A piece of history is up for sale in Queens: a house that is nearly three centuries old. It's for sale in the open market for the first time in a century, causing quite a buzz. Borough Reporter Ruschell Boone takes a look inside the Cornelius Van Wyck House.
This Dutch Colonial in Queens has just hit the market for the not-so-low price of $3.25 million. But it's not the high price that sets it apart, it's the home's age. It was built more than 280 years ago.
"This is a jewel -- a total jewel if you love history," says real estate agent Nina Kowalsky of Daniel Gale Sotheby's nternational
The Cornelius Van Wyck House is a city landmark that dates to 1735.
The Van Wycks were wealthy merchants and politicians who built large homes in Queens and Long Island. They came from Holland, and the house at 126 West Drive in Douglaston has been called one of the "most impressive architectural remnants" of the Dutch who first settled the city.
It has nearly 3,900 square feet of space and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also one one of the largest waterfront properties in Queens, overlooking Little Neck Bay. Many of its original features are still intact.
"It is extremely rare and we are extremely fortunate for such a house to be in private hands," says Richard Hourahan, a curator at the Queens Historical Society. "Whoever occupies that house has a passion for the house and what it represents."
The listing of the house for sale was first reported by curbed.com.
The Cornelius Van Wyck House has changed hands numerous times within families, passed down from generation to generation through inheritances, but it has rarely been put up for sale. The last time it was on the market was 100 years ago.
The seller, who asked to remain anonymous, says his family was the last to purchase the property.
"The family kept the integrity of the house and that's what makes it again unique because sometimes people modernize it," Kowalsky says.
The house is part of a city historic district so any planned changes would have to be approved, but the owner is looking for someone who will love and appreciate it just the way it is.