You know the house. It’s on 9th Street between Fifth and Fourth Avenues and it houses something called Slope Music.
The house is bright blue and has a few flowers painted on it.
I’ve walked past dozens, maybe hundreds of time over the years. It aroused my curiosity. Sure, I wondered what went on in there. I guess I knew it was a Music School. But I just didn’t know what to make of it.
It had kind of a cool Charles Addams vibe. I wasn’t sure if it was spooky or fun.
That is, until today, when Charles Sibirsky, who programs jazz shows at the Brooklyn Buger Bar, mentioned in an email that he lives there.
I thought: he lives in THAT house. A French Second Empire house. On Ninth Street. WOW.
According to Sibirsky’s website, the house was built in 1850 "before brownstones, before Prospect Park, before the Brooklyn Bridge."
Sibirsky and his wife, Vita, moved to the house in 1981 and opened Slope Music, which has a staff of a dozen teachers.
The studios at Slope Music feature Steinway Grand pianos. According to the website: "the 9-foot piano is the same model that graces the stage at Carnegie Hall. All keyboard students have the opportunity to play these fine instruments. Voice students have the thrill of being accompanied by the finest pianos in the world."
Vita teaches piano to her students in a magical room at the top of the building:
Vita’s studio is the cupola at the top of the building. When the afternoon light filters through the 13 windows, one feels like they are momentarily suspended above the building. Vita tries to create a warm, welcoming space for the students. The unusual setting encourages people to relax and be open to learning. The unique space makes every lesson special.
I’ve never known anyone to study there. But hey, it looks like a great place to play music. Call 718-768-3804 for information or to set up an appointment if you’re interested.
Correction on the name of the place…villa storica. When the place closed they had a giant sale of the items from the house. I had this Eastlake chair I bought for little money for years and years until the cost of recovering it was more than I was willing to shell out. I did the ole Park Slope street exchange on garbage nite.. so perhaps someone has adopted it for their house.
Hi I am Vita. I so appreciate the comments about jazz at the Burger bar. Charles has been playing there with a trio on Thurs and Sat eve. and I have been stoping by and enjoying the music. Hey.. There is no cover or minimum so at least after 9pm on these nights it is about music!! For your information ,,,, Villa Historica was on 9th street between 3rd and 4th.. The house fell in to disrepair and was taken down. That house had no Landmark status and so there was no intervention when it was raised.
If you want more information about Slope music please get in touch. Charlessibirsky.com will lead you to all you need to know about Slope Music.
Fonda, There is a house between 3rd and 4th with a huge porch and a garden in front. Maybe that’s the one that had the restaurant. Just up from the American Legion. Louise
My mother has a close friend who lives in this house. I believe her apartment is on the second floor. It is a very cool space. She has never talked about the music school though.
villa storica was originaly called “casa storica” and was located on the ground floor of the brick house on the southwest corner of park place and 7th avenue.
the restaurant was so successful the business outgrew that space and re-opened in one of 2 fabulous victorians on 9th street. i think the restarant was not in the music school house, but in the one that was torn down (or renovated so badly it is unrecognizable.)
i remember it having a large porch that ran the entire width of the front.
it was a real nice addition to the neighborhood….way ahead of its time
I remember that restaurant so well. Being served in a nook or cranny made you feel very special. And the food was pretty good. Believe it was called Villa Storica. Too bad it could not survive. We could use a lovely dining place with so much atmosphere today.
So cool. Does anyone know if, however briefly in the 70s or 80s, there was a funky little restaurant located in that or another house on 9th street between 4-5 Aves? I remember going out to dinner with friends in a house there on New Years Eve way back when; can’t recall the name of the restaurant, but the house was kind of cozy/dark, not renovated, just kind of restored, candlelit, with a few fireplaces going, and they had tables set in nooks and crannies throughout the “home”, on more than one floor….I don’t know if it resonates more fabulously in my memory but it was a memorable place when the Slope was still very much “a work in progress”…