GARRISON, NY (July 6, 2017)—A lovely stretch of property on the east bank of the Hudson River featuring views of West Point and the Hudson Highlands is now permanently preserved as a community park, thanks to the Open Space Institute (OSI) and its partners the Garrison's Landing Association and Garrison Station Plaza. This action ensures continued community access to the site, while enhancing a 19th-century community historic district.
“Garrison’s Landing Riverfront Park” is about one acre in size, and public access to the property was preserved by OSI through a conservation easement for $200,000. The park contains a quaint gazebo, an open grassy common, benches shaded by magnificent willow trees, and a small spot for launching kayaks and canoes. The park has long been the site of Garrison Art Center's Annual Arts and Crafts Fair and of other events and community gatherings. Located between the Metro North train tracks and the Hudson River, the property also offers visitors scenic views of the river and the U.S. Military Academy.
“Garrison’s Landing Riverfront Park is a priceless community landmark in the Hudson Valley region,” said Kim Elliman, president and CEO of OSI. “This property connects families and visitors of all ages to the wonderful Hudson Valley landscape. OSI is delighted to have preserved this significant and storied acreage, and proud to partner with the Landing Association and Garrison Station Plaza for its permanent stewardship.”
In a joint statement, Garrison Station Plaza and the Garrison’s Landing Association expressed their “satisfaction that members of the public have been able to enjoy the park and surrounding areas which the organizations have maintained and improved for over 50 years since they were formed by farsighted members of the community who realized the value of protecting the Landing.” The statement goes on to note that “the conservation easement on the park will ensure permanent public access, and as a result, will enhance the enjoyment of the restored and renovated historic Garrison’s Landing in perpetuity.”
For 40 years, OSI’s land protection work in Putnam County has resulted in the protection of nearly 13,000 acres, and included Manitoga and Philipstown Town Park, as well as lands for Fahnestock and Hudson Highlands state parks.
Not only does conservation of the property increase riverfront access in the community, it also helps protect the Garrison Landing Historic District, a 5.3-acre commercial and residential area adjacent to Garrison’s Landing Riverfront Park that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For many years the park was the site of the landing for the main means of getting to the military academy, the West Point ferry. Also within the historic district, buildings erected in the 1850s once housed Garrison’s post office, library, firehouse and Forson’s general store, now the Garrison Art Center. Additionally, the district includes the 1892 railway depot, which is now the Philipstown Depot Theatre.