The Hendrick I. Lott House, one of New York City’s oldest surviving structures, is set to become the first museum in Brooklyn’s Marine Park neighborhood. Built in 1720 as a Dutch Colonial farmhouse and expanded in 1800, the house remained in the Lott family until 1989. After the city purchased it in 2002 and completed exterior renovations in 2013, plans are now underway to open its interior to the public for the first time, preserving its unique wallpaper and agricultural history.
This project matters because it highlights a rural and agricultural chapter of New York City’s history often overshadowed by Manhattan’s urban narrative. The Lott House also tells a complex story of slavery, emancipation, and the Underground Railroad, reflecting changing political and cultural views. As a public trust site managed by the Historic House Trust, it promises to be a low-cost, accessible community hub in a borough that lacks major cultural institutions, broadening the city’s historical and cultural representation.