Skip to main content

Author: Site Adminstrator

The Oldest Building In NYC Dates Back To 1652

As one of the original 13 American colonies, New York is pretty much ancient. The Little Italy staple Alleva Dairy, established in 1892, is the oldest cheese shop in the nation (though it’s sadly relocating to New Jersey) and Fraunces Taverns, the city’s oldest bar, has been serving customers since 1762 and continues to do so to this day!

But NYC’s oldest building dates back even further than that–like, 100+ years further!

Standing strong for over three centuries, The Wyckoff House is the oldest surviving building in NYC.

Wyckoff House c. 1903 view from the rear of the house.
Source / N-YHS

Built in 1652, The Wyckoff House was one of the very first structures Europeans built on Long Island–originally built by Dutch immigrant Pieter Claesen and his wife Grietje.

The Wyckoff House & Association, Inc., formed in 1937 when descendants of Pieter Claesen and Grietje gathered together to purchase and preserve their home in the face of potential demolition. The Wyckoff House Foundation gained ownership of the property in the 1960s and donated it to the NYC Parks Department.

In 1965 the house became the first structure in New York to be designated a historic landmark, and, after surviving a fire in the late 1970s, was finally restored in the early 1980s–though, regardless of the renovations, it’s the oldest surviving example of a Dutch saltbox frame house in America.

Facebook / Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum

However, considering the house has been around for nearly 400 years, there really isn’t much to its history.

For most of its existence the house merely served as a farm and family home. It’s been operating as a museum since 2001, where it hosts a slew of events including:

  • School programs
  • Public events
  • Celebrations
  • Community farmers markets

Those who visit are treated to a glimpse at how agriculture worked in the old days, along with its continued importance today.

Today, The Wyckoff House Museum’s primary mission is to preserve, interpret, and operate NYC’s oldest building along with the surrounding one-and-a-half acres of park.

The Wyckoff House, or Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House is located at 5816 Clarendon Road in the Canarsie area of Brooklyn Opened 1652 Brooklyn NY June 28 2019
Shutterstock / Lennox Wright

Though their website states that the museum is currently closed for public tours due to ongoing repairs, you can stay up to date on when they reopen on their website.

The Wyckoff House is located at  5816 Claredon Road, Canarsie, Brooklyn in what is now Milton Fidler Park.

The post The Oldest Building In NYC Dates Back To 1652 appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

This hard seltzer festival is returning to Brooklyn in July

This hard seltzer festival is returning to Brooklyn in July

It’s officially hard-seltzer season and fans can celebrate with an entire drink festival dedicated to the bubbly stuff. 

On Saturday, July 22, from noon to 10:30pm, Seltzerland is taking over the Noble Lot at Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Terminal for an afternoon tasting of spiked seltzers and canned cocktails from the likes of Viva Beverage Co., Hinni Hard Seltzer, Sunny D Vodka Seltzer, Shimmerwood Beverages, Island District Sparkling Craft Cocktails and many more. 

RECOMMENDED: The best things to do this summer in NYC, from outdoor events to top beaches

Along with the carbonated fun, there will be games and recreations like seltzer pong, ladder ball and cornhole, hard seltzer and swag giveaways, live DJ sets, Instagram-ready photo ops and vegan food samples from both local and national brands. And as a new addition this year, Seltzerland will be debuting the first-ever “CANtina” presented by Good Foods, where guests can partake in tequila sodas from Casa Azul, fresh guacamole and chips, and more.  

All-inclusive tickets will come in three different tiers. The General Access option is priced at $46.18 and will get attendees two-and-a-half hours of festival access, the chance to a variety of seltzers and canned cocktails, a five-ounce plastic tasting cup, a BuzzBallz branded tote bag and sunglasses, vegan food samples (there will be additional food available for purchase on-site) as well as access to all of the event’s games and giveaways. The Early Access option, set at $63.60, affords you all of the above as well as designated expedited entry and an extra 30 minutes to sip on those seltzers. And at $74.49, Premier Access tickets includes both benefits of the other two tiers but pumps it up with a full can of hard seltzer, a specialty cocktail, a commemorative Seltzerland tasting cup and a BuzzBallz branded fanny pack. 

Timing options for each ticket type are:

  • General Access: 12:30pm – 3pm, 4:30pm – 7pm, and 8pm – 10:30pm
  • Early Access: 12pm – 3pm, 4pm – 7pm, and 7:30pm – 10:30pm
  • Premiere Access: 12pm – 3pm, 4pm – 7pm, and 7:30pm – 10:30pm

Proceeds from Seltzerland events are donated to Forage Forward, a national organization that supports both local charities and national and global non-profits, with a specific focus on social justice, food banks, food sustainability and food education.

* This article was originally published here