All work and no play makes the Lott House a dull venue.
Events hosted at the historic Hendrick I. Lott House in Marine Park have been put on hold as construction crews tear down the columns on the back porch as part of a major renovation.
The repairs to the city-owned 19th-century home on E. 35th Street between Fillmore Avenue and Avenue S interrupts the popular yoga sessions, open mic nights, and even volunteer clean-ups that locals say have quickly become a popular pasttime.
“It’s sad,” said Marine Park guitarist and music teacher John Henry Sheridan. “It’s a shame that the community found something that they were looking forward to — a peaceful way to enjoy this architecture and history.”
But Lott House officials say the renovations are necessary, and allowing people to walk the grounds while they are underway could be dangerous.
Sheridan started hosting the open mic nights in June and had planned another upcoming one for the community, but got the notice he’ll have to pack up and pluck elsewhere, he said.
“The columns have been taken down and currently all the underlying boards are exposed with nails,” said Alyssa Loorya, vice president of Friends of the Lott House. “It’s a safety issue.”
Workers finished making over the home’s traditional “spring eave” porch a few months ago after a winter storm knocked over one of its supporting columns, and plan to redo the interior of the home as part of a $2.5-million project sometime in 2017, a Parks Department spokeswoman said.
The Parks Department expects work on the back porch to finish up by the end of August.
