Wyckoff Farmhouse, Brooklyn
See 23 preserved historic sites in all 5 boroughs of NYC
History Begins at Home. Historic House Trust is a not-for-profit organization operating in tandem with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Their mission is to provide essential support for houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life. These treasures reside within city parks and are open to the public. Visit www.historichousetrust.org for information on the other 20 historic houses.
The History Channel is proud to support Historic House Trust's many NYC preservation efforts and is particularly pleased to report on three specific sites' progress.
Wyckoff Farmhouse, Brooklyn
For the first time in over 150 years a barn will rise in Brooklyn to tell the story of the borough's lost farm history. The Wyckoff House & Association and City of New York / Department of Parks & Recreation plan to relocate an early 19th-century New World Dutch barn from the Wyckoff Durling Farm in Somerset County, New Jersey and reconstruct it as an education center for the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum in M. Fidler-Wyckoff House Park in East Flatbush. The Museum centers around the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House, New York City's oldest structure and a National Historic Landmark. For two centuries such barns were a common sight in Brooklyn, where Dutch-American farmers worked the fertile land. Twelve Dutch-American farmhouses survived the Borough's 20th development but no barns.
The Wyckoff Durling Barn Education Center will greatly enhance the interpretation of the site as a Dutch-American farmstead, and the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum & Education Center will become a principal destination for interpreting the history and meaning of the region's Colonial farms. The main space of the barn, with its impressive timber-frame structure, will be restored and opened to the public as a climate-controlled, multi-use space for lectures, workshops, and performances. A lower level will house public functions, including an exhibition gallery, a Community Resource Room, archival storage, administrative offices, and public restrooms. The relocation of some of these functions from the Wyckoff House will help preserve it and enable all spaces within it to be opened to the public. The archival storage area and gallery will enable the Museum to make its important collection of historical documents, including 17th-C Dutch manuscripts and 18th- and 19th- C bills of sale for slaves on the farm, accessible to the public. The Historic House Trust of NYC and Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities are partners in the operation of the Museum and are advising on the project. The Wyckoff House & Association has hired James Dart Architect to provide planning and design services. In September 2004 the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously and enthusiastically approved the project, and in December 2004, The History Channel announced a major grant for the project.
When completed, the new barn will be handicap-accessible and provide much needed space for school groups and community gatherings. New administrative offices and a greenhouse will also be incorporated. With administrative functions removed from the Farmhouse, the Farmhouse will be able to be fully interpreted as a museum.
Museum Visitor Information
- Hours: Reservations are required for all groups. April-October: Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00 am-4:00 pm; November-March: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 am-4:00 pm.
- Admission: Adult $2; Children $1.
Directions by train:
Take #2 or #5 train to Newkirk Avenue station; change for B8 bus eastbound toward Brookdale Hospital (bus stop is on the southwest corner of Avenue D and Nostrand Avenue); take B8 to Beverly Road & East 59th Street; walk one block south on East 59th to Clarendon Road, the Park is on the south side of Clarendon. By bus: B47 to Ralph Ave & Clarendon Rd., B7 to Kings Highway & Clarendon Rd., B8 to Beverly Rd.& E.59 St.
Directions by car:
- From Manhattan: Manhattan Bridge to Flatbush Avenue; follow Flatbush Avenue south 4 miles to Clarendon Road; turn left on Clarendon Road and proceed 2 miles; Park is on the right-hand side at East 59th Street.
- From L.I. or Queens: Belt Parkway to exit 13 [Rockaway Parkway.] Rockaway Parkway. to Ditmas Ave.; Left on Ditmas Ave.; Take Ditmas Ave. to Ralph Ave. Cross Ralph Ave. Park is on the left-hand side of the street.
For more information, go to www.historichousetrust.org
