Efforts underway to reopen the historic bridge in Staatsburg
The historic Hoyt Carriageway Bridge that spans over the railroad tracks in the quintessential Village of Staatsburg has been left to ruins for nearly a decade.
The historic Warren truss bridge was once the idyllic main entrance to The Point, the country estate designed by Calvert Vaux, architect and co-designer of Manhattan’s Central Park, for Lydig and Geraldine Livingston Hoyt.
Vaux completed the design of The Point and the Hoyt House in 1855, just two years before he began plans for Central Park. He also designed the landscape at Wilderstein in Rhinebeck, and assisted Hudson River School artist Frederic Church in his design of Olana’s landscape. Together with Central Park’s Belvedere Castle, “The Point may be one of the last remaining examples of a relatively intact Romantic Revival structure and landscape designed by Calvert Vaux.”
Today, and since 2015, the bridge has been closed off to pedestrians due to the decay of the metal decking on the top of the bridge.
Plans to repair and reopen the bridge for pedestrians have been recently supported by a $150,000 Stewardship Award from the Environmental Protection Fund’s Parks and Trails Partnership Grants Program. In addition to fixing concrete substructures and essential wood stringers, repair recommendations include removing large trees near the bridge, along with wood retaining walls that were installed in the late 1980s, and reinstalling the ornate, original the pedestrian railings. The graffiti on the pier will also remain, for now, according to initial plans.
Future plans for the site include walking tours, and a spring gala in the courtyard of the Hoyt’s brick barns.
Reopening the bridge, according to a 2022 historic structure report, “will restore a seminal statement of the American Picturesque, giving access to an experience of the vignettes that Vaux intended of the “Gentleman’s Farm” and culminating in The Point/Hoyt House showcased against the backdrop of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.”
In 2018, the Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance held a public forum about the future of The Point/Hoyt House to capacity crowd with “many residents expressing strong support for bridge restoration. Numerous people said that they had been walking that roadway for years and considered the truss bridge closing a great loss.”
On Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 7pm at the Staatsburg Library, Jon Lawson of the Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance (CVPA), and Jeffrey Anzevino or Scenic Hudson will detail the current status of the Hoyt Carriageway Bridge including an overview of recent work to the structure and a discussion of plans and timeline to re-open the bridge for pedestrians.
For more information, email Jon Lawson at jklawson1111@gmail.com or visit calvertvaux.org
VIDEO: Hoyt Carriageway Bridge Virtual Discussion from June 3, 2021 - https://www.facebook.com/TownofHydePark/videos/385373066133260
Source: 2022 Historic Structure Report – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HdLAX9ws-Z-yKWa7Xx3Gzm42zxK0gXdW/view
