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Carefully nestled in the hills of a beautiful New York location, Construction began in 1911 but was not completed until the 1930's. It was planned as yet another farm colony, as many were established from the early 1900s till mid 1920s in the US. Farm colonies put patients to work raising animals and growing food.
In 1908 at the conception of the plan to build it was to be known as Eastern NY State Custodial Asylum, Just one year later it was renamed Letchworth Villiage Home for the Feeble Minded and Epileptics. The renaming was for William Pryor Letchworth, well known humanitarian who served on the New York State Board of Charities who spearheaded the planning of the institution.
It's built in a college style layout, with gorgeous buildings such as Stewart Hall which is said to be inspired by Thomas Jefferson's home at Monticello. Sadly, Stewart Hall burnt on 12/06/06. Lack of water at the scene hurt the cause. Stewart Hall was slated to be used as commercial space in the upcoming Encore Haverstraw development.
Letchworth Villiage Close 3/31/96 but administration offices remained open for another six years. Some of the buildings have found creative reuses, as well as a golf course now running along one side. A middleschool has also been built on the campus.
As Letchworth Villiage is built on a county road, it is perfectly legal to drive through this area. Many people were seen walking their dogs through the park as we wandered around. We also met a few people who informed us they'd be filming a movie on the grounds.
Letchworth was set for demolition shortly after we were visiting, We'll be checking soon to see if it still stands. It will be redeveloped into Encore Haverstraw - 550 homes, retail space, restraunts, as well as a Meeting House inside Stewart Hall.
For Full Information: http://www.townofhaverstraw.us/encoresite/index.html
As sad as it is to see such a beautiful colony being torn down, its nice to see atleast one building being saved. Its a small step in the right direction.
~Tory
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TORY |
JAY |
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