ditmas park

Ditmas Park, known for its elegant Victorian and Colonial Revial homes, was constructed on farm land that had previously belonged to the Van Ditmarsen family for several generations.

Two radically different interpretations of the Tudor with matching garages sit side-by-side on East 19th Steet, between Dorchester and Ditmas Avenues (below). The garage with the slate roof, belongs to the camera shy, magical 1930s fairy tale cottage on the right. The dense landscaping surrounding the house ensures the privacy of the residents, but also makes it very difficult to photograph.

Although frequently overlooked today, the homes constructed along Ocean Avenue, the western border of Ditmas Park, rivaled the grandest homes on Albermarle Road in Prospect Park South.

According to Flatbush of To-Day, "two of the most beautiful homes in Flatbush are those of Thomas H. Brush and his son-in-law, Geroge W. Van Ness. These houses command notice because of thier fine lines and the substantial manner in which they are built. They are among the finest in the city."

Both the Brush house (left) and the Van Ness house (below) were designed by George Pallister in 1899 and have, unfortunately, fallen into a state of serious disrepair..

Just four years ago, shortly before the Victorian Flatbush real estate boom, the Brush house, owned by Charlie Chaplin when Vitagraph Studios was conveniently located in nearby Midwood, was on the market for $875,000 (LINK). It is currently being used as a church.

The neighborhing Van Ness House was also used as a house of worshi in the past, as Temple Beth Ohr; however, it appears to have found a new benefactor. It is currently undergoing restoration, as are several other homes along Ocean Avenue.

The arts and crafts cottages on East 16th Street are more modest in scale than most other homes in Ditmas Park. Most are remarkably well preserved and are a rare example of this type of architecture in Brooklyn.