An Exclusive Tour Inside Brooklyn’s Historic Hendrick I. Lott House

The Hendrick I. Lott House in Brooklyn, NY, takes you back in time to before the beginnings of the United States. This Dutch farmhouse was one of the major producers of yield that fed New York City, yes, back when NYC was farmland and not just skyscrapers. The same funneling of a circle with people from the outer boroughs commuting to the city, supporting businesses, and the American dream, is still happening today. It’s why the NYC Subway doesn’t have many modes of transportation from Brooklyn to Queens, vice versa, and Queens to the Bronx- it mostly goes through Manhattan. Among a few other homes, the Hendrick I. Lott House is one of the last standing Historic homes that gives us a glimpse into the daily life of early Brooklyn settlers in the 18th century. It’s a beautiful piece of history that we are so fortunate to have preserved thanks to the work of the Historic Homes Trust & the NYC Parks Department. 

The Hendrick I. Lott House

Hendrick I. Lott House History: The First Settlers (The Canarsie)

The story dates back to a prominent group, the Canarsie, which remains an inspiration for the town of Canarsie today. The indigenous tribe inhabited the Jamaica Bay and Gerritsen Creek area. Made up of fertile marshes, creeks, and inlets, the villages thrived through cultivation. From the very popular oysters, which became everyday tools, to clams and mussels, this fed the town and families in Brooklyn.

Hendrick I. Lott House History: The Second Settlers (The Dutch)

The Dutch arrived in the early 17th century and started purchasing “Flats” of around 15,000 acres. Wolfert Gerritse Van Kouwenhoven and Andries Hudde purchased the first area of land on June 16, 1636, and since then, Dutch exploration and settlement expanded through Western Long Island. In 1655, they purchased surrounding land with what was to become Flatlands (Amersfoort), Brooklyn (Breuckelen), Bushwick (Boswyck), Gravesend (Gravenzande), Flatbush (Midwout), and Lott House (Nieuw Utrecht). 

Hendrick I. Lott House History: The Lotts

Pieter Lott immigrated to New Amsterdam around 1652 with his brother, Engelbartsen (Bartel). They settled in Midwood and years later, on December 12, 1719, Pieter’s grandson, Johannes Hendrickse, purchased a farm property from Coert Voorhies in Flatlands for £2100, which became the land for the Hendrick. I Lott House. When Johannes died in 1775, his sons inherited the property up until one of the last living descendants, Ella Suydam, who helped landmark the home and maintain the home’s integrity throughout the process. 

Learning about the beginnings of Brooklyn has been fascinating and can be explained in way more detail here, Mapping the Lotts: Remembering a Forgotten Farmhouse in South Brooklyn.

Hard Hat Tours

Hard Hat tours are an exclusive way to experience first-hand a part of Brooklyn history, and now is one of your LAST chances to see the home before the restoration project coming up in 2026. From the original salt box style home to the expansion, the Underground Railroad, and all of the artifacts left behind, this is an incredible way to learn about the beginnings of one of the most iconic places in the world. 

The house shows that in history, we are constantly evolving. What was an active slave plantation, giving in to years of abuse and overworking conditions for generations of slaves, later became a site of the Underground Railroad, helping free blacks in the area build a life for themselves and their families. 

If you’re not sure about a hard hat tour, check out the trailer to my Behind the Scenes Hard Hat Tour.  The full video is being released on September 17th! 

We Need Your Help

The Hendrick. I Lott House is going through a 3-4 year restoration project to reconstruct and develop the home back into its “original-like state,” and we need the community’s help. We’re looking for donations of any size to contribute to storage for all of the furniture and belongings in the home, wallpaper restoration, and construction work that needs to be done to see the project through. 

You can help by checking out the upcoming events and programs, donating to the restoration project & subscribing to the newsletter to stay up-to-date on all things The Lott House! Your support helps the city decide how much funding the project gets, which is a HUGE deal!

There You Have It

The mission of the Lott House is to ultimately tell the story of the Lotts and how they shaped the beginnings of Brooklyn. A special thanks to Mary Tsaltas-Ottomanelli, the Executive Director of the Hendrick I. Lott House, for sharing all, and I mean every bit of her knowledge. As a 3rd-generation Brooklynite, dating back to the exact town of the Lotts, my family’s properties are on historic Lott Farm, making this initiative extremely close to me. Thank you for your support, and we are so excited for the new and refreshed Hendrick I. Lott House!

Veronica

Hi everyone! My name is Veronica, but you can also call me Vee! I grew up in the iconic city of Brooklyn, NY, the cultural hub of the world, and hence learned about so many different cultures. It was those experiences that inspired me to travel and from then on, I had learned the power of travel. In return, I want to give others that same experience, to help inspire others to unleash their inner travel enthusiast no matter the trip.

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