A packed house in the old fire station meeting room at the New Paltz Village Hall this past Monday listened to varied public opposition to Historic Huguenot Street’s (HHS) proposed 7,400-square-foot visitors center, now under review by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC). Slated for the sweeping green lawns and old pine tree grove behind the Deyo House, the proposal includes a 7,400-square-foot glass, stone and wood building, a large patio, an outdoor amphitheater, a caterer’s kitchen, a 100-space parking lot, and a road that would allow buses to turn around and park off North Front Street, adjacent to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.
HHS, a 10-acre National Historic Landmark, includes seven historic stone-house museums, a reconstructed 1717 French church, the community’s original burying ground, and a replica Esopus Munsee wigwam.
President of the HPC Thomas Olsen thanked the public for the turnout. He promised to take “copious notes” of public comments and concerns. The project was “very early on in the process,” and the HHS would also have to go before the village’s planning board for site-plan approval. HHS and its architect were to give a brief presentation of the project.
As they discussed garage doors of a residence within the historic district and a proposal to repair the existing foundation and walls of one of the historic stone houses, the meeting, which was being aired over Zoom, was disrupted—first by loud, jarring music and then by a series of pornographic images and videos displayed on the screen by someone hacking into the meeting. Someone in the audience joked that it was like Bonnie Raitt’s song “Something to Talk About.” The HPC secretary and Mayor Tim Rogers attempted to rectify the interference. The Zoom meeting stopped. The public hearing continued on YouTube.
Once the digital drama was over, homemade chocolate chip cookies and a sign-up sheet were passed around to the standing-room-only crowd.
Liselle LaFrance, president and CEO, said that HHS looked forward to hearing comments from the public. She said their organization, established in 1894 by descendants of the French and Dutch colonial settlers, had secured a grant to pay for a professional assessment of existing structures. One of the conclusions from that study, according to LaFrance, was that their existing facilities were not adequate to properly store its substantive collection of documents and artifacts in an environmentally controlled space.
Deyo Hall on Brodhead Avenue had been utilized for years to host educational programs, speakers and events. It was closed so it could be used to store collections. LaFrance said that there were “thousands of documents being stored in the stone church, which has water issues.”
HHS hired an architectural firm to design a master plan. The idea of designing and building a new visitor and educational center came up. Such a facility could serve a “growing audience of schoolchildren” who visit the stone houses. A place for buses to turn around and park was discussed. Accessible restrooms were included in the proposal, along with larger venues for exhibition space and programming.
Jason Anderson, president of ADG Architects based in Montgomery, New York, designed the project. He gave a slide presentation describing the interior and exterior spaces, including administrative offices, a 25-person classroom, a 105-person auditorium, as well as the environmentally controlled archival collection and artifact museum rooms. He explained that the modern look of the design was purposeful so as not to “distract” from the historic structures they were trying to showcase. Their design has a wall of glass windows that give a “180-degree view of the historic streetscape,” as well as stone and wood elements, a covered concrete patio, benches and the amphitheater. He said the parking lot had been reduced to close to 80 spaces, and only a dozen or 13 existing trees on the lawn would need to be removed.
When the public began to speak, a common refrain was gratitude for the work that HHS has done in helping to preserve the 10-acre historic district and stone houses and green spaces, which many called “the heart and soul of our village.” At the same time, one after another also said that, in their estimation, the project was too large, too out of proportion for the relatively small historic district and that it would result in destroying, rather than preserving, an undeveloped parcel that is every bit as much part of the historic district as the seven stone houses.
The other refrain from the steady stream of public opposition was that there were other options for HHS to store its archival collections and that a 7,400-square-foot building ringed in asphalt on what was once a pristine green space was not the answer. Attendees advocated for investing in upgrading existing facilities to meet their needs, or if necessary, build a much smaller building on Brodhead Avenue along the streetscape rather than digging into the green space that frames the stone houses.
Local architect Matt Bialecki, referring to a detailed letter he had submitted to the HPC, said: “Historic Huguenot Street is a national treasure, on par with Mt. Vernon, Boston’s Old North Church or Independence Hall. It is also the green heart, historic center and the spiritual core for our community for over 330 years. Any large-scale alteration or change to such an important national, state and community historic place should be done with the utmost care and caution.”
Bialecki observed that the existing landscape provides context for both the street and the historic houses. He expressed his view that the meadows bordering the trail on the east (along Huguenot Street) are essential to preserve and protect the character and context of the original historic street and settlement, together with the trees and open space of the now-preserved Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.
He also said that what is being proposed is essentially a “floating building in a parking lot,” which is a 20th- to 21st-century American auto-centric strip mall, rather than a 17th-century original village setting and landscape that retains the character that was determined as significant for HHS being named to the National Historic Registry.
“Parking lots should not be the new entry to Historic Huguenot Street,” he said.
Bialecki suggested that if any building were necessary, it should be located on Brodhead Avenue along the street. “This building and location are not appropriate. It is important to note that the proposed visitor center site, the area bounded by Brodhead, Huguenot, Front and the WVRT, is only 4.5 acres—barely the size of an average rural house lot west of the Wallkill. The size of the building, parking lots, connector road, hardscape, etc., are over 1.2 acres.” He said it would alter over 25% of the core district for a large parking lot, connector road and building that would “irreparably alter the context of the district and harm its unique and very fragile beauty.”
His sentiments were echoed by three other local architects, including John Vett, whose grandfather was a New Paltz village mayor and whose family lived in both the Hasbrouck and Freer houses for a time. “I used to love dinners at the Old Fort with my grandmother,” he said. “I have a long, personal history with Huguenot Street.”
Vett voiced concerns that the building felt too big and tall, overwhelming the small, elegant historic site. He noted that the parking seemed excessive and that the proposed location was not accommodating to pedestrians and had no access to the rail trail, but instead “can only be accessed through parking lots?”
Alan Ross, another local resident and architect, said he greatly appreciated all of the work and stewardship that the village, HHS and HPC have done to protect a place of “such vital importance.” But he said when a place is so connected to the soul of a community, the role of any design should take the back seat—not detract from the place you are trying to celebrate. He said the building did the opposite—that it is “enormous” and will end up dwarfing the small stone houses, “turning a sacred space into a dead zone that is surrounded by asphalt.” Like others, he thought that if a building was required, it should be located on Brodhead Avenue.
“This is not Gettysburg,” said Huguenot Street resident Anne Quinn. “We do not need a building of this magnitude. We have seven stone houses and plenty of buildings that could be repurposed for the needs you have. The Deyo House is a perfect place for a visitors center. It’s right at the entrance to the district and has existing parking. It looks all boarded up and so unwelcoming right now but is a beautiful building. Why not put our effort into that? We can store the archives off site. We have a treasure here. There’s no other place like it in all of America. We need to protect it. Joni Mitchell said it best in the 1960s when she said, ‘You paved paradise and put up a parking lot.’ Once it’s done, it’s irrevocable. This is a very fragile ecosystem.”
Several residents questioned why the HHS could not partner with the state university to store documents, or the Reformed Church for parking and meeting space, or better utilize the large Deyo House.
Sam Kniffen said he spends “a lot of time on Huguenot Street as a member of the Reformed Church congregation,” and noted that there’s also a spiritual component to Huguenot Street that needs to be preserved. “Historic preservation is also supposed to preserve the lives that are living here now,” he said. “Huguenot Street is very peaceful and I’m there a lot and have never seen any great need for that size building. I don’t see a ton of people or cars and I did those school visits when I was a kid and there was never a problem with parking the bus.”
Renee Skuba, a village resident, said she also appreciates the work that HHS has done and is grateful to them for their stewardship. “I’m in that park all the time,” she said, referring to the 4.5-acre parcel where the visitors center is being proposed. “I was in shock when I saw the proposal. How much paved area and green space would be destroyed—forever. It’s not just about buildings. The landscape is a living history. There are May Day celebrations and egg hunts and people meditating and relaxing. That park is so restorative. I’m out of time when I’m there. It’s the only real village green space left. I would ask you to repurpose existing buildings, and if you have to build something, scale it way down and put it on Brodhead Avenue.”
Brenda Buffalino, a 60-year resident of New Paltz and professional dancer and choreographer, said she had two questions: “Who is this being built for? I don’t feel like you’re building it for any of us. I find this structure absurd! Huguenot Street is the soul of our community. You can archive materials in other spaces—you don’t have to build something like this. We have a university; can’t you ask them to be a part of this?”
“We’ve had four reputable architects who spoke beautifully on why they believe this building is not appropriate,” said Carmel Reidy, a village resident. “People have mentioned several other options to help with the mission and stewardship, like using the Deyo House or partnering with SUNY New Paltz or the Reformed Church. We love Huguenot Street. It is a very delicate ecosystem that we want to protect for our children and grandchildren and beyond. I walk it every morning and every night and hear the frogs and geese and see the bats and blue herons, and it’s a magical place. I think it would break all of our hearts if you did this.”
There were many questions about what the demonstrable need is for more building space, rather than utilizing the numerous buildings HHS already has (not including the stone-house museums). One Huguenot Street resident said he had begun counting and that on the “busiest day, there were a total of 14 cars parked in various lots along the street.”
Putnam McKenna, a transplant from northern New Jersey who has been living and working in the area for the past seven years, said: “Like someone said, this is not Gettysburg. Why would you even think about tearing up so much land? It’s so unnecessary. And the proximity of that parcel to the Nyquist Sanctuary is critical. We have migratory birds that fly over and the amphibian crossings that a previous person mentioned. Every bit of green space counts. God is not making any more undeveloped land, so we need to hold on to the little that we have.”
He said there is already existing parking that is underutilized, and that there is not the demand for anything close to that size of a building. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t develop anything. But if you do? Make it really, really tiny—or just use what you have.”
The HPC will focus on the exterior design and architectural plans as they relate to their responsibility to ensure the historic nature of any new development or restoration/renovation of existing structures within the 10-acre district. Any homeowner or organization that wants to make modifications to the exterior of their home or structure must apply for a certificate of appropriateness from the HPC. That is what the HHS is seeking approval for with this project proposal. They will also have to go through a site-plan review by the Village Planning Board.
At this time, the public hearing is still open, and people can write to hpc@villageofnewpaltz.gov.
Plans for the proposed building can be accessed at shorturl.at/CAfii or by requesting them from the HPC at the email address above.
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