Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz, in Ulster County, NY, has been awarded a $2 million Capital Project grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the construction of an Education and Visitor Center.
As one of the nation’s earliest preservation organizations, Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) stewards a complex history spanning from the ancestral lands of the Lenape to the arrival of Dutch and French Huguenot colonists and the forced labor of enslaved Africans.
This investment is expected to help alleviate structural stress on the 10-acre National Historic Landmark District’s 300-year-old stone houses by transitioning administrative, educational, and visitor services into a new, purpose-built facility.
The site includes seven historic stone-house museums, a reconstructed 1717 French Church, the community’s original burying ground and a replica Esopus wigwam.
By relocating daily operations away from the fragile historic masonry buildings which face high foot traffic and lack Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, it’s hoped the new visitor and education center will allow the historic stone houses to be preserved strictly as the delicate artifacts they are.
“The project has been rigorously planned to respect the district’s architectural integrity and is strategically located to avoid disturbing Indigenous archaeology,” an announcement sent to the press said.
The site has already received a formal determination of “No Adverse Impact” from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks). The facility will include newly expanded parking and be located near the Empire State Trail.
“For decades, we have utilized our 300-year-old stone houses for functions they were never built to sustain,” Liselle LaFrance, President and CEO of Historic Huguenot Street said. “Retrofitting these structures with modern plumbing or heavy HVAC systems risks catastrophic damage to our historic masonry.”
She said HHS is working with the New Paltz Planning Board, the Historic Preservation Commission, and neighbors to ensure the project meets community standards.
After local and Village feedback, HHS reduced the originally proposed building’s footprint by 28 percent, reduced parking capacity to protect the site’s “lawn aesthetic” and included a landscape plan that will end in a net increase in the tree canopy.
Some critics have argued that the building should be historic in character, which was largely rejected by HHS Board in favor of a modern looking facility.
You can view renderings of the proposed deign here.
For more information about Historic Huguenot Street visit their website.
Illustrations: Renderings of the proposed Historic Huguenot Street visitor center (provided by ADG Architects).
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