Ditmas Park, Brooklyn

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 1900s. The traditional boundaries of Ditmas Park are from Ocean Avenue to East 16th Street and from Dorchester Road to Newkirk Avenue. Ditmas Park is policed by the NYPD'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).CommunityNewkirk 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.