Senate Resolution No. 1739

BY: Senator PARKER

COMMENDING the Wyckoff House upon the occasion of
celebrating the 55th Anniversary of its induction
into the National Registry of Historic Places

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize the
historic, economic, and cultural value of this organization which
substantially contributes to the vitality and well-being of its
communities and the entire Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Wyckoff House upon the occasion of celebrating the 55th
Anniversary of its induction into the National Registry of Historic
Places; and

WHEREAS, The Wyckoff House and Association, Inc. was formed in 1937
when a large group of descendants of Pieter Claesen Wyckoff and Grietje
Van Ness-Wyckoff gathered together to purchase and preserve their
ancestral home, the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House; in the face of
potential demolition, the family joined forces with community activists
to protect the house over the next few decades; and

WHEREAS, In the 1960s, the Wyckoff House Foundation gained ownership
of the property and it was donated to the New York City Parks
Department, with plans to renovate the building; after surviving a fire
in the late 1970s, the house was finally restored in the early 1980s;
and

WHEREAS, The Wyckoff House is the first structure in the State of
New York to be designated a historic landmark on the National Register
of Historic Places, the United States federal government's official list
of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of
preservation for their historical significance; and

WHEREAS, Since 2001, the Wyckoff House has been open regularly as a
public museum, offering school programs, public events and celebrations,
as well as community farmers markets; in the past several years, the
museum has increased its community engagement efforts, doubling its
audience and bringing visitors back time and time again, with a
particular focus on engaging local residents; and

WHEREAS, Today, the Wyckoff House Museum's primary mission is to
preserve, interpret, and operate New York's oldest building and the
surrounding one-and-a-half acres of park; and

WHEREAS, Through innovative educational and farm-based programs,
this vital institution continues to build cultural and agricultural
connections within its community, emphasizing immigration, family, food,
and community through history; and

WHEREAS, The Wyckoff House Museum believes history, immigration,
inquiry, and agriculture can change how people learn and think about

themselves, and how they connect, whether to their family and past, to
the places they live and visit, or to what they eat and grow; and

WHEREAS, As a cultural institution, the Wyckoff House strives to be
a place of community collaboration, serving as a reflection of the
diverse cultural fabric of both New York City as a whole and its
specific location in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, rooted in the organization's founding nearly a
century ago, the Wyckoff House also promotes and fosters the family
history and genealogy of the Wyckoff family in America through the
maintenance of Association archives, collections, and history; and

WHEREAS, The success of the Wyckoff House is in direct correlation
to the efforts of its members, partners and volunteers, whose
involvement is, and always has been, characterized by an impressive
commitment, an unbridled enthusiasm, and an uncompromising standard of
excellence in all endeavors on behalf of the organization and the
community it serves; and

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that when
institutions of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our
attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Wyckoff House upon the occasion of celebrating the 55th
Anniversary of its induction into the National Registry of Historic
Places; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Wyckoff House.