BHA House Tour 2007
Taking in the 2007 edition of the Brooklyn Heights Association's House Tour, one is forced to ponder the question — is this an annual opportunity to steal a glance at the hidden details of historical landmarks or a perennial peep show?
Given the accompanying literature provided by the BHA, it would be difficult to argue that the tour is all about history. The background information of each home is peppered with as much, if not more, information regarding the ephemeral possessions of its current owner as with the historical detail of the structure. And while the BHA guides in each home were very friendly, we heard more about teddy bears and photos on the tour than we did about how each home fit into the historical make up of Brooklyn Heights.
There were two highlights on the tour — 212 Columbia Heights and 135 Joralemon Street.
The Joralemon home, aka "The Little House that Could" was both exhilarating and disappointing. Ever since the fire that nearly destroyed the home a couple of years ago, neighbors have been rooting for its resurrection. When word came that a local contractor would take on the challenge, speculation shifted to what the interior would look like and what the eventual asking price would be.
The exterior restoration itself should earn its owner, Howard Haimes, the Key to the City. Inside, the home is still a work in progress. The work so far — while notably Herculean in its scope — appeared a little underwhelming. The basement apartment, while not restored to historical accuracy, is spectacular. We're hopeful that the excellence exhibited there will be reflected in the finished product.
212 Columbia Heights was the jewel of the tour homes, breathtaking and intimidating. In fact, it seems like it was designed to make a visitor bow down in awe to its enormous wealth. Present pretensions aside, the view of the East River and Manhattan from all floors was worth the $30 admission for all houses alone.
Related link: Heights House Tour [Sean T. Conrad]
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Posted : May 15th, 2007 at 10:15 am by Homer Fink under Landmark Preservation, News, Tourism.
Tags:Real Estate
Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from spm
Time: May 15, 2007, 10:21 am
I must say, the Joralemon House was disappointing. Since the house was for sale - for a cool $6 million, it should have really been an Open House for the Real Estate agency representing it, not included in a $30 price tag for people who wanted to view homes. Most people, myself included, are somewhat interested in the historical aspect but more interested in decorating ideas - and I did pick up a few. However, I must disagree with Mr. Fink on the best house as in my opinion the most interesting home was the one on Clinton Street with artistic touches and a fabulous upstairs guest room/living space.
Comment from Peter
Time: May 15, 2007, 11:36 am
Um, what “basement apartment”? That basement on Joralemon Street was the kitchen for the house itself.
Comment from Homer Fink
Time: May 15, 2007, 11:49 am
Fascinating. Seemed totally detached from the rest of the house in a way.
Also just found out that the rest of the home will be “left up to the new owner” to renovate. The contractor/renovator’s work is done.
Comment from EJ
Time: May 15, 2007, 1:20 pm
Why was the Garden Place house included? I would be very proud to own it myself, but it seemed extremely ordinary and therefore out of place.
We too were fans of the Clinton St. house - I liked the modern touches on a traditional brownstone. And while we also found some decorating ideas - I think that the choices we made for our modest co-op stand up to a lot of the houses we saw this weekend (and that makes me very happy!)
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