Feasible Utilization Study

December 13, 2005.

The Dyson Foundation of Millbrook, New York has awarded a $10,000 grant to the Newburgh Preservation Association (NPA) to support a study for the adaptive re-use of Newburgh's landmark former Dutch Reformed Church, located at 134 Grand Street, next to the Newburgh Free Library.

The grant is being matched by the City of Newburgh and NPA, which has raised funds for restoration of the building through memberships, donations, and the annual spring "Queen's Day Concert" and the "Summer Solstice Cruise."

NPA members and City officials gathered on Tuesday for a kickoff meeting with Vince Ferrandino of Ferrandino & Associates of Elmsford, New York, and Stephen Tilly of Stephen Tilly Architects of Dobbs Ferry, who will conduct the study.

According to NPA board member Jim Hoekema, the study will propose options for a private-public partnership that includes a financially self-supporting business plan, defined public benefits, and the restoration and continued preservation of the former church.

"In the 38 years since the church was vacated in 1967, several citizens' groups have tried to restore the building," Hoekema noted, "but none of them included financial self-sufficiency as the key ingredient in an adaptive re-use plan. We hope to change that."

"We applaud the untiring efforts of the NPA in working to restore this world-class architectural monument in our city," said Mayor Nicholas Valentine.

"It is encouraging to see the economic aspect as well as architectural preservation and public benefits being addressed in the plan," City Manager Jean-Ann McGrane noted.

"NPA is delighted to receive this significant support from the Dyson Foundation," said NPA Treasurer John McCormick. "We are also indebted to the City for providing additional support."

"This is a great opportunity to make a small contribution to a very worthy cause," said planner Vince Ferrandino.

"This is such a beautiful and important building," added architect Stephen Tilly, "It's exciting to imagine it once again fully restored and a functioning part of community life."

Designed in 1835 by Alexander Jackson Davis, the temple-like Greek-Revival structure was named this year as one of the "100 Most Endangered Sites" in the world by the World Monuments Fund - a list that has included the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, and the entire country of Iraq. The addition of New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast brings the current list to 101 endangered monuments.

In 2001 the U.S. Department of Interior named the Dutch Reformed Church a National Historic Landmark, its highest level of importance. The former church is the second such site in the City of Newburgh, the other being Washington's Headquarters.

The Dyson Foundation is a private, family-directed grant-making foundation established in 1957 and headquartered in Millbrook (Dutchess County), New York. Robert R. Dyson is the Foundation's President.