Near the end of a block of single-family homes in the Ditmas Park section of Brooklyn, a once-majestic mansion is falling apart.
The four square pillars of its Federal-style entranceway are rotting. The Venetian windows are cracked and ridden with holes. The roof is slightly crumpled, bent on one side like the tilted, uneven brim of a worn-out baseball cap.
It is a temple of profligate neglect, the sort of structure that seems capable of giving you a splinter just because you looked at it.
A wall of green boards runs where the property, 1000 Ocean Avenue, meets the sidewalk, but a square opening in the fencing reveals a view of the decrepit home and its front yard, strewn with junk: a glass bottle, some tools, a reusable grocery bag.
Neighbors say they believe squatters have been living inside.
The story of how 1000 Ocean Avenue fell into this condition is somewhat murky. Its future is even murkier. Neighbors recently flooded a community Facebook page with ideas for its restoration, and last year, its owner put it up for sale — at the improbable asking price of $2.6 million.
