COLONIE, NY (Nov. 9, 2016)—Two decades after first conserving a section of the historic Schuyler Flatts property just north of Albany, the Open Space Institute (OSI) announced the donation of the parcel to the Town of Colonie. Today, the 23-acre property serves as a popular recreational and cultural community asset.
“For centuries, Schuyler Flatts has been a priceless inheritance, connecting families to this wonderful landscape,” said Kim Elliman, OSI’s President and CEO. “OSI is proud to have preserved this this significant and storied acreage, and prouder, yet, to pass it on to the citizens of Colonie for their permanent enjoyment.”
“With this gift, OSI has helped ensure that Schuyler Flatts will continue to be a vibrant historical resource for our residents,” said Colonie Supervisor Paula A. Mahan. “We look forward to continuing the respectful stewardship begun by OSI.”
Once the Colonial estate of Elizabeth Schuyler, wife of Alexander Hamilton, the property is registered on the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. Yet by the late 1990s, it lay vacant and unattended, the last open space parcel in an otherwise heavily developed commercial and residential corridor.
In 1998, Colonie cheered OSI’s acquisition of the Schuyler Flatts property, capping a then-25-year effort by the town, the state and the federal government to protect the land. In 2002, the Town of Colonie made part of the grounds into a park.
Today the land is home to ballparks and bike trails, and continues to reveal the artifacts of 6,000 years of human history, from native peoples to the remains of former slaves.
OSI has made the transfer as part of a series of celebrated properties it is donating to municipalities across New York. The series will include five properties totaling 350 acres, with a total fair market value of over $3.1 million.