Restoration of Historic Cropsey Barn Wins Award

NEW CITY, NY — The project to restore and rehabilitate the Cropsey Farm Barn has won one of this year’s Excellence in Historic Preservation awards from the Preservation League of New York.

The barn was built 223 years ago in 1796 and is a great example of Dutch architecture of the time. In the renovation, finished a year ago, the barn underwent considerable repairs including its lifting for the purpose of timber repair and placement of a new foundation.

The project not only re-established the barn's status as a local landmark but also points to the importance of the numerous barn structures across New York State in need of rehabilitation, league officials said.

“Barns are an at-risk building type across New York State,” said Preservation League President Jay DiLorenzo. “It is heartening to see a municipality invest in an important historic barn like this one and ensure that it continues to add to New York’s agricultural heritage.”

In 2006, Rockland County partnered with Clarkstown to take ownership of the Cropsey property in order to preserve it as open space with the county owning 61 percent and the town 31 percent. The local Community Sponsored Agriculture association is the primary user, growing and selling organic produce. Since 2017 it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The total project cost of the barn renovation was $1.55 million with Clarkstown contributing $604,000 and the rest coming from the county's Capital Projects Budget.

The project team included: Robert Gruffi, P.E., LEED AP, Director of Facilities Management, Rockland County; John McDowell, President, Rockland County Farm Alliance; Allan Beers, Coordinator Environmental Resources, Rockland County; Bob Gablaski, Partner, Lothrop Associates | Architectural Design; Alex Stojkovic, Technical Design Staff, Lothrop Associates | Architectural Design; Derek Trelstad, Structural Engineer, Silman Structural Engineers; Gerry Rauth, MEP Engineer, Landmark Facilities Group; Gary Dinnebeil, General Contractor, Yankee Construction; Stephen Smith, General Contractor Assistant, Yankee Construction; Michael Lehman, Mechanical / Plumbing Sub-Contractor, Hauser Bros, Inc.; James Mullen, Electrical Sub-Contractor, HVS, LLC

"Not that long ago there were farms and barns all over Rockland as most people made their living from the land,” said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. “The restoration of this beautiful barn allows us to preserve an important part of Rockland's agriculture past and provide for the County's environmental and recreational future."

ALSO SEE:

• Revolutionary-Era Barn Renovation Deal Signed
• A New Generation of Farmers Comes to New City's Cropsey Farm