Join Us for the BHA's Annual House Tour on Saturday, May 7th!
The Brooklyn Heights Association will sponsor its 28th annual house and garden tour of five privately owned historic townhouses in Brooklyn Heights on Saturday, May7, 2011 from 1-5 PM.
This go-at–your-own–pace, self-guided tour, for the benefit of the BHA, allows visitors a rare opportunity to experience the architectural grandeur and contrasting styles found in the finest private homes and gardens of Brooklyn Heights, New York City's First Historic District.
ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
The Brooklyn Landmarks House and Garden Tour is self-guided.
It takes place, rain or shine, from 1 PM to 5PM on Saturday, May 7th. Houses close at 5.
Included in the price of the ticket is a delightful repast of pastries and tea served in the arcade of the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims on Orange Street. Tea hours are from 3-5 PM. Docent-led tours of the historic church sanctuary are given at 3:30 and 4:30 PM. A trio from the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra will provide music during the tea.
All tickets are $40 per person and tax deductible. Tickets may be purchased on the day of the tour at 129 Pierrepont Street, starting at 12:30 until 3:30 PM. The ticket is actually a guidebook, containing a map of the neighborhood and a brief written description of the houses.
NOTE: ALL ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE BEING HELD FOR PICK-UP FROM 12:30 - 4 ON SATURDAY AT 129 PIERREPONT STREET BECAUSE WE DO NOT MAIL TICKETS.
REMEMBER, THE HOUSES WILL CLOSE AT 5 PM.
Except for infants in front packs, children under 13 will not be allowed to go into the houses. Taking photographs inside the houses is prohibited.
We wish to thank our very generous corporate benefactors whose support of the BHA House Tour is essential to its success.
LEAD SPONSORS: BROWN HARRIS STEVENS, PRUDENTIAL DOUGLAS ELLIMAN REAL ESTATE
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR: CORCORAN
SIGNATURE SPONSOR: HALSTEAD BROOKLYN
We will not be able to answer phone calls or responding to emails on Saturday because everyone is working at the tour!
Subways: M, R, 2,3,4,5 to Borough Hall/Court Street; A, C to High Street or Jay Street
TICKET PICKUP at 129 Pierrepont St. (in the lobby of Saint Ann's School)
Here's a preview of some of the stunning rooms awaiting you on this year's tour.
Photographs by Judith Angel
A c. 1843 Greek Revival brick townhouse is owned by an artist whose inventive decorating style and eclectic textile and painting collections are combined with her own fanciful creations to create a warmly personal home. The country kitchen, with its painted cabinets and early 18th century Welsh dresser, once graced the cover of Family Circle Magazine. Artwork includes pieces by Saul Steinberg, Frederico Castellon and Matthew Bruckner. The tour will also show tenant's apartments on the parlor and garden levels which look out onto a magnificent English perennial garden. Photo taken in the living room.
A sculptural, laser cut stair screen is the stunning focal point in the parlor of this 1880's townhouse. Originally a four-family house, it has been stylishly transformed by the current owner whose architect Steven Harris has created an open floor plan, adding extensions to all four stories with floor to ceiling height windows. There's even a sleeping porch off the master bedroom. Furnishings are a mix of modern, vintage and antique pieces. Extensive artwork in the house ranges from large scale paintings to black and white photographs. Photo taken in an upstairs bedroom.
A three-storied Federal frame house, listed in the 1826 city directory, is the oldest house on the tour. Decorative chair rails and plaster moldings are found throughout this house, which features English and French antiques, rich wall coverings and draperies, elaborate chandeliers from Paris, and a dining room table where Winston Churchill is said to have dined. A collection of photographs include works by Ansel Adams and Cortege. A large cherry tree grows in the garden. Photo shows the parlor.
Built in 1905, the facade of this house embodies two architectural styles popular at the turn of the century, Renaissance Revival and Colonial Revival. It has its main entry at street level. The current owners undertook a substantial renovation, keeping as much of the original design of the home as possible, turning what was a service entrance (still intact) into a "mud room", and retaining the fully functioning dumb waiter. Its furnishings include family heirlooms, a 19th century kimono, Danish Modern ladder-back chairs, black and white photographs by Zoe Leonard and a vintage goatskin desk by Karl Springer. Photo is of the kitchen.
This 1831 Federal style house was renovated in 1885 by famed New York architect, William B. Tubby, who is especially known for his Dutch Revival and Romanesque style. Tubby flourishes are still seen in the formal living room where the ornamental ceiling rosettes are painted with gold leaf, on the second floor in the ornamental chimney and on the fourth floor in the gable windows. The owners' decorating theme is marked by Asian influences including 18th century panels and a 19th century Japanese screen. Sumptuous furnishings and fabrics are evident throughout the house. Photo is of the dining room.