When Brooklyn Properties broker Hal Lehrman drives clients to the Ditmas Park area, their faces invariably drop as he turns off Prospect Park West and heads down to Coney Island Avenue, a grim commercial street lined with storefronts like Magic Touch Auto and Mr. Tires & Garage. At that moment, Lehrman pops the pre-cued soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey into his cassette deck. With Strauss's "Thus Spake Zarathustra" blaring, he turns off the avenue into Ditmas Park and watches the prospective house hunters' eyes light up at the sight of block after leafy block of century-old Victorians with large lots, manicured lawns, and tree-lined streets with pedigreed English names like Argyle, Rugby, and Marlborough.

	The Numbers Ditmas Park: $400K-$650K Ditmas Park West: $400K-$550K Midwood Terrace: $375K-$575K

Thanks to Park Slope's explosive growth in the past decade, and because of an aging population that is gradually selling out to younger home buyers, the Ditmas Park area is back on the map for bargain-hunting Manhattan exiles. Alison Bagnall, 36, moved to Prospect Park South last year from the East Village. She and her husband split the cost of a $675,000 1910 Victorian with her parents, who live on the first floor but travel frequently. It sounds expensive until you consider the number of bedrooms: nine. The extra rooms double as home offices since she and her husband are freelancers (she co-wrote the 1998 hit indie film Buffalo '66). She marvels that their half of the house cost about the same as their one-bedroom condo in the East Village. "All of these houses here were built for wealthy people," she says, citing former area residents like the Guggenheims. "But now you don't have to be really wealthy to live in them."

Sample Listing: 522 RUGBY ROAD. Five-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath Victorian on a spacious 40-by-100-foot lot. Parquet floors and large eat-in kitchen. Sold in August for $562,000

Once upon a time The area was farmland until just over a century ago, when Brooklyn was incorporated into New York City and the subway arrived. Developers descended, and some of the city's ruling class (like the Guggenheims and Gillettes) made their homes here. But real-estate values declined along with Flatbush's reputation in the seventies and eighties.

Prime area The Victorian homes in Prospect Park South are by far the grandest in the area. (Lots can run up to 200 feet deep.) Colonial Revivals, Tudors, Federal-style, Japanese, and even Swiss Chalet-style homes add to the architectural diversity.

The cons What's missing is desirable restaurants and a wide selection of retail services. Most residents drive into nearby Park Slope to drop off their dry cleaning or get takeout dinners. Some residents are taking matters into their own hands and pooling money (for a loan) to lure an established restaurateur to Ditmas Park.

The commute Thirty to 40 minutes to midtown on the Q line (or, once service is restored, the D line).

Schools P.S. 139 is a highly regarded, highly diverse grammar school. One of the few in the area that is not overcrowded. Nearby Midwood High School is considered one of the city's best and can be very difficult to get into.

Best brokers Hal Lehrman at Brooklyn Properties of 7th Avenue (718-788-3888), and Mary Kay Gallagher and Joanne Oplustil (718-282-3141).

Web Guide Schools District 22 Schools Official site. Corcoran School Report Realtor's rundown. Private Schools About.com's listings. Real Estate Listings Brooklyn Properties Realtor also has handy neighborhood map. Mary Kay Gallagher "Victorian homes in the heart of Brooklyn." Yahoo! Local Agent Listings More agencies and independent brokers.
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From the September 17, 2001 issue of New York Magazine.
Photos by Sean Hemmerle. Maps by BRM.