The house above, not far from my home, was standing in 1766, and up until a few years ago, was a prime example of Dutch Colonial architecture. During the Revolutionary War, Hessian soldiers were quartered in the house, and two of the soldiers etched their names in the windowpanes, which again, up until recently, could be seen.
Now it is an abandoned place of broken and boarded up windows and doors.
Here’s the thing: if you look at this closeup of the plaque in front of the house, you’ll see that in 1977 it had been designated as a National Historic Landmark:
(Click to enlarge)
If this is a National Historic Landmark, then how could it be allowed to fall into such disrepair? What does the designation mean if it can go to ruins? What’s even the point if it’s not protected?
Worse, according to Wikipedia, On October 14, 2021, the entire property was sold for $2.4 million dollars to “22nd Street Investors” according to City records.
If the original owners were allowed to sell, why didn’t the federal govt or the city offer to buy it?
So the National Historic Landmark designation is a complete farce and meaningless.
I fully expect to see another condo on the site soon.
Here’s what it used to look like only a few years ago:
