Organizational History
The Wyckoff House & Association, Inc., was first 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. In the 1960’s the Wyckoff House Foundation gained ownership of the property and donated it to the New York City Parks Department, with plans to renovate the building. In 1965 the house became the first structure in New York to be designated a historic landmark. After surviving a fire in the late 1970s, the house was finally restored in the early 1980s.
Since 2001, the house has been opened regularly as a public museum, offering school programs, public events and celebrations, and community farmers markets. In the past several years, the museum has increased its community engagement efforts, doubling the audience and bringing visitors back again and again, with particular focus on engaging local community members.
House Museum History
More coming soon….
Historical Resources
Wyckoff House Papers at the Center for Brooklyn History
Explore the museum’s archival papers, the Wyckoff House Papers, which are housed and cared for by the Center for Brooklyn History at Brooklyn Public Library. Selected scanned documents can be found here, including:
Genealogy
To learn more about the Organizations genealogical efforts for Wyckoff cousins, check out the Genealogy page.