Clinton Hill House Tour Wrap
The Society for Clinton Hill had what we’re sure was a record turn-out yesterday for the 30th Anniversary House Tour. (The tour got so much buzz that a thief even robbed the ticket table in Fort Greene Park on Saturday; did anyone encounter any scalpers?) We got a kick out of seeing the two Pratt…
The Society for Clinton Hill had what we’re sure was a record turn-out yesterday for the 30th Anniversary House Tour. (The tour got so much buzz that a thief even robbed the ticket table in Fort Greene Park on Saturday; did anyone encounter any scalpers?) We got a kick out of seeing the two Pratt mansions on Clinton Avenue and found artist Kris Krohn’s loft building at 281 Greene Avenue interesting; there was a neat display of Broken Angel renderings and concept drawings in Higgins Hall as well. By all accounts, 258 Hall Street, with its budget-conscious but very cool reno by the owner-architects, was the highlight of the private homes on the tour. While several of the other houses were charming and clearly reflected the personal styles of their owners, we couldn’t help but wish there had been a few brownstones or mansions with the kind of “wow” factor you’d expect given the housing stock in the nabe; the mix was definitely less impressive than the Fort Greene tour last year, we thought. At least the weather provided a perfect back-drop to show off the area’s architecture and charm. It also made for a great backdrop for the Brownstoner gathering at Ici, where we got a chance to chat with many readers. Thanks to everyone who made the effort to stop by. Lots of pics on the jump.
May 6: A Busy Day for House Tours! [Brownstoner]
245 Clinton Avenue, George DuPont Pratt Mansion
245 Clinton Avenue, George DuPont Pratt Mansion
The line outside 238 Washington Avenue
258 Hall Street, the highlight according to many
The top-floor loft at 281 Greene Avenue
Broken Angel drawings at Higgins Hall
Brownstoner party in the garden at Ici
Brownstoner party in the garden at Ici
Brownstoner party in the garden at Ici
Brownstoner party in the garden at Ici
Oh, guys…I didn’t mean to sound like such a prude…doesn’t anyone have a sense of humor?! It is, what is, “Art”…GEEZ…Had I said, “No, Im not going in b/c of the gay pride flag..” Then we wouldn’t be having this conversation…now would we?? My friend and I were cracking up…Just like you, “Bob@999” Okay, I’ll stop being an “Erotic Art Basher”… Lighten up guys.. I thought the house was great! The art work…so many penises just made it a bit tacky..that’s all!
The funniest was going to a Marlene Dumas show at the New School a couple years back and the kiddies’ reaction as they raced ahead of their parents, into rooms full of watercolors of gentalia. The parents were cute, just kinda rolled their eyes and shooed their kids out.
Sometimes it is too early for THAT conversation. But it’s true — grow up, and expect it to come up!!!!
Wm @2.39 you are right. Soon enough they will ask museums to cover up the private parts of artwork with the fig leaf or a sarong. Come on people grow up.
Bob I agree with you it is fun to be a part of HT as well as garden tour. Been on both and always had a good time. The critics should be brave enough to show their homes to 1400 people.
This year we had a lot of Pratt related
buildings and there is nothing wrong with it since Pratt Institute is a big part of Clinton Hill and many graduates still live in the nabe. Clinton Hill has developed because of Pratt (the founder) and survived because of school being here.
Speaking of penises–sweetie, you don’t *know* from penises just based on that one small picture in that very nice house on Clinton! When we were house-hunting, my (gay) partner and I looked at a nice B-stone in Harlem owned by a guy who had festooned every single wall with photos, drawings, and paintings of hunky naked men–many of them up-and-rarin’ to go! Fertility figures everywhere, too. It was, shall we say, quite a look. What made this especially delightful was the fact that my partner’s parents from Columbus, Ohio, had joined us for that day of house hunting… I thought it was hysterical, and lingered as long as I could without getting myself glared to death, ha ha. And nobody brought it up (you’ll pardon the expression) the rest of the afternoon. For the record, not all gay men display erotic art, much of which is reallllllly bad. Takes all kinds!
In looking at the website for Soc. for Clinton Hill, I notice a number of requests for people to join committees or the board. I see that major projects are the expansion of the historic district and the change in zoning from R6 to R6b. They also do the Children’s Halloween Walk, the Newcomer’s Party. At the recent meetings I attended, I noticed over 300 people at Loughlin, over 200 at Robeson Theater, and there must have been close to 2000 at the House Tour. Those snarky comments are pretty funny and tell something about the snark who wrote them. God bless those people who open their homes. Imagine how they feel when they read those snarky comments from the snarks. I wonder if anyone will open their homes in the future? Well, we can all go on those interesting broker open houses!
“I think that there will always be many places that people would love to view, but few people willing to let strangers wander through their house for a day.”
As another long-term HT worker (albeit someone who never worked on “house selection”), I agree with “back-in-the-day” about the increasing difficulty of getting people to show their homes. However, having had my house on tour four times (six or seven if you include between-HT ‘minitours’) I can also state, to anyone contemplating putting their home on a tour, that it’s fun, people who go on HTs are remarkably well-behaved, and it gives you an incentive to get off your a** and get stuff done!
Mimi, please. If you take your child out into the world, more specifically, into someone else’s PRIVATE HOME, brace yourself for a “conversation” on any multitude of potentially awkward life topics. If actually talking to your children about how the world works is too much for you, stay home.
Christ.
back-in-the-day–
I’m sure there is truth to what you are saying. However, I’ve been asked to be on the Clinton Hill House Tour and declined, mainly because I don’t want to fundraise for the Clinton Hill Society. Unfortunately they’re not a good example of “the spirit of community involvement.”
If someone asked me to open my home to raise money for Friends of PS 11, I’d do it in a heartbeat–they’re working well and working effectively, and I know where the money is going.
I’ll be sure to throw doilies over my vagina art when it’s time to flash my, um, interiors.