This year’s 29th Fort Greene House Tour, May 4 from 12-5 p.m., is guaranteed to be one of the most memorable ever. Visitors will have the rare opportunity to view the first New York work of acclaimed young British architect, David Adjaye [www.adjaye.com], a spectacular 4,000 square-foot artists’ studio.
His other recent commissions include The Oslo Peace Museum and The Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. Besides this significant, contemporary space, another stop on the Tour will feature a newly constructed private residence that began as an artist’s studio for the owners of the Victorian House next door and morphed into a unique and luxurious four family residence, spanning a double lot and sharing a lushly planted, terraced garden with several ponds.
Other interesting stops will include an art filled Italianate Brownstone, decorated in three different styles of Victoriana and featuring a “Bohemian/Orientalist” sitting room inspired by Frederick Church’s Olana; several striking townhouse renovations, deftly blending period details and modern design, a charming freestanding 1850s wood frame house and several fresh and stylish takes on modern living in 19th century spaces.
In addition to these fine private homes, the Stanford White-designed monument in Fort Greene Park will be opened to the public for the first time in 80 years. Other cultural landmarks included on this year’s tour are MoCADA [the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts] and the 1907 Masonic Temple.
Finally, visitors will have the chance to take in the stunning views of Brooklyn and much of Manhattan from the 30th floor roof deck of the newly constructed Forte Condominiums.
This year the tour will commence from two locations, the main one at the BAM Garden, Fulton and Lafayette Avenue and the other at the Brooklyn Flea a new outdoor market on Lafayette Avenue between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues. Spend a magical afternoon in Fort Greene; enjoy a peek into some special homes, walk our beautiful tree lined streets, stroll through Fort Greene Park.
Find out why Fort Greene is one of Brownstone Brooklyn’s most interesting neighborhoods.
For more, call 718-875-1996 or go to www.historicfortgreene.org.
