Victorian Flatbush House Tour '09 Recap

After getting our map for this year's Victorian Flatbush house tour we were a little disappointed that no homeowners from Ditmas Park (proper) or Ditmas Park West would open their homes this year. What kind of tour of Victorian Flatbush leaves out Ditmas Park? But by the end of an exhausting day visiting homes in Prospect Park South, Fiske Terrace, West Midwood, Beverley Square West, and Albemarle and Kenmore Terraces, there was no question that we got our money's worth.

The only other house tour we've been on was last year's one in Fort Greene, so we don't have much experience to draw comparisons on, but the Victorian Flatbush tour was decidly different in personal charm. While the Fort Greene tour encouraged owners to leave their homes while visitors traipsed through, one of the main attractions of the Flatbush tour was the homeowners themselves.

One sassy New Zealander gave us a personal tour of her home on Beverley Road, sharing a heartwarming story about the sentimental value of her china set. Another Flatbusher told us that his Prospect Park South home is the "Christmas house" for his family and friends because of its charm and its many many large rooms, perfect for grandchildren and friends who have moved to apartments that are too small for hosting.

Some homeowners embraced their homes' victorian past, covering every spare inch of wall space with antique wallpaper and laying down lush red carpet. Others embraced the modern with sleek, stainless steel kitchen appliances, remodeled bathrooms, including one enormous jacuzzi, and even (cover your ears, Brownstoner) recessed lighting!

It was a real treat to go inside the two houses on Albemarle and Kenmore Terraces because that section of the neighborhood is so unique and seems miles from the frenzied Church and Flatbush Avenues that are only a block away. After visiting the Albemarle house, we followed the pedestrian alley that runs behind the houses, not quite sure where the next house was. We must have looked lost because a woman leaned out of her back door and told us the house we were looking for was the last one on the right. "I hope you like Sarah's house as much as Andrew's!" she called cheerily.

The backyard pictured was a hoot. There was a stack of papers at the entrance, rules to be followed upon entrance to the garden. We rolled our eyes as we read that visitors were to walk slowly, leaving several feet between them and the person in front of them, and upon encountering a stick or twig on the rock path, visitors were to step around it, not on it. However, once we reached the garden and met the homeowners, we realized they had a strange sense of humor and weren't taking themselves too seriously at all. They encouraged everyone to go, two at a time, down a mysterious, narrow path leading to a small hut tucked into the back corner of their garden. When curious guests asked what was inside the hut, the owners told them they had to see for themselves. On the rules list, the hut was referred to as "that which should not be mentioned." We quickly found out why it should not be mentioned. It was a hut full of strange animal skulls and voodoo masks and cow skins and other odd items. Decidedly not vegan. Also decidedly weird. But definitely an amusing end to a great tour.