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Dutch Reformed Church (Newburgh, New York)
Encyclopedia
The Dutch Reformed Church is one of the most prominent architectural
landmarks in Newburgh
, New York
. It was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis
in 1835 in the Greek Revival
style common in America in that time period. It is his only surviving church in that style and is considered to be his latest building still standing that largely reflects his original vision. It is located at 132 Grand Street, just north of the Newburgh Free Library
.
Its historical importance comes from not just over a century of use as church, but its centrality in the struggle by modern preservationists
to save and restore the city's many landmark buildings. Today it is a National Historic Landmark
. It was almost razed in the late 1960s, and even today is far from completely restored.
column
s are 37 feet (12 m) high (the capitals
have been removed for safety considerations at the moment). It sits on a bluff 250 feet (76 m) above the Hudson River
, a few blocks away. In the 1830s there were no other buildings in the vicinity to impede the view, so Davis saw it as symbolizing the city to the considerable river traffic of the time.
The southward orientation of the columns and facade
, the direction in which most shipping approached the city, was meant to echo the similar marine outreach of the Parthenon
or the Temple
of Poseidon
at Sounion
in Greece
.
The original design included a small dome
atop the roof, which Davis explained thus:
It was removed a few years after the building was completed for structural reasons. Other additions were built on to the property by the church as its growth warranted.
While the church had the neighborhood of Grand Avenue and Third Street to itself at the time of its construction, today it has become rather crowded. It is now a contributing property
of the Montgomery-Grand-Liberty Streets Historic District
, which includes other notable historic buildings such as the former Orange County Courthouse, another Greek Revival building (designed by locally prominent architect Thornton Niven) across the street, the library, several other large old churches (some still in use).
Several blocks to the south, along Liberty Street, is another site of major historical interest — the Hasbrouck House, today preserved as Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
owing to its use for that purpose during the last years of the Revolutionary War. To the north the area becomes more residential but still includes some of the city's older and larger homes, although some have been allowed to deteriorate in the last several decades.
The current siting both enhances and complicate its aesthetic position. On the former hand, most of the buildings around it are of similar historic value. On the latter, the brutalist library that sits cater corner from it is not only a serious contrast in styles, it blocks most of the view the river and the church once had of each other. The church, library and dilapidated former Metropolitan Club of Newburgh form a small plaza; however part of it is taken up by a small parking lot
built by the Newburgh Enlarged City School District
, which runs the library and is headquartered in it, for its own central office employees.
by Dutch Reformed Church
elders to start a new church. He commissioned Davis for the design and the cornerstone
was laid the following year.
It was completed and dedicated two years later. But by 1839, the church had to mortgage
the building to pay construction costs, and the dome and its lantern
were removed in 1843.
The mortgage payments did not prevent the church from expanding the property, with a small parsonage being erected on the southeast corner in 1852, where the library now stands. Seven years later, the mortgage was paid off. The church put the money it could now spend more freely to work on the structure, adding a pastor
's study
and recessed pulpit
and repainting the interior (not completely enough; some of the original stencil
ed Greek motif
s are still visible today).
After the Civil War
, the congregation had reached 290 members. It was able to add 20 feet (6 m) onto the north side of the building, complete with transept
s designed by George Harney, and purchase an organ
. By 1882, it had grown to 400 members and paid off all its outstanding debt
. The church would get a new roof
two years later, followed a decade after that by a replacement organ and pulpit.
The first years of the 20th century saw it get some electric light
s, and another new roof. In 1909 an iron fence
was built with money paid to the church by the city for the use of its lawn
during the previous year's Fulton-Hudson celebration
. The following year cement
replaced wood as the flooring material for the portico, and in 1920 all lighting
in the building became electric when the chandelier
s switched from gas
.
For the first time in its history, the church would finally take a stable form. No major work beyond routine repair was done until after World War II
, when various storms damaged the roof. However, in 1950
a hurricane blew the roof completely off. While the church was able to repair it and in fact make further improvements such as adding telephone
service and a public address
system, the years had taken their toll and in 1964 the congregation had acquired land in the Town of Newburgh
on which to build a new edifice. Three years later, they deconsecrated
Davis's building and moved out.
as part of the city's urban renewal
efforts. Helen Gearn, the city's historian
at the time, urged that it be preserved and somehow reused
. After a feasibility study
concluded it could be done, the "Palatine Square" proposal for the blocks in the immediate vicinity included the church.
Nevertheless, the next year the city claimed the church as an urban-renewal parcel, and the next year its Urban Renewal Agency paid $96,000 for it. Public efforts against its demolition
led to the church's addition to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970, which meant that federal funds could no longer be used to demolish it. Newburgh had in the past taken the lead in historic preservation
when Washington's Headquarters had become the first officially-designated historic site
in the U.S. in 1850. The battle to save the church revived this tradition and marked the beginning of the city's modern historic preservation
movement.
Orange County
expressed interest in buying the building as part of the "Courthouse Square" project, a proposal to redevelop the area around the courthouse
just across the street, which served as Ulster County
's when Newburgh was that county's seat
prior to the redrawing of county boundaries that followed the creation of Rockland County
in 1798. At the time, the county was still using the courthouse as a branch of the main county courts in Goshen
. The Hudson Valley Philharmonic
also looked into making the church its home.
The state's Office of Historic Preservation
designated a historic district in nearby downtown areas of the city, but it did not include the church. The Greater Newburgh Arts Council continued working to save the church.
While the building was safe for the time being, its exterior, particularly the columns, were in an advanced state of decay. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development which administered the city's urban-renewal grants, ordered in 1974 that it be either razed or sold. The city bought it for $7,000.
Three years later the Hudson Valley Freedom Theater (HVFT) bought the building, hoping to make it a playhouse. The purchase was conditioned on the theater company being able to renovate the structure within a certain time. The National Park Service
repaired the roof
. In 1984 the theater company defaulted on its contract and title reverted to the city. The following year the state expanded the city's historic district
to include the church, while the NPS removed the column's Ionic
capitals.
The 1990s saw the beginning of piecemeal efforts to restore the church. Another city historian, Kevin Barrett, called for the building's preservation in 1994, and the Council on the Arts intensified its efforts. It was suggested that the city or private donors restore one of the original columns, as a way of demonstrating that the restoration of the whole church, though a considerable task, was not impossible.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
, then First Lady
, spoke in front of the church before a large crowd on July 14, 1998 as part of the Save America's Treasures
tour. The $128,205 federal grant
received as part of that program paid to stabilize the church's upper gallery, which was then in imminent danger of collapse
.
The 21st century began with two events that signaled the struggle over the church was not now for its preservation but its restoration. The Dutch Reformed Church Restoration Committee was formed by local activist Carla Decker, former president of the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Hudson Highlands, in 2000 and the next year became part of the Newburgh Preservation Association. On August 7, 2001, the church was designated a National Historic Landmark
by the Department of the Interior
after a successful application by state preservation official William Krattinger.,
A state grant made possible the repair and restoration of the church's drainage
system and west foundation
wall. The picket fence
was repainted in 2004, and the following year the World Monuments Fund
put the church on its list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites.
Today, efforts to restore the church to its original glory continue. The DRCRC is actively involved in raising money for those efforts and promoting the church's historical importance. In 2002 the NPA commissioned the Albany
firm Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker to do a Historic Structure Report summarizing what needed to be done to restore the building.
One column and window
were restored in 2004, the first time since the church's deconsecration that any work had been done on the building's decorative elements. In 2006, the remaining three columns were restored through a combination of in-kind repayment and donated services.
Still, much work needs to be done. Estimates for implementing all the suggestions of the Historic Structure Report and completely restoring the church have ranged as high as $8 million. After restoration, ideas for what to do with the church have centered around cultural activities, consistent with similar such secondary uses in the past. In 2006 the Newburgh Preservation Association, with a grant from the Dyson Foundation, commissioned an Adaptive Re-Use Study to outline potential uses.
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
landmarks in Newburgh
Newburgh (city), New York
Newburgh is a city located in Orange County, New York, United States, north of New York City, and south of Albany, on the Hudson River. Newburgh is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie-Newburgh-Middletown metropolitan area, which includes all of Dutchess and Orange counties. The Newburgh area was...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis, or A. J. Davis , was one of the most successful and influential American architects of his generation, in particular his association with the Gothic Revival style....
in 1835 in the Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style common in America in that time period. It is his only surviving church in that style and is considered to be his latest building still standing that largely reflects his original vision. It is located at 132 Grand Street, just north of the Newburgh Free Library
Newburgh Free Library
The Newburgh Free Library serves as the public library for the residents of the Newburgh Enlarged City School District. The Newburgh Free Library is the Central Reference Library for the Ramapo-Catskill Library System and is a member of the Newburgh Library Collaborative...
.
Its historical importance comes from not just over a century of use as church, but its centrality in the struggle by modern preservationists
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
to save and restore the city's many landmark buildings. Today it is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. It was almost razed in the late 1960s, and even today is far from completely restored.
Description and site
The church is 50 feet (15 m) wide and high, and 100 feet (30.5 m) long. The four front Ionic orderIonic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s are 37 feet (12 m) high (the capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
have been removed for safety considerations at the moment). It sits on a bluff 250 feet (76 m) above the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
, a few blocks away. In the 1830s there were no other buildings in the vicinity to impede the view, so Davis saw it as symbolizing the city to the considerable river traffic of the time.
The southward orientation of the columns and facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, the direction in which most shipping approached the city, was meant to echo the similar marine outreach of the Parthenon
Parthenon
The Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
or the Temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
at Sounion
Sounion
Cape Sounion is a promontory located SSE of Athens, at the southernmost tip of the Attica peninsula in Greece.Cape Sounion is noted as the site of ruins of an ancient...
in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
atop the roof, which Davis explained thus:
It was removed a few years after the building was completed for structural reasons. Other additions were built on to the property by the church as its growth warranted.
While the church had the neighborhood of Grand Avenue and Third Street to itself at the time of its construction, today it has become rather crowded. It is now a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
of the Montgomery-Grand-Liberty Streets Historic District
Montgomery-Grand-Liberty Streets Historic District
The Montgomery-Grand-Liberty Streets Historic District was the first of two to be designated in the city of Newburgh, New York, USA. It runs along the three named north-south streets in the northeast quadrant of the city and includes 250 buildings in its ....
, which includes other notable historic buildings such as the former Orange County Courthouse, another Greek Revival building (designed by locally prominent architect Thornton Niven) across the street, the library, several other large old churches (some still in use).
Several blocks to the south, along Liberty Street, is another site of major historical interest — the Hasbrouck House, today preserved as Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site
Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site is a historic site in Newburgh, New York, USA. It consists of the Hasbrouck House, the longest-serving headquarters of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, and three other structures....
owing to its use for that purpose during the last years of the Revolutionary War. To the north the area becomes more residential but still includes some of the city's older and larger homes, although some have been allowed to deteriorate in the last several decades.
The current siting both enhances and complicate its aesthetic position. On the former hand, most of the buildings around it are of similar historic value. On the latter, the brutalist library that sits cater corner from it is not only a serious contrast in styles, it blocks most of the view the river and the church once had of each other. The church, library and dilapidated former Metropolitan Club of Newburgh form a small plaza; however part of it is taken up by a small parking lot
Parking lot
A parking lot , also known as car lot, is a cleared area that is intended for parking vehicles. Usually, the term refers to a dedicated area that has been provided with a durable or semi-durable surface....
built by the Newburgh Enlarged City School District
Newburgh Enlarged City School District
The Newburgh Enlarged City School District is a public school district located in Newburgh, New York. It encompassed all of the city of Newburgh, and most of the Towns of Newburgh, and New Windsor. The enrollment is 12,791 students in 13 schools in grades K-12. The district superintendent is Ralph...
, which runs the library and is headquartered in it, for its own central office employees.
History
The building's history can be divided into two eras: its actual use as a church from 1835 to 1967, and the attempts to preserve and refurbish it since then.Church era
In 1834 the Rev. William Cruickshank was sent upriver from New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
elders to start a new church. He commissioned Davis for the design and the cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid the following year.
It was completed and dedicated two years later. But by 1839, the church had to mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
the building to pay construction costs, and the dome and its lantern
Lantern
A lantern is a portable lighting device or mounted light fixture used to illuminate broad areas. Lanterns may also be used for signaling, as 'torches', or as general light sources outdoors . Low light level varieties are used for decoration. The term "lantern" is also used more generically to...
were removed in 1843.
The mortgage payments did not prevent the church from expanding the property, with a small parsonage being erected on the southeast corner in 1852, where the library now stands. Seven years later, the mortgage was paid off. The church put the money it could now spend more freely to work on the structure, adding a pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
's study
Study (room)
A study is a room in a house which is used for paperwork, computer work, or reading. Historically, the study of a house was reserved for use as the private office and reading room of a family father as the formal head of a household, but today studies are generally either used to operate a home...
and recessed pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
and repainting the interior (not completely enough; some of the original stencil
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
ed Greek motif
Motif (art)
In art, a motif is an element of a pattern, an image or part of one, or a theme. A motif may be repeated in a design or composition, often many times, or may just occur once in a work. A motif may be an element in the iconography of a particular subject or type of subject that is seen in other...
s are still visible today).
After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the congregation had reached 290 members. It was able to add 20 feet (6 m) onto the north side of the building, complete with transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s designed by George Harney, and purchase an organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. By 1882, it had grown to 400 members and paid off all its outstanding debt
Debt
A debt is an obligation owed by one party to a second party, the creditor; usually this refers to assets granted by the creditor to the debtor, but the term can also be used metaphorically to cover moral obligations and other interactions not based on economic value.A debt is created when a...
. The church would get a new roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
two years later, followed a decade after that by a replacement organ and pulpit.
The first years of the 20th century saw it get some electric light
Electric light
Electric lights are a convenient and economic form of artificial lighting which provide increased comfort, safety and efficiency. Most electric lighting is powered by centrally-generated electric power, but lighting may also be powered by mobile or standby electric generators or battery systems...
s, and another new roof. In 1909 an iron fence
Fence
A fence is a freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary. It is generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction: a wall is usually restricted to such barriers made from solid brick or concrete, blocking vision as well as passage .Fences...
was built with money paid to the church by the city for the use of its lawn
Lawn
A lawn is an area of aesthetic and recreational land planted with grasses or other durable plants, which usually are maintained at a low and consistent height. Low ornamental meadows in natural landscaping styles are a contemporary option of a lawn...
during the previous year's Fulton-Hudson celebration
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
. The following year cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
replaced wood as the flooring material for the portico, and in 1920 all lighting
Lighting
Lighting or illumination is the deliberate application of light to achieve some practical or aesthetic effect. Lighting includes the use of both artificial light sources such as lamps and light fixtures, as well as natural illumination by capturing daylight...
in the building became electric when the chandelier
Chandelier
A chandelier is a branched decorative ceiling-mounted light fixture with two or more arms bearing lights. Chandeliers are often ornate, containing dozens of lamps and complex arrays of glass or crystal prisms to illuminate a room with refracted light...
s switched from gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, when various storms damaged the roof. However, in 1950
1950 Atlantic hurricane season
The 1950 Atlantic hurricane season was the first year in which tropical cyclones were given official names in the Atlantic basin. Names were taken from the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet, with the first named storm being designated "Able", the second "Baker", and so on. It was an active season...
a hurricane blew the roof completely off. While the church was able to repair it and in fact make further improvements such as adding telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
service and a public address
Public address
A public address system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a sound source, e.g., a person giving a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often used in...
system, the years had taken their toll and in 1964 the congregation had acquired land in the Town of Newburgh
Newburgh (town), New York
Newburgh is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The 2010 census determined the population is 29,801. This is the first time ever that the population of the Town of Newburgh officially exceeded that of the adjacent but totally separate municipality known as the city of Newburgh...
on which to build a new edifice. Three years later, they deconsecrated
Deconsecration
Deconsecration is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated by a minister or priest of that religion. The same act when performed by a member of a differing religion may be considered a curse by some religions and not a complete removal of the...
Davis's building and moved out.
Preservation era
It was soon slated for demolitionDemolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
as part of the city's urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
efforts. Helen Gearn, the city's historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
at the time, urged that it be preserved and somehow reused
Adaptive reuse
Adaptive reuse refers to the process of reusing an old site or building for a purpose other than which it was built or designed for. Along with brownfield reclamation, adaptive reuse is seen by many as a key factor in land conservation and the reduction of urban sprawl...
. After a feasibility study
Feasibility study
Feasibility studies aim to objectively and rationally uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the existing business or proposed venture, opportunities and threats as presented by the environment, the resources required to carry through, and ultimately the prospects for success. In its simplest...
concluded it could be done, the "Palatine Square" proposal for the blocks in the immediate vicinity included the church.
Nevertheless, the next year the city claimed the church as an urban-renewal parcel, and the next year its Urban Renewal Agency paid $96,000 for it. Public efforts against its demolition
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
led to the church's addition to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1970, which meant that federal funds could no longer be used to demolish it. Newburgh had in the past taken the lead in historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
when Washington's Headquarters had become the first officially-designated historic site
Historic site
A historic site is an official location where pieces of political, military or social history have been preserved. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have recognized with the official national historic site status...
in the U.S. in 1850. The battle to save the church revived this tradition and marked the beginning of the city's modern historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
movement.
Orange County
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
expressed interest in buying the building as part of the "Courthouse Square" project, a proposal to redevelop the area around the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
just across the street, which served as Ulster County
Ulster County, New York
Ulster County is a county located in the state of New York, USA. It sits in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 182,493. Recent population estimates completed by the United States Census Bureau for the 12-month period ending July 1 are at...
's when Newburgh was that county's seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
prior to the redrawing of county boundaries that followed the creation of Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
in 1798. At the time, the county was still using the courthouse as a branch of the main county courts in Goshen
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
. The Hudson Valley Philharmonic
Hudson Valley Philharmonic
The Hudson Valley Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in Poughkeepsie, New York in the United States. The Hudson Valley Philharmonic also known as HVP began in 1932 and it serves the Hudson Valley region....
also looked into making the church its home.
The state's Office of Historic Preservation
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation operates :*168 state parks*35 state historic sites*76 developed beaches*53 water recreational facilities*27 golf courses*39 full service cottages*818 cabins...
designated a historic district in nearby downtown areas of the city, but it did not include the church. The Greater Newburgh Arts Council continued working to save the church.
While the building was safe for the time being, its exterior, particularly the columns, were in an advanced state of decay. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development which administered the city's urban-renewal grants, ordered in 1974 that it be either razed or sold. The city bought it for $7,000.
Three years later the Hudson Valley Freedom Theater (HVFT) bought the building, hoping to make it a playhouse. The purchase was conditioned on the theater company being able to renovate the structure within a certain time. The National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
repaired the roof
Roof
A roof is the covering on the uppermost part of a building. A roof protects the building and its contents from the effects of weather. Structures that require roofs range from a letter box to a cathedral or stadium, dwellings being the most numerous....
. In 1984 the theater company defaulted on its contract and title reverted to the city. The following year the state expanded the city's historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
to include the church, while the NPS removed the column's Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
capitals.
The 1990s saw the beginning of piecemeal efforts to restore the church. Another city historian, Kevin Barrett, called for the building's preservation in 1994, and the Council on the Arts intensified its efforts. It was suggested that the city or private donors restore one of the original columns, as a way of demonstrating that the restoration of the whole church, though a considerable task, was not impossible.
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
, then First Lady
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
, spoke in front of the church before a large crowd on July 14, 1998 as part of the Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures
Save America's Treasures is a United States Federal initiative to preserve and protect American historic buildings, arts, and published works. It is a public-private partnership between the U.S. National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation...
tour. The $128,205 federal grant
Federal grant
In the United States, federal grants are economic aid issued by the United States government out of the general federal revenue. A federal grant is an award of financial assistance from a federal agency to a recipient to carry out a public purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a law of...
received as part of that program paid to stabilize the church's upper gallery, which was then in imminent danger of collapse
Collapse
Collapse may refer to:* Collapse, the action a collapsible or telescoping object does* Collapse * Collapse * Collapse ** Cave-in is a kind of structural collapse** Collapse of the World Trade Center, a 2001 event...
.
The 21st century began with two events that signaled the struggle over the church was not now for its preservation but its restoration. The Dutch Reformed Church Restoration Committee was formed by local activist Carla Decker, former president of the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and the Hudson Highlands, in 2000 and the next year became part of the Newburgh Preservation Association. On August 7, 2001, the church was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
by the Department of the Interior
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior is the United States federal executive department of the U.S. government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land and natural resources, and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native...
after a successful application by state preservation official William Krattinger.,
A state grant made possible the repair and restoration of the church's drainage
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
system and west foundation
Foundation (architecture)
A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
wall. The picket fence
Picket fence
A picket fence is a variety of fence that has been used mostly for domestic boundaries. Until the introduction of advertising on fences in the 1980s, a Cricket field was also usually surrounded by a picket fence, giving rise to the expression rattling the pickets for a ball hit firmly into the...
was repainted in 2004, and the following year the World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund
World Monuments Fund is a private, international, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world through fieldwork, advocacy, grantmaking, education, and training....
put the church on its list of the 100 Most Endangered Sites.
Future projects
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
firm Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker to do a Historic Structure Report summarizing what needed to be done to restore the building.
One column and window
Window
A window is a transparent or translucent opening in a wall or door that allows the passage of light and, if not closed or sealed, air and sound. Windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent material like float glass. Windows are held in place by frames, which...
were restored in 2004, the first time since the church's deconsecration that any work had been done on the building's decorative elements. In 2006, the remaining three columns were restored through a combination of in-kind repayment and donated services.
Still, much work needs to be done. Estimates for implementing all the suggestions of the Historic Structure Report and completely restoring the church have ranged as high as $8 million. After restoration, ideas for what to do with the church have centered around cultural activities, consistent with similar such secondary uses in the past. In 2006 the Newburgh Preservation Association, with a grant from the Dyson Foundation, commissioned an Adaptive Re-Use Study to outline potential uses.