It’s finally time to raise the roof off this old house.
Work to replace the roof of the landmarked Vander Ende-Onderdonk House, the city’s oldest Dutch Colonial residence, has finally commenced after being delayed a year.
The Ridgewood site, which has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a city landmark, serves as a museum in the neighborhood and hosts public and private events during the year, including weddings. It is also the home of the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society.
However, wear and tear on the more than 30-year-old roof, caused leaks during rain and after melting of large snow accumulations.
“If you were to go up to the second floor and look up you would see a lot of daylight,” said Steve Monte, a board member of the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society. “And it would only get worse.”
The Onderdonk House, named for former owners Paulus Vander Ende and Adrian Onderdonk, served as the boundary line between the towns of Newtown and Bushwick in 1769, settling a Brooklyn-Queens dispute.
In 2009, the society hosted a fundraiser to collect money for the roof replacement. And in the 2012, capital budget former Councilwoman Diana Reyna allocated $500,000 to the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society for the project. The budget for the project is $670,000, according to Community Board 5.
While the roof is being replaced, the museum is still open to the public on Saturdays and it will continue to host events. The roof replacement is scheduled to be completed by late September.
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