The national historic landmark and museum has been closed to visitors pending several infrastructure and landscaping projects aimed at improving visitor safety, accessibility, and the site’s stabilization.
New York Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado, a Democrat, says the renovations will mark a new chapter for the museum, and allow it to reach even more visitors down the line.
“This site serves as a pillar of our democracy, serving on the front lines during the Revolutionary War, and continuing to serve as a site that educates our children on the founding for our country," says Delgado. "As a proud Hudson Valley resident in Dutchess County, it means a lot to me to have a site with so much history right here in our region.”
The main focus of the renovations is the site’s entrance gate and “Long Walk,” an 800-foot brick walkway built in the 1950s. Historic Hudson Valley, which owns the site, says the main entrance gate has suffered multiple car crashes over the years due to its location at the abrupt, dead end of South Riverside Avenue, a former highway. The renovation project received $2.2 million from the Federal Highway Administration, as well as $600,000 from Empire State Development, and $225,000 in grant funds acquired by State Senator Pete Harckham and State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg.
“Celebrating history is really incredible, and we have so much history here in the Hudson Valley," says Levenberg.
Van Cortlandt Manor dates back to the 17th Century, when Stephanus Van Cortlandt, a Dutch gentleman who served multiple terms as mayor of New York City, received a royal charter permitting him to acquire a sprawling 86,000 acres from the Native Americans and establish it as “The Manor of Cortlandt.” The manor house was built in the early 1700s, and Stephanus’ grandson, Pierre Van Cortlandt, used it as his primary residence while serving as New York’s first lieutenant governor during the Revolutionary War.
Now, the 36-acre site helps visitors and schoolchildren learn about life in America in the years during and after the Revolutionary War. Kim Huchro, vice chairman of the board at Historic Hudson Valley, says the organization aims to shed light not just on the Van Cortlandts, but on the enslaved people who worked for the family and lived at the site. Huchro has been working on new programming to launch at Van Cortlandt Manor after the renovations are done.
“One of the amazing stories that we want to highlight is that of Bridget," says Hucro. "She was enslaved by the Van Cortlandts during the Revolutionary War, and she was tasked with maintaining this property while the members of the Van Cortlandt family fled before the battles started here. Bridget was an amazing woman who aided other enslaved women in escapes attempted from this site, and this really, dramatically illustrates both bravery and resistance.”
Also included in the renovations are improved sidewalks connecting the site to the Metro-North station at Croton-Harmon, EV charging stations, enhanced drainage systems, and the planting of new trees and shrubs.
The site will remain closed to visitors while the project is underway. One thing that won’t be disrupted, however, is The Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze, which is celebrating its 20th year this fall. Historic Hudson Valley President Waddell Stillman says annual pumpkin blaze has become a major attraction for families, drawing more than 250,000 visitors to Van Cortlandt Manor last year.
“Van Cortlandt Manor has gone from being the least visited of Historic Hudson Valley’s sites to the most visited," he adds.
Historic Hudson Valley expects the renovations to complete by 2026.
