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EVENTS
Art Exhibit at Mahopac Public Library
April 15 to June 1, 2008
Historic Belden
House subject of Paint-Fest 2006
Putnam County Courier August 17, 2006
We, the
residents of Putnam County, support and encourage all efforts, including
those of New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Putnam
County officials, community organizations and interested individuals, to
preserve and restore the 1760 Gothic Revival Belden House as a unique
reminder for present and future generations of Putnam's historical,
cultural and architectural past.
The Family of Linda Birrell-Meunier
inhabited Belden House from 1973 to 1990. Her Father was employed by the
DEP and she has fond memories of her stay there.
DEP ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR
2.9 MILLION REHABILITATION OF BELDEN HOUSE IN PUTNAM COUNTY
Links
www.putopenspaces.com
www.newyorkwater.org
www.westchesterlandtrust.org
www.townofcarmel.org
www.putnamcountyny.com
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SPRUCING
UP LADY BELDEN
May
2008
Repairs under way at decaying Belden House
By Susan Elan • The Journal News • May 14, 2008
Progress is under way in the long-awaited restoration of the historic
Belden House in Carmel.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has sent a team
to prepare the nearly 250-year-old white wooden farmhouse for a coat of
outdoor protective paint, an agency representative told members of the
Friends of Belden House yesterday.
DEP staff are evaluating proposals from four firms specializing in
historic restoration to select one to design and manage the project that
is expected to take several years to complete, DEP representative Matt
Warne told Friends of Belden House board members during a morning
meeting at the Mahopac Library.
"We're at a good stage now," Warne said as he looked over a scrapbook
filled with watercolors and sketches of the Belden House by local
artists, part of a campaign to keep up community interest in
preservation of the landmark house on Route 6 just outside the Carmel
hamlet.
"My goal today is to proceed with the design for restoration," Warne
said. "There have been a lot of steps along the way."
In April 2006, the DEP pledged $2.9 million to restore the Carpenter
Gothic-style structure built around 1760.
A first round of requests for proposals from companies to handle the
architectural-engineering design and construction management had to be
rebid after only one firm qualified, Warne said.
"We have four good bidders now so we are very pleased with where we
stand," he said.
Removal of lead paint and asbestos will follow completion of the
architectural design. Then construction can begin.
The DEP had a rubberized roof installed several years ago to stop water
damage that had ruined the plaster ceilings in the Belden House.
Local seniors, supported by preservationists and history buffs, began a
campaign to save the deteriorating building after Putnam legislators
rejected an offer from New York City to turn it over to the county.
Legislators said it would cost too much to restore.
Bruce Heilman of Mahopac, who helped spearhead a campaign at the William
Koehler Senior Center in Mahopac to save the Belden House, said
yesterday that many in Putnam want to contribute to the restoration
project by helping out with landscaping.
Friends of Belden House sponsored an art project in which local artists
presented their vision of the landscaping that would grace the restored
house. Those drawings and paintings are on view on the third floor of
the Mahopac Library through the end of May.
Earlier efforts failed to raise the money to preserve the house, said
Sallie Sypher of Putnam Valley, the deputy county historian and a
Friends board member.
But Friends of Belden House now has a state-approved charter and is
working to gain recognition as a not-for-profit so that it can apply for
grants, Sypher said.
Once restored, the two-story structure will house some DEP offices. The
Friends of Belden House also will have an office, use of a conference
room, and space for exhibits.
New York City has owned the house on Belden Road off Route 6, between
the West Branch Reservoir and Lake Gleneida, for more than 115 years. It
had been used as a residence for an on-site custodian and, later, for
city offices. It has been vacant since 2001.
Reach Susan Elan at selan@lohud.com
or 914-666-6205.
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