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# These Ditmas Park Homes? They’re Mesmerizing!
- URL: https://bklyner.com/these-ditmas-park-homes-theyre-mesmerizing-ditmas-park/
- Published: 2015-04-13T19:04:10.000Z
- Updated: 2015-04-13T21:14:20.000Z
- Author: Anna Gustafson
- Tags: 131 Buckingham Road, 317 Rugby Road, 865 E. 21st Street, bed and breakfast, Japanese House, OurBKSocial, Rugby Gardens, william and lulu norwood house, #API-Imported

From our [Colonial Revivals](/blog/neighbors/a-closer-look-at-1306-albemarle-road-one-of-the-coolest-houses-in-prospect-park-south) and [Queen Annes ](/blog/neighbors/billy-barbara-dequaglio-watch-ditmas-park-change-through-the-decades)to our [Tudors ](/blog/neighbors/whats-your-favorite-corner-11)and [Japanese house](/blog/photos/photos-exploring-the-stunning-inside-of-the-japanese-house-in-prospect-park-south), our neighborhood is chock-full of architectural stunners. So, when the website [OurBKSocial](http://ourbksocial.com/?ref=bklyner.com) came out with their list of [20 Brooklyn houses with exteriors that will “leave you mesmerized,”](http://ourbksocial.com/20-brooklyn-homes-whose-exterior-will-leave-you-mesmerized/?ref=bklyner.com) it was no surprise that our neighborhood was well represented!

And while we could’ve filled this list *entirely* with homes from our neck of the woods, we were happy to see the following homes get shout-outs [from the publication](http://ourbksocial.com/20-brooklyn-homes-whose-exterior-will-leave-you-mesmerized/?ref=bklyner.com):

![The Japanese House](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/The-Japanese-House-702x527.jpg)

**[The Japanese House](/blog/photos/photos-exploring-the-stunning-inside-of-the-japanese-house-in-prospect-park-south) (131 Buckingham Road, by Albemarle Road)**

While our neighborhood has plenty of homes that easily adhere to memory, the pagoda-like structure at 131 Buckingham Road that is often referred to as “[the Japanese house](/blog/photos/wait-were-in-brooklyn)” is one that, even among our grandeur-filled streets, sticks out.

[The home first sold in 1906](http://www.nytimes.com/1997/03/23/realestate/delicately-oriental-but-practical.html?ref=bklyner.com) to doctor and writer [Frederick Strange Kolle](http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&field-author=Frederick%20Strange%20Kolle&page=1&rh=i%3Astripbooks&ref=bklyner.com) (who wrote [this book](http://www.amazon.com/rays-Their-production-application/dp/1429704640/ref=sr%5F1%5F2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406646932&sr=1-2&ref=bklyner.com) in 1898 on x-rays and [another about cosmetic surgery](http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Cosmetic-Surgery-Classic-Reprint/dp/B008GGGBSU/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406646932&sr=1-1&ref=bklyner.com)) for $26,0000 and then for $80,000 in 1972 to [Gloria and Albert Fischer](http://nypost.com/2011/12/11/flatbush-tour-is-turning-japanese/?ref=bklyner.com). Gloria still resides in the house and has [opened it up to the public for tours](/blog/photos/photos-exploring-the-stunning-inside-of-the-japanese-house-in-prospect-park-south) on occasion. For anyone who hasn’t gotten to go on one of the tours, you can explore the incredible home through our photos [here](/blog/photos/photos-exploring-the-stunning-inside-of-the-japanese-house-in-prospect-park-south).

![317 Rugby Road](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/317-Rugby-Road.jpg)

**317 Rugby Road**

The iconic [Rugby Gardens](https://sites.google.com/site/rugbygardens/?ref=bklyner.com) home, [which doubles as a bed and breakfast](/blog/business/bed-breakfasts-in-ditmas-park), has been the star of many a photo spread, from the [Daily News](http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/insider-guide-ditmas-park-brooklyn-gallery-1.1189305?pmSlide=1.1189297&ref=bklyner.com) to [Time Out New York](http://www.timeout.com/newyork/things-to-do/ditmas-park-walk?ref=bklyner.com) and [Brownstoner](http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2009/11/ditmas-park-get/?ref=bklyner.com) — plus all the countless passersby we always see photographing the colorful spot.

![143 Buckingham Road](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/143-Buckingham-Road-702x527.jpg)

[**143 Buckingham Road**](/blog/neighbors/a-look-inside-the-william-lulu-norwood-house)

The William and Lulu Norwood House, located next to the Japanese house on the corner of Buckingham and Albemarle Roads, was, like many of its neighborhood peers, built in 1906 and has been landmarked as part of the [Prospect Park Historical District](http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/PROSPECT%5FPARK%5FSOUTH%5FHISTORIC%5FDISTRICT.pdf?ref=bklyner.com) since 1979\. The home, where neighbors Frank Hechenberger, Kathy Libraty, and Elisa Lovelie, live, is[ just as incredible inside as it is outside](/blog/neighbors/a-look-inside-the-william-lulu-norwood-house) — you can take a good look at it [here](http://www.bkmag.com/2014/03/05/a-dolls-house-inside-the-home-of-kathy-libraty-frank-hechenberger-and-elisa-lovelie/?singlepage=1&ref=bklyner.com). And, if you’d like to learn more about this beautiful house, Brownstoner did a nice writeup of it [here](http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2011/02/building-of-the-233/?ref=bklyner.com).

![Photo via Corcoran](/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Screen-Shot-2015-04-13-at-3.57.42-PM.png)

Photo via [Corcoran](http://www.corcoran.com/nyc/Listings/Display/3319002?ref=bklyner.com)

**865 E. 21st Street**

Another turn of the century abode, this five-bedroom spot is[ now listed](http://www.corcoran.com/nyc/Listings/Display/3319002?ref=bklyner.com) for $1.6 million. You can explore photos of the home [here](http://www.corcoran.com/nyc/Listings/Display/3319002?ref=bklyner.com).

What other neighborhood homes would you have liked to see on [the list](http://ourbksocial.com/20-brooklyn-homes-whose-exterior-will-leave-you-mesmerized/?ref=bklyner.com)? Or, if you were to do a list of your favorite homes in our area, what would you include?