Here’s some information from the Park Slope Civic Council about today’s house tour — a great chance to see that cool modern renovation of a 1895 carriage house/garage on 4th Street and lots of other houses, too.
- Date/Time: Sunday, May 20, 2007; 12 noon – 5:00 p.m.
- General Information: Telephone: 718-832-8227
- Closest subways: Seventh Avenue (Q, B); Grand Army Plaza
(2, 3) (Directions) - Tickets: $20 in advance; $25 day of Tour. Ticket
Sales Information - Bonus: A
recital by Dr. Michael Kaminski on St. Francis Xavier’s original Austin
organ is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Walk along beautiful tree-lined
streets, enjoy handsome Victorian architecture and visit the interiors
of lovely homes dating from the 19th century but restored for contemporary
living. This year’s self-guided Tour features homes and sites from
President Street to 4th Street. Funds raised are returned to our community
as grants to schools, charities, cultural institutions and other organizations
and groups benefiting Park Slope. This year’s highlights include:-
- A beautifully
preserved 1888 Neo-Grec featuring stunning wallpapered
ceilings, beautiful mahogany woodwork, and anaglyptic wallpaper as well
as a modern kitchen. - An interior courtyard
and beautifully designed kitchen are highlights of this 1895
carriage house which has been transformed to serve the needs
of contemporary family life. - Mission furniture,
stunning chandeliers and an unusual split staircase are highlights of
this charming Arts and Crafts Style 1903 home. An old-fashioned
food warmer resides in the kitchen. - A 1903
Italian Renaissance home with beautiful stained glass, handsome
woodwork, an inviting inglenook and paintings by artists buried at Greenwood
Cemetery. The owner’s guitar collection is on view as well. - A Moorish Revival
interior with a magnificent coffered ceiling, lovely stained glass windows
and artifacts from the owners’ travels are features of this 1901
Classical home. - This handsomely
restored 1910 neo-Renaissance home offers a beautiful
new skylit kitchen, artwork and furniture from the Philippines, and
a collection of Southeast Asian maps. - Understated elegance
is the theme of this serenely lovely 1909 neo-Italian Renaissance
home featuring a finished basement with exercise room and sauna.
A handsome sky lit kitchen, African dowry objects and a collection of
prints and paintings are also on view. - Four exposures
provide ample sunlight for this 1887-88 Renaissance Revival
designed by noted architect C.P.H. Gilbert. A large, beautifully
designed kitchen and paintings by the owner’s great aunt complete the
picture. - St. Francis
Xavier Church, designed by Thomas Houghton, is a classic example
of 1900 Gothic Revival church architecture. The interior and exterior
of the church was fully restored for the centenary of the parish in
1986. Tours will include the exceptional stained glass windows including
a rose window and the only known stained glass window based on a Peter
Paul Rubens painting. The flags in the triforium represent the national
origins of the parish community over the last century. Tours from are
available from 1:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. - A recital
by Dr. Michael Kaminski on St. Francis Xavier’s original Austin organ
is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. - Congregation
Beth Elohim. This handsome edifice, available to ticket-holders
at 12:30, was dedicated in 1909 and dominates the northeast corner of
Garfield Place and Eighth Avenue with an imposing three-sided stairway
leading to the diagonal corner entrance. The interior space is hexagonal
and includes stained glass windows, one showing Pharaoh’s daughter
finding Moses in the bulrushes, another showing Jacob’s ladder
with angels ascending and descending.