Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

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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 20th century. The traditional boundaries of Ditmas Park, including Ditmas Park West, are from Ocean Avenue to Coney Island Avenue, and from Dorchester Road to Newkirk Avenue. Ditmas Park is policed by the New York City Police Department's 70th Precinct, 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).

Video Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

Community

Newkirk Avenue, Coney Island Avenue, Cortelyou Road and to a lesser extent Church Avenue 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. 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.

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.

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.

Transportation

New York City Subway stops in or very near to Ditmas Park are 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 B8, B68, B103.

Maps Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

Notable residents

Aaron Dessner (born 1976), of The National
Bryce Dessner (born 1976), composer and guitarist
Ric Menello (1952-2013), screenwriter and director, co-directed the Beastie Boys' music videos "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" and "No Sleep till Brooklyn".
Roy Nathanson (born 1951), saxophonist, composer, bandleader who became the leader and principal composer of the Jazz Passengers
Tim O'Brien (born 1964), illustrator
Ben Smith, editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed
Sonja Sohn (born 1964), actress
Sufjan Stevens (born 1975), singer-songwriter
Michelle Williams (born 1980), actress