Summer kitchens like this one were common place in days gone by and often were not attached to the main house. This space was kept separate so that the house itself would stay cooler in the warmer months and, should a fire occur while cooking, there was less risk of destruction to the main structure.
 

At one time, this summer kitchen was indeed separate from the house, but the walkway between the two was eventually closed in.
 

More recently, the room needed to be refurbished as a result of disintegrating brickwork and the specialist in charge of the renovation discovered that no nails had been used in the original structure. Instead, beams were held together with wooden pegs like the ones you can see on the bench.
 

The stove on display came from the Mawney House tavern on the Gansevoort Road where Dr. Billy J. Clark started the first temperance movement in 1808.