the van der Ende / Onderdonk House sits upon the historical border beween Queen's and King's County of New York City.
The street, Onderdonk Ave. which passes by the oldest surviving house, perhaps in the whole of New York City, called the Onderdonk / van der Ende House, travels toward a train track, which it meets perpendicularly. And lines up perfectly with the
obelisque
the Empire State Building. which was inaugurated on Beltaine / May Day 1931It's been off and on the tallest building.
The Empire State Building was once again demoted to second tallest building in New York on April 30, 2012, when the new One World Trade Center reached a greater height.[10
The Onderdonk House sets the border between 2 counties in New York City.
We are told the British had the North, what became "Queens" and the Dutch had the South, what became Kings. And that there was a war between the two wherein a treaty was signed upon a Rock; called the Arbitration Rock.
This House is full of Masonic plaques and had a chair to St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas day is celebrated there every year. It is said the Onderdonk House was the site wherein work on the Apollo 11 took place.
The directly adjacent neighborhood is full of factory spaces and warehouses.
Nearby is a gigantic warehouse dedicated to FEMA. I was told by neighborhood firemen that if anything happened these are the folks who would then be in charge of everything.
After the last Onderdonk moved out, successive owners used the house as a livery stable, speakeasy, office and, most recently, as a factory for parts for the Apollo space program. The Greater Ridgewood Historical Society was formed to save the house, which was nearly destroyed by fire in 1975. It opened to the public in 1982.
