Ditmas Park, Brooklyn
Ditmas Park Historic District | |
 Ditmas Avenue and Rugby Road | |
  | |
| Location | Bounded by Marlborough Rd., Dorchester Rd., Ocean Ave., and Newkirk Ave., New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Area | 35 acres (14 ha) |
| Built | 1902 |
| Architectural style | Colonial, Queen Anne, Bungalow |
| NRHP reference No. | 83001688 [1] |
| Added to NRHP | September 30, 1983 |
Ditmas Park is a neighborhood in western Flatbush in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, east of Kensington, and is one of three Flatbush neighborhoods which have been officially designated Historic Districts. Located on land formerly owned by the Ditmas family that remained rural until the early 20th century, the neighborhood consists of many large, free-standing Victorian homes built in the first decade of the 1900s. The traditional boundaries of Ditmas Park are from Ocean Avenue to East 16th Street and from Dorchester Road to Newkirk Avenue.[2] Ditmas Park is policed by the NYPD's 70th Precinct,[3] and is within Brooklyn Community Board 14.
Within Ditmas Park is the Ditmas Park Historic District, a national historic district consisting of 172 contributing, largely residential buildings built between 1902 and 1914. It includes fine examples of Colonial Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, and Queen Anne style single family homes. Also in the district is one church, the brick Neo-Georgian Flatbush Congregational Church (1910).[4]
Community
Newkirk Avenue, Coney Island Avenue, Church Avenue, and Cortelyou Road are the neighborhood's commercial strips while many of their north-south streets are lined with historic Victorian style homes. Since much of Ditmas Park is residential, many locals go to nearby Park Slope to run errands and shop, although the neighborhood has seen increased commercialization due to its recent gentrification.
The Ditmas Park Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, wealthy families purchased the large Victorian homes, but in the past few years, the neighborhood has experienced rapid gentrification, with an influx of young people and artists attracted to the large spaces for relatively cheap rents. An example of this is Cortelyou Road, a commercial street in the neighborhood. Cortelyou enjoys a number of delis, bars, coffee shops, restaurants, the Flatbush Food Co-op, and more upscale restaurants. Cortelyou is also home to many venues, which attracts many local musicians, as well as more well-known artists.[5]
In October 2009, Time Out New York named Ditmas Park one of the best neighborhoods in New York City for food. Similar articles praising Ditmas Park for its food have appeared in the New York Times and AM New York.[6][7][8]
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Sign of Ditmas Park Historic District map -
70th Precinct, NYPD -
A street in Ditmas Park
Associations
The Ditmas Park Association, founded in 1908, hosts social events, publishes a newsletter and a home improvement directory, and works on numerous civic issues, often jointly with its sister neighborhoods and the Flatbush Development Corporation. The Flatbush Development Corporation hosts an annual Victorian Flatbush House Tour.
Ditmas Park Corner documents important events and openings in the area, as well as a host for discussions and inquiries about the neighborhood.[9]
Transportation
New York City Subway stops in or very near to Ditmas Park are Church Avenue (B and Q trains), Beverley Road (Q train), Cortelyou Road (Q train), Newkirk Plaza (B and Q trains), and Avenue H (Q train). MTA Bus-operated express buses that run through Ditmas Park are the BM1, BM2, BM3, BM4, and local buses are the B16, B35, B68, B103.
Notable residents
- Aaron Dessner of The National[10]
- Ric Menello, screenwriter and director, co-directed the Beastie Boys' music videos "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" and "No Sleep till Brooklyn".[11]
- Roy Nathanson of the Jazz Passengers
- Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed[12]
- Sonja Sohn, actress
- Michelle Williams, actress
WRITERS
- Helen Phillips [13]
ILLUSTRATORS
- Tim O'Brien [14]
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Victorian Flatbush - Mary Kay Gallagher Real Estate
- ^ 70th Precinct, NYPD.
- ^ Larry Gobrecht (August 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Registration:Ditmas Park Historic District". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2011-03-12. See also: "Accompanying 23 photos".
- ^ Nat Baldwin | Concerts | Time Out New York
- ^ Freedman, Lisa (2009-09-01). "Why I Love Ditmas Park". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Shannon, Jonathan (2009-10-25). "Your $30 Sunday". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Mooney, Jake (2009-11-13). "Moved for the Space; Stayed for the Food". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
- ^ Local news, events, reports about Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
- ^ http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/11/nationals-aaron-dessner-21-questions.html
- ^ "Remembering Ric Menello". Ditmas Park Corner. 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
- ^ "The Boy Wonder of BuzzFeed". www.nytimes.com.
- ^ http://www.helencphillips.com/
- ^ http://www.obrienillustration.com/
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