Brooklyn's historic Hendrick I. Lott House getting long-overdue restoration
A historic home in Brooklyn is getting a long-overdue restoration.
The Hendrick I. Lott House is set to be transformed into Marine Park's first museum.
The history of the Lott House
There's a dark crawl space behind a hidden door in the closet of an upstairs bedroom of the Hendrick I. Lott House. It's covered in newspapers from 1863.
Urban archaeologist Dr. Alyssa Loorya believes this is evidence pointing to a stop on the Underground Railroad.
"The family at one point would have over 200 acres of farmland. And at one point in the 1700s, they were the largest slave-owning family in the area. But generations later, in the 1800s, people's or family members' politics and perceptions changed," she said.
Loorya, who is president of Friends of the Lott House, says it's one of countless secrets in the historic home. Parts of the structure date back to before the American Revolution. It was built by the Lotts, a Dutch farming family that once owned swaths of land across southern Brooklyn.
"That's over 280 years of continual occupation and ownership by a single family. And I believe it is the longest continual ownership and occupation by a single family in New York City's history," Loorya told CBS News New York reporter Hannah Kliger.
The last inhabiting members of the Lott family died in the late 1980s.
Lott House in dire need of restoration
Despite its clean, well-maintained exterior, the inside of the house has seen better days. Holes in the walls, outdated plumbing and crumbling wallpaper show its age.
The house was landmarked but stood abandoned for a long time until it was purchased by the city of New York. Since then, it has been in dire need of restoration.
"All of our utilities are 100 years old or older, and we don't have working electric in every room and one bathroom. So it will be nice to get some working utilities because it's then that we'll truly be able to bring the public into the house," Loorya said.
The house is now set to undergo a $4.5 million restoration beginning early next year.
Kevin Hanley is a retired park ranger who is on the board.
"A number of other homes have been demolished to make way for progress. We understand," he said. "You can't see that stuff disappear."
Giulietta Fiore, of the Historic House Trust, says this is an opportunity to create a museum from scratch.
"We're talking about wallpaper, paint. We're talking about the ceilings. There's going to be a stabilized ruin upstairs, kind of like you see at some other museums in Lower Manhattan, where you can actually walk in and see the layers of building here at the Lott House," she said.
Those behind the project also say they're excited to expand the reach of public programming.
Neil McNeill is principal of P.S. 207, which is four blocks away. He's working on an urban farming program with his students to teach them about the history of the land.
"They're excited any time they get to do something hands-on. So I think the house here provided us with an opportunity to do something different with the farming piece but also to get our hands on history that is here," he said.
Friends of the Lott House are currently packing up and securing the historic artifacts. Once the restoration starts, the city estimates it will take 18-24 months, in the hopes of breathing new life into these old walls.
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