic is returning to New York City’s grid 
NYC’s best rooftop hotel pools offering day passes 
The 11 best things to do on Roosevelt Island 
The 7 best beaches in NYC 
Horn & Hardart Automats: Redefining lunchtime, dining on a dime 
The 15 best parks in NYC for outdoor grilling 
Artist Jasper Johns’ modern rustic former home and studio in the Hudson Valley lists for $600K