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Park Slope Tour Shows Off Historic Homes, Wallpaper Designed by Beastie Boy

 The annual Park Slope home tour happens on May 19.
Park Slope Home Tour Shows off Brownstones and Beastie Boy-Designed Wallpaper
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PARK SLOPE — These brownstones have some bombshells.

Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, prints by artist Marc Chagall and wallpaper designed by a Beastie Boy will be on display during the Park Slope Civic Council's annual house tour on May 19.

The tour showcases meticulously restored 19th century brownstones that make history buffs swoon, but several of the homes hold unexpected surprises inside their elegant exteriors.

One house contains several quirky collections, including a bevy of Marilyn Monroe photos, movie posters and even a portrait of the sex symbol made out of yarn. The same house also has collections of vintage luggage, old street signs, and pieces by designer Jonathan Adler.

Elsewhere on the tour, which will focus on homes between Fourth and Ninth streets, visitors can take a gander at a bathroom decorated with wallpaper designed by Mike Diamond, better known as Beastie Boy Mike D.

Another houses has prints by artist Marc Chagall.

"What I look for when I go into a home are things that make me say, 'Ooh, ahh,'" said Candace Woodward, who helps pick houses on the tour as co-chairwoman of the Civic Council's tour committee.

"What we try to have is a lot of diversity," she added. "We have traditionally furnished homes. We have sleek contemporary interiors. We have some kitchens that just knock your socks off. We have lovely gardens."

This year's tour features another unusual element: a house that was built within the last three or four years. The exterior blends in well on its historic block, but the inside has a modern look, Woodward said.

About 600 people attend the self-guided tour each year, which is a fundraiser for the Civic Council. Tickets are $20 and proceeds fund the Civic Council's grant program for neighborhood groups.