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 the three Flatbush neighborhoods that have been officially designated Historic Districts. Located on land that remained rural until the early 20th century, the neighborhood consists of many large, free-standing Victorian homes built around the 1900s. Ditmas Park is roughly bounded by Coney Island Avenue to the west, Beverley (originally Beverly) Road to the north, Ocean Avenue to the east and Newkirk Avenue to the south. Ditmas Park is covered by the NYPD's 70th Precinct.

Newkirk Avenue, Coney Island Avenue and Cortelyou Road are the neighborhood's commercial strips; there is recent gentrification on Cortelyou Road. The north-south side streets are lined with historic Victorian style homes.

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.



Throughout the 80s and early 90s, wealthy families purchased the large Victorian homes, but in the past few years the neighborhood experienced rapid gentrification, with an influx of young people and artists who are attracted to the large spaces for relatively cheap rents. As a result, Cortelyou Road enjoys a number of delis, bars, coffee shops, restaurants, the Flatbush Food Coop and upscale restaurants, notably The Farm on Adderley (which also boasts a bar, patio seating, and a weekly movie night during summer months). Cortelyou Road is also home to venues that attract local musicians as well as better known artists.

DitmasParkBlog documents important events and openings in the area, as well as is a host for discussions and inquiries about the neighborhood.

In October 2009 Time Out New York named Ditmas Park one of the best neighborhoods in New York City for food. Similar articles that praise Ditmas Park for its food have appeared in the New York Times and AM New York.

Subway stops in or very near to Ditmas Park are Beverley Road (Q), Cortelyou Road (Q), and Newkirk Avenue (B and Q). Express buses BM1, BM2, BM3 and BM4 run between Ditmas Park and Manhattan for a premium fare. Local buses are the B49 on Ocean Avenue and the B68 on Coney Island Avenue; the limited-stop B103 runs on Ocean Avenue, Cortelyou Road and Coney Island Avenue to and from Downtown Brooklyn.