West Point Foundry Reserve

Location

Cold Spring, NY
United States

Project Size
87 acres
Project type
Open space - Park
Site Context
Suburban
Former Land Use
Brownfield
Terrestrial Biome
Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests
Budget
$3.92 million
Project overview

The West Point Foundry Preserve (WPFP) project transformed 87 acres of former industrial land into an outdoor museum and heritage destination. From 1818 to 1911 West Point Foundry was a technological powerhouse, one of America's most innovative and productive ironworks. It manufactured Parrott guns—cannons so critical to the Union's victory in the Civil War that President Lincoln visited the foundry in 1862—as well as steam engines and mill equipment that sparked the Industrial Revolution. WPFP includes a former EPA Superfund cleanup site that was delisted in 1996 and is now a restored tidal marsh again supporting wildlife. WPFP brings vividly to life the history of the site and its renewed landscape. Visitors of all abilities can experience WPFP by following foundry workers' footpaths and rail lines that connected foundry operations. The centerpiece of the preserve - located in a now-tranquil ravine - is a sculptural interpretation of the boring mill’s 36-foot waterwheel in its original location. Eight years of archaeological study and input from a community advisory group enabled the design team to develop a sensitive plan for public access, habitat restoration, historic preservation and interpretation. WPFP is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Preserve America site. photo by: Robert Rodriguez, Jr.

Project Team
  • Owner and Site Manager- Scenic Hudson, Inc.: Kate Kane, RLA, SITES Project Manager; Rite Shaheen, ASLA, Director of Parks; Meg Rasmussen, RLA, Senior Park Planner, WPFP Construction Project Manager; Joseph Kiernan, WPFP Construction Coordinator; Geoffrey Carter, Parks and Stewardship Manager
  • Landscape Architect – Matthew Nielsen Landscape Architects, P.C.: Kim Mathews, RLA, Principal; Daniel Yannaccone, RLA; Darlene Montgomery, RLA
  • Architect – Li/Saltzman Architects, P.C.: Roz Li, Principal; Zack Rice, Architect
  • Engineering & Environmental Services – Stearns & Wheler GHD, Inc.: Gregory Liberman, CPESC, Project Scientist I
  • Exhibit Designers – C&G Partners LLC: Keith Helmetag, Partner; Amy Siegel, Associate Partner
  • Structural Engineering – Liam O’Hanlon Engineering, P.C.: Liam O’Hanlon, PE
  • Transportation Services – Frederick P. Clark Associates, Inc.: Michael Galante, Executive Vice President, Traffic Engineer
  • Cost Estimating Services – Slocum Construction Consulting, Inc.: Christopher Slocum, Principal
  • Industrial Archaeology – Michigan Technological University: Patrick E. Martin, PhD, Social Sciences Department Chair, Professor of Archaeology
  • Archaeological Monitoring Plan – Hartgen Archeological Associates: Tracy Miller, Project Director
  • Surveying – Badey & Waston Surveying and Engineering P.C.: Glennon J. Watson, LS, President
  • Ecological Services – Ecosystems Strategies, Inc: Paul Ciminello, President
  • General Contractor – Meyer Contracting Corporation: Christian Meyer, President
  • On-site Archaeological Monitoring – John Milner Associates, Inc.: T. Arron Kotlensky, RPA, Project Archaeologist