Hoyt House -- "The Point" -- Named to
Seven to Save List
Preservation League completes listing endangered places for 2007

CONTACTS

Preservation League of New York State Colleen M. Ryan 518-462-5658 x17 cryan@preservenys.org

Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance Alan Strauber, President 845-527-6122 (movile) astrauber@gc.cuny.edu

ALBANY, April 11, 2007 – The Preservation League of New York State has named Hoyt House in Staatsburg, Dutchess County, to the nonprofit group’s annual list of the Empire State’s most threatened historic resources, Seven to Save.

Hoyt House, also known as “The Point,” was designed by architect and landscape designer Calvert Vaux in 1855 for Lydig Hoyt, heir to a prominent New York merchant, and his wife Geraldine. Calvert Vaux was a co-designer of Central Park, along with Frederick Law Olmsted, and designed the original Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History, along with other important works of architecture and landscape design. The Hoyt House, a valuable example of the picturesque Gothic Revival style, has been vacant since the 1960s, despite its location in the Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park, adjacent to the Mills Mansion estate in Staatsburgh.

The Hoyt House is located in the midst of the Hudson River National Historic Landmark District and serves as its southern anchor. “The historic buildings, rural roads, open space and the magnificent Hudson River itself combine to make this region unique and worthy of protection,” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. “Despite some stabilization work in the past, the building has suffered from vandalism and lack of maintenance, and is now vulnerable to water damage. We are here to support the efforts of local advocates to find a suitable reuse for the building, and to secure funding for its stabilization and restoration.”

Hudson River Heritage and Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College are among those working to find a use for the building that would serve the Hudson Valley Community while ensuring the preservation of the building. “In fact, the Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance, an outgrowth of the Hoyt House Preservation Committee, was recently formed for the purpose of preserving this Calvert Vaux-designed masterwork,” said Alan Strauber, President of the Alliance. “We also have an interest in any of Vaux’ other work in New York State that might require such efforts.” Other CVPA officers include J. Winthrop Aldrich, Executive Vice President and Francis Kowsky, Vice President.

“The Point could and should be the emblem – along with the Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh and the Plumb-Bronson house in Hudson – of a thrilling resurgence of the very best of historic American architecture, a widespread championing, celebration and reuse of these extraordinary buildings,” said Aldrich, who also serves as an Advisor to the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area.

The listing of Hoyt House on the Seven to Save Endangered Properties list provides an opportunity for the Preservation League to work with local advocates to protect the building, which is owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). According to Tania Werbizky, Director of Technical and Grant Programs at the Preservation League, “If rehabilitated, the Hoyt house could be an asset in one of New York’s premiere state parks. Stabilizing this landmark and exploring possible public-private partnerships are critical steps to securing its future.”

The Preservation League is pledging its support to identify strategies for dealing with the threats and opportunities that this distinctive property is facing. “We plan to continue working with local advocates and elected and appointed officials so the Hoyt House can again become useful, beautiful and a point of pride in the Hudson Valley,” said DiLorenzo.

Since 1999, publicity surrounding the Seven to Save designation has led to the stabilization of St. Joseph’s Church in Albany, the rehabilitation of the Oswego City Public Library, and prevented the demolition of the Conger Goodyear House on Long Island, along with successes at several other locations.

            The Dana L. Lyon School in the Village of Bath, Steuben County; the Stockade Historic District in Kingston, Ulster County; The Lamotte Cohu House, known as “Gissa Bu” in Southampton, Suffolk County; Henry Varnum Poor’s “Crow House” in New City, Rockland County; and the former Gigliotti Gas Station in Geneva, Ontario County; and the Champlain Bridge in Essex County were previously named to this year’s Seven to Save list. The Hoyt House completes the list for 2007.

           The Preservation League of New York State, founded in 1974, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the protection of New York’s diverse and rich heritage of historic buildings, districts and landscapes. From its headquarters in Albany, it provides a unified voice for historic preservation. By leading a statewide movement and sharing information and expertise, the Preservation League of New York State promotes historic preservation as a tool to revitalize the Empire State’s  neighborhoods and communities.

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