Sold to Developer, Historic Wyckoff-Bennett House Vandalized as Locals Worry About Its Future
Plans could include subdividing and selling the property for development and moving or “fixing up” the landmarked pre-Revolutionary War farmhouse.
The Wyckoff Bennett house at 1669 East 22nd Street today. Photo by Susan De Vries
Anyone who walks by the Wyckoff-Bennett House today might wonder if its new investor-owners are purposefully encouraging squatters, thieves, vandalism or demolition by neglect by leaving fences down and not repairing broken windows, missing downspouts and other visible damage. The pre-Revolutionary War house is one of the oldest in Brooklyn and was remarkably intact, a time capsule complete with the belongings of its previous owners — incredibly, there were only three — before it sold to investors in September 2021 for $2.4 million.
Since then, the house at 1669 East 22nd Street in Madison has sadly been vandalized and is deteriorating, the New York Post reported Tuesday, and locals concerned about its future have been frantically reaching out to city agencies to try to safeguard the landmark structure.
The investors who own it now under the name 22nd Street Investors LLC want to unload the circa 1766 house, but their plans are uncertain, said the Post. They hope to find a buyer or buyers who can pay $4 to $5.5 million for the 22,000 square foot property, which could be subdivided for development, and might or might not include the landmarked farmhouse, which might be moved (pending approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission) or “fixed up.” One of the owners, Avraham Dishi, “has been hit by city lawsuits for building violations on other properties and was listed by former Mayor Bill de Blasio as one of the worst landlords,” according to the Post.
It is not unusual for owners of otherwise empty houses for sale in Brooklyn to hire someone to sleep at the house at night to ward off break-ins. As for historic house museums, most have live-in caretakers for security and to ensure urgent repairs are swiftly handled before they can cause major damage.
Before the purchase, the owners asked the house to be emptied of its priceless historic contents, and the nearby Hendrick Lott House managed to acquire some of its treasures, including a religious book from 1625 and some pre-Revolutionary War indentures.
The situation is all too reminiscent of the fate of the Susan B. Elkins house at 1375 Dean Street, the oldest house in Crown Heights — except the Wyckoff-Bennett is older with more land. Also landmarked, the Susan B. Elkins house deteriorated dramatically as it passed through several investor owners and was stripped clean of its details by thieves and vandals over years.
[Photos by Susan De Vries except when noted otherwise]
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