Old Psych Hospital Undergoing Overhaul
Soon Marist College students are going to be able to benefit from the abandoned property off Rt. 9, including more than 100,000 square feet of commercial space and hundreds of residential units.
EFG Saber Realty LLC recently acquired the property from Diversified Realty Advisors and plan to make a small community on the property for the low cost of $300 million.
“It’s a really incredible property, first it’s just gorgeous piece of property, then when you go on the top it’s great views and the history of it,” Martin Berger, a managing member at Saber said.
The first phase of the construction was centered around restoring the property to what it was when the Hudson River State Hospital was built in the late 1800’s. The tree’s were the first aspect to come down which revealed the hospital, once called the Cheney building and the historic great lawn.
Saber and the Town of Poughkeepsie are committed to using any buildings on the property that they can. “Our historical preservation commission met with them if not 20 times, a hundred times to try to save what they could,” Jon Baisley, Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor said.
One of the most important aspects of the property that the developers want to preserve is the Great Lawn. “It was an Olmstead lawn, so they’re trying to save that one,” Baisley said. Frederick Olmstead, Central Park mastermind, was contracted to design the Great Lawn when the hospital was created.
“People want to save what you can, you always have that group. Including us. You never want to lose the history of your town,” Baisley said in regards to the importance of saving what they could.
The 156-acre property is home to 56 buildings that are overgrown and partially damaged from three major fires that have happened over the last 15 years. The most significant being the fire that ravished the administrative building at the beginning of spring semester last year.
“I’ve been up there personally for three fires over the last 15 years,” Baisley said thinking on the benefits of the current development and a lessened strain on the fire department. “It’s a drain to the county because Fairview can’t handle it by themselves so they’ll pull in 6–7 departments.”
Although the developers are concerned with the history of the property, that doesn’t mean they can keep every building on the property. They plan on taking down a majority of the buildings which means they must clean them of asbestos, a cancer causing fiber, and it’s not cheap. “It’s fifteen million for asbestos cleaning and demo. It’s for all 52 out of 56 buildings,” Berger said.
