Holmes-Hendrickson House
This uniquely well-preserved structure with wide flaring eaves is set in the Pleasant Valley section of Holmdel, NJ, abutting Holmdel Park & Historic Longstreet Farm. Built in 1754, it is a combination of Georgian and Dutch vernacular architecture that borrowed elements from both Dutch and English cultures. William Holmes, the youngest son of Jonathan Holmes and Teuntje Hendrickson, purchased the land from his parents in 1752. His first cousin Garret Hendrickson then bought the property in 1756 with all of its improvements. Hendrickson operated a successful mixed-use farm where he grew crops, raised livestock including sheep for wool, and planted flax to produce linen.
Originally, the house stood just over a mile from its current location. In 1929, Bell Telephone Laboratories acquired the farm to establish a communications test site. Afterward, the house, never equipped with plumbing, electricity, or central heating, was used occasionally for storage. In 1959, Bell Labs began planning for the construction of a large new office building designed by legendary architect Eero Saarinen, now an important landmark in its own right. MCHA acquired the house and moved it to a small lot donated for the purpose.