The Riverfront

Land for Cornell, California and Washington Boathouses

Just north of the Marist Martin Boathouse there were four buildings used for the famed Poughkeepsie regatta. They were the Cornell boathouse, the California boathouse, the Washington boathouse, and a mess hall. These were named after the colleges and used by several other colleges also, but never owned by the colleges. They were constructed and owned by the City of Poughkeepsie on land taken originally for water works use from the Swain family who owned the lower section of the Barnard parcel. When the regatta moved away from Poughkeepsie around 1950, local high schools used the boathouses to store their shells. Other colleges built and owned or rented space along the river for their boathouses. Notable among these was Navy, whose original boathouse still stands at Quiet Cove north of the Marist College property, and Columbia whose boathouse was visible from the Marist dock across the river and north of Marist.

The mess hall and Washington boathouse had disappeared by the time I returned to Marist as President in 1958, and I understand the California boathouse experienced a fire in the early 1960s (see note 1). During the negotiations for creating Longview park, the College acquired all the land from below the Martin Boathouse to the tunnel leading under the tracks, save for the lot containing the pumping station (and probably allowing easement rights to the City of Poughkeepsie for repair and/or replacement of the pipes leading from the pumping station to the new water works facility east of the railroad tracks.

Expansion of Railroad Tracks 1913
Around 1913 the railroad decided to widen its track area to provide for four tracks rather than two. It hoped to increase the speed of the trains and carry more freight.  As part of its planning it hoped to eliminate several track crossings (see note 2). Besides widening its space along the lines, it negotiated an agreement with the Marist Brothers to diminish track level crossings.  Three different groups of Brothers-- juniors on the Barnard parcel and novices and scholastics on the Bech parcel-- had been using the Hudson River for swimming.  The railroad agreed to install a tunnel under the tracks, It is labeled 1912 and the only vehicular entry to Marist river property, except permissive use of entry from the former Dutton lumber property.  In addition the railroad built two pedestrian bridges over the tracks.  When I negotiated the purchase of the Myers parcel in 1963, the railroad representative asked permission to remove the two bridges.  The college agreed to eliminate the northern bridge as swimming activity had moved to the outdoor pool, but wanted to maintain the southern bridge which connected the Martin Boathouse to the area near Leo dormitory. This proved impractical since students avoided climbing the many steps to access and leave the bridge, preferring to cross the tracks themselves.  So that bridge was removed by common agreement between the college and the railroad (see note 3).

William Martin Boathouse 1963

When I became President of Marist College in November 1958, I realized that the athletic facilities, while adequate for a small number of student Brothers, would not be adequate for a college of 600 or more students. There was a tiny gymnasium, two small baseball or softball fields, an outdoor swimming pool, and four decrepit handball courts. How ought a small college to develop a sports program?

There was one obvious sports venue- the Hudson River, with a four mile racing course which had been used by the fabled Poughkeepsie Regatta. There was also a cadre of experienced oarsmen from the nearby high schools that had taken up rowing after the departure of the Poughkeepsie Regatta in 1949. The high schools used the existing California and Cornell boathouses, but space was limited. But enthusiasm ran high among the Marist students who had rowed in their high school years. The establishment of crew at Marist is an interesting testimonial to cooperation between many individuals.

First we needed a shell. Daniel Kirk, a professor of psychology, contacted his friend, Ed Brady, a New York City attorney with an office in Wall Street... Both had rowed along the Harlem River in their high school days (see note 4). Brady suggested there was a four person shell in the Harlem River boathouse which was in need of repair.

John Mylod, a student and an accomplished oarsman had rigged his auto to port shells. He enlisted Gary Smith, coxswain of a national championship Poughkeepsie High School shell, and James Callahan, a Poughkeepsie High School graduate to accompany him to New York to pick up the shell (see note 5).

What about a coach? Bill Lenehan '62 was a student who had rowed for Poughkeepsie High School.  He suggested I contact Joseph Catanzaro, an art teacher and successful crew coach at Poughkeepsie High (see note 6).  Joe agreed to become the first Marist Crew coach. When he came to inspect the shell from the Hudson River, he told us that the shell could be repaired, but would never be competitive. So he managed to borrow an eight person shell from Poughkeepsie High School, and coaxed a place in one of the boathouses for storage. Soon Joe managed to receive a gift from Columbia University of an old shell, which the oarsmen named “Leaky Lizzie”. Despite its age, it looked impressive in the water, because Ken Knapp, another oarsman, and his father removed all the hardware, took it home during the winter, polished it to its pristine condition, then remounted it on the shell (see note 7).

Bill Martin was an insurance agent in a local company. He was an early supporter of Marist College, and offered to run a campaign to fund a boathouse. He was successful in raising $60,000 (see note 8). Paul Canin, who had designed the Leo Dormitory, designed the boathouse at a much reduced price. When the successful contractor began the actual construction, he alerted Brother Nilus that the structure would need bracing. Brother Nilus contacted Arbak A Abdalian, a New York City based structural engineer who had done the engineering specs for the Fontaine Building behind the Chapel and the Leo Dormitory (see note 9).  Paul Canin had not used a structural engineer to keep costs down. Arbak designed the bracing, which holds to this day.

To develop dock area in front of the new boathouse, Brother Nilus located large rocks, the result of blasting along Parker Avenue. The rocks were loaded on trucks and transported to the shore area. However, Brother Nilus´ existing crane was not powerful enough to lift and place the boulders. So he procured a second crane from the US Government surplus with much shorter reach but more powerful lifting capacity. He also purchased a surplus truck, and mounted the crane on the truck. The hybrid apparatus would not fit under the tunnel leading to the shore, Dutton Lumber provided access from its yard. The wooden float and access ramp were constructed by the Marist maintenance crew. The crane remained at the boathouse area to remove the float and ramp.

Longview Park Activity

During the last decade of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty first century, Marist took leadership in transforming the shoreline into an attractive park facility open to the public. Marist took over ownership of the entire strip, except the location of the water intake unit for the Poughkeepsie Water Works, and combined its own resources with grants from foundations and several government agencies. The work was spearheaded by Susan Brown under the direction of President Murray. Upon completion of this project, Susan left Marist College to take a position with the Cary Arboretum in Millbrook NY (see note 10).

Notes

Note 1  Aerial photos taken from the top floor of Leo Dormitory show the California and Cornell boathouses still standing after completion of the Leo Dormitory in 1963.

Note 2  See deed 18 December 1912 liber 377 page 355  Marist Brothers to New York Central Railroad.

Note 3  The bridge requirement led to a conclusion that students would prefer not to have to climb many steps to access an overhead bridge.  The sloping topography on the west side of route nine would have provided too many steps to reach the ground or access the road closing level west side.  New York State changed its proposal to a tunnel under route nine, and it seems to have worked satisfactorily

Note 4  Ed Brady also handled the mortgages with the Housing and Home Finance Authority for the Sheahan and Leo Dormitories

Note 5  John Mylod has careered as a champion of the Hudson River, supporting and operating many causes to improve the appearance and water quality of the Hudson.  James Callahan, Marist Class of 1962, received his PhD in Mathematics from the Courant Institute at New York University, and taught at Harvard and later Smith College.  Gary Smith, class of 1963,became an accomplished salesman for IBM, and served as a Trustee of Marist College for many years.

Note 6  Before I met Joe Catanzaro, I wondered how an art teacher wound up coaching a championship sport.  When I met him I thought he might have been an extra for the film the Godfather.  I was mistaken.  He was a gentle soul but passionate about teaching his crews to row in coordination.  Anyone watching crews race or practice could recognize a Catanzaro crew by its smooth impact on the water.  When other crews raised their stroke rhythm to 40 per minute, Joe kept his crews below 35, insisting that coordination was more important then power.

Note 7  In Fall 1960 the organizers put out a call to the lay students for volunteers who wished to learn to row.  They practiced on rowing machines located in the former Saint Marys Dormitory near the former Bech residence:, The newcomers did not get into a shell until late Spring 1961.. Marist College had no means to transport shells, so it arranged to borrow a shell from competitors when it raced away. Anthony Campilii ´62, former VP for Business at Marist was a member of the first crew. He was a commuter from Wappinger Falls, transferring in from Dutchess Community College. He remembers the names of most of his fellow crew members:
Ken Knapp ´64 stroke; Tony Campilii ´62 #7; Edmund DiSanto ´63 #6; Tony Rotolo´63  #5; James Callahan ´62  #4 ; Walter J Herbst ´63;  #3; Thomas F Erts ´81  #2; John Doss ´64 bow;  Gary Smith ´63, coxswain.

Note 8  The college began to fund purchase of new shells. The best known shells were from Pocock in Seattle WA, but there was a waiting list of three years.  An alternate was the Garafolo shell from Worchester MA.  Catanzaro preferred the Garafolo shells because they could better weather the rough waters of the Hudson.

Note 9  Abdalian was introduced to the college in an unusual way.  The architect for the Fontaine Building was suffering from brain tumor which his wife did not disclose. When Brother Nilus suspected there was something wrong with the plans, he donned his clerical suit, took the train to New York City and picked the first structural engineer listed in the Yellow pages: A. A Abdalian.  Arbak shook hands with Nilus and was stunned to feel calluses on the hand of a clergyman!  He reviewed and modified the plans for the plans for the Fontaine Building.  In New York City his specialty was flat plate construction, and he used this type of framework for the Leo and Champagnat Dormitories.

Note 10  There is an adage The devil is in the details!  In the course of her seeking support and permissions from a myriad of foundations and government agencies, Susan Brown was alerted to a glitch in former activities.  When the Martin Boathouse was built in 1973, the college officials relied on an incorrect understanding of riparian rights. The interpretation assumed that the fill provided by Dutton Lumber Company to close the cove on Marist Brothers shoreline belonged to Marist College. The riparian rights gave the college ownership only to the high water mark on maps of the Hudson prior to the fill operation.  So technically the boathouse lay on New York State land!  This misunderstanding was corrected by agreements between the State of New York and Marist College.

Research on this project was conducted from January 2008 through August 2012 by Richard Foy, assisted by student assistants Paul Contarino and Kayla Benefield.

This is a list of deeds which are on file at the Dutchess County Office Building with the County Clerk (second floor). It was not thought useful to provide the full text here as it is readily available at the office of the County Clerk.

Deed Legend:
year=the year recorded with the clerk
date=date marked on the deed itself
liber=book in which deed is listed
page=page of the liber book
description=description of deed
grantor=individual or group originally holding deed
grantee=individual or group taking title to the deed

Year	liber	page	description	grantor	grantee
0	0	0	Dutton Lumber Company items
0	0	0	water works related
0	0	0	sewer plant items
0	0	0	Whaling Dock items
0	0	0	Rowing and boathouse items
0	0	0	Iron industry items
0	0	0	undistributed
0	0	0	Longview Park items
1835	61	468	$50 lots 23 & 24 along Dutchess Ave	Dutchess Whaling Co	John G Parker
1835	59	406	50 x 95 parcel corner Water & Dutchess Sts	Dutchess Whaling Co	Stephen Scofield
1836	60	414	$4400 Dutchess Ave Albany Ave Delafield St	Poughkeepsie Silk Co	Paraclete Potter
1836	61	41	$1300 lots on Water & Albany Sts	Poughkeepsie Silk Co	Tomkins & Wm Potter
1836	60	414	Hudson River just north of Falkill Creek	Peter Everitt	Nathaniel P Talmadge
1837	62	349	$360 lot 21 along Dutchess Ave 25" x 125"	Dutchess Whaling Co	Eli Jennings
1837	62	587	$2000 8 lots along Dutchess Ave	Dutchess Whaling Co	Jacob Van Benthusen
1839	67	398	$275 south side Hoffman St #27 & 28	Dutchess Whaling Co	Wm H Whitfield
1839	67	432	$177 lot north side Dock St near Whaling Dock	Dutchess Whaling Co	Samuel Lewery
1839	69	623	$250 lots 70 & 80 off Hoffman Street	Dutchess Whaling Co	David S Sherman
1844	77	370	$24,700 P'k'sie Locomotive property	Pksie Locomotive Engine Co	Francis Griffin
1845	80	73	per master in chancery / 24 others in 1845	Dutchess Whaling Co	Patrick Gilmartin
1847	85	322	auction 24 March 1847 $15,500 Locomotive lot	Lucius Robinson	Francis Griffin
1847	85	325	south side Mill St, land of Abraham Hoffman	Lucius Robinson	George F Tallman
1847	85	328	$18,000 Locomotive Lot	Francis Griffin	George Talman
1848	92	134	$310 land along potential Dock Street	Dutchess Whaling Co	Peter Knight
1848	87	554	assign all remaining land of Whaling to Merritt	Dutchess Whaling Co	Alfred T Merritt, trus
1848	87	118	chancery lot # 78 25' x 125' ease side Water St	Dutchess Whaling Co	John Grenon
1848	88	89	Union Landing parcel	Joseph Tuckerman	Poughkeepsie Iron Company
1850	90	248		Pksie Iron Company	Joseph Tuckerman
1850	92	401	$5500 part of Fishkill Ore Bed	Wm Bushnell & Helen	Jos Tuckerman
1850	92	383	lot near Rogers Pond E Fishkill & Beekman	Wm Bushnell & Helen	Jos Tuckerman
1850	91	248	$42,000 Union Landing Property with furnace	Pksie Iron Company	Joseph Tuckerman
1850	106	496	$15,000 Locomotive Factory lot &part Silk	George Talman	Charles C North
1851	95	60	$8,000 lot near Pksie Female Academy Market St	William Bushnell & Helen	Edward Bech of NYC
1851	94	528	$12.500 ½ share near Fishkill Ore Bed	Joseph Tuckerman	Edward Bech
1851	94	527	$2000 ½ share ore site near Fishkill Ore Bed	Joseph Tuckerman	Edward Bech
1851	94	531	$20,0000 ½ share Union Landing	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1851	94	531	$20,000 ½ share Union Landing	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1852	97	156	release of dower 300: near union landing	Sarah L Tappen	Bech & Tuckerman
1852	97	355	lot Water St near Bushnell house	Henry Swift & Rebecca	Bech & Tuckerman
1852	97	79	$1,500 parcel along Water Street	William Bushnell & Helen	Bech & Tuckerman
1853	211	401	$25,000 21 acres Pksie Iron & Steel Hudson River	Pksie Iron & Steel	Hudson River Iron Co
1853	97	613	$4,000 river lot near Union Landing	Albert Van Kleeck &Eliza	Bech & Tuckerman
1854	102	685	$10 ½ share water rights Kaal Rock to Union Landing	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward 'Bech
1854	102	683	$4,000 ½ share lot near Union & Water Sts	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1854	102	678	$12,500 ½ share lot Fishkill & Beekman	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1854	102	677	$100 ½ share land west of Water Street	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1854	102	586	$2,000 ½ share Fishkill Ore Bed	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1854	102	584	$1,500 ½ share Water St lot	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1854	102	681	$26,900 ½ share Union Landing parcel	Joseph Tuckerman & Lucy wf	Edward Bech
1855	105	237	lease land in Fishkill bordering land of Bech to iron ore	Daniel Delaney & ors	Edward Bech
1856	108	605	near Union Landing	Edward Bech & wife	Albert Tower
1856	106	444	$11,000 Pksie Locomotive factory lot	Charles C North	Edward Bech
1856	107	605	$250 lot near Hudson & Hoffman St	John C Chambers	Edward Bech
1856	106	444	$11000 near Locomotive Factory and Silk Factory	Charles & Elizabeth North	Edward Bech
1856	106	182	$1000 part of Pksie Silk Co near Hoffman St	Charles Murphy & Ellen	Edward Bech
1856	106	447	$3000 water rights near Locomotive Factory site	Charles G North & Elia	Edward Bech
1856	106	498	$15,000 P'k'sie Locomotive property	George F Talman	Charles C North
1857	111	365	$6,000 land from Delafield to Hudson River	Charles & Eliz North	Henry D Myers
1860	125	484	lots 4 & 5 20x200 east of Hudson St	Lydia Vanderwort	Fallkill Iron Works
1860	118	520	$22,500 river lots 41 & 42 between Dutchess Av & Dock St	Thoms A Emmet	William E Emmett
1860	118	113	$120,000 Poughkeepsie Locomotive Engine Co	Edward Bech	Fallkill Iron Works
1860	118	111	releases dower rights to	Elizabeth McCarty Beck	Fallkill Iron Works
1860	118	111	cedes dower rights to Locomotive Factory lot	Elizabeth McCarty Bech	Fallkill Iron Works
1860	125	567	corrects 125-484 near Dutchess Whaling dock	Lydia Vanderwort	Fallkill Iron Works
1860	118	113	$120,000 Locomotive Factory Land & P'ksie Silk	Edward Bech & Albert Towers	Fallkill Iron Works
1861	118	94	$80,341 567/640 share of Union Landing parcels	Edward Bech & ors	James Emott & ors
1861	118	278	relinquishes dower rights for $74,196 mortgage	Elizabeth M C Bech	Pennsylvania Coal Co
1867	141	603	lots along Hoffmann & Hudson Sts	Fallkill Iron Works	Falkill Iron Company
1867	141	106		Fallkill Iron Works	Fallkill Iron Company
1867	141	101		Albert Tower	Fallkill Iron Works
1871	10	93	Supreme court order	Water Commissioners
1872	181	377	Pksie Silk Co just above Locomotive Factory	Henry D & Sarah Eliz Myers	Fallkill Iron Works
1876	182	424	small parcel off Water Street	Pksie Iron Company	Henry M Braem
1883	211	401		Pksie Iron & Steel by ref	Wm S. Johnston Trus
1886	224	158	3 parcels in Fishkill incl Fishkill Ore Bed	Pksie Iron Co	Albert Tower
1889	242	185	$12,000 union landing parcel bought from Bechs	Pksie Iron Company	Frank B Lown & anor
1910	365	326	parcel off Bridge St sold to Pksie Iron by Stanford family	Poughkeepsie Iron Co	Catherine Stanford
1910	365	327	flips land sold to Iron Co by Stafford family	Catherine Stanford	Ed & Joseph S Keating
1910	365	327	lot cited in 365/326 near Bridge Street	Catherine Stanford	Edw & Jos Keating
1910	365	326	$200 lot near Bridge St	Pksie Iron by ref	Catherine Stanford
1913	381	499	Dutton lumber yard property	John Sague & Sam Robinson	Arthur C Dutton
1913	381	496	Atwater appointer receiver Pksie Iron Co 8 aug 1908	Ed & Caroline Atwater	John Sague & Sam Robinson
1913	288	36	1913 mortgage	Arthur C Dutton	Poughkeepsie Iron Company
1913	381	501	cites Henry Myers dock patent	Joh E Townsend & wf	Arthur C Dutton
1913	381	499	land conveyed to ACT Dutton in 1919	Edward & Caroline S Atwater	John Sague & Samuel I Robinson
1914	383	174		John Sague & ors	A C Dutton Lumber Company
1914	385	255	Dutton	Sam Robinson & Ralph Butts	A C Dutton Lumber Company
1914	387	366	16' rail lines on Dutton property	Arthur C & Rose G Dutton	NY Central & Hudson River RR
1915	387	473	Dutton lots of references to previous deeds	Arthur C & Rose G Dutton	A C Dutton Lumber Company
1915	387	366		Arthur C & Rose G Dutton	New York Central & Hudson RR
1915	387	413		Arthur C & Rose G Dutton	NY Central & Hudson RR
1915	387	406		NYCentral & Hudson RR	Arthur C Dutton
1915	387	413	Dutton agreement	NYCentral & Hudson RR	Arthur C & Rose G Dutton
1919	404	464		John Sague & Sam 'Robinson	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1919	407	37	several lots along Dutchess Ave	Robert & Cornelis wilkinson	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1919	0	0		Robert & Cornelia Witmn	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1921	419	336	parcel along Dutchess Ave	Church St Peter	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1929	498	363	parcel along Delafield to improve Delafield County Highway	Marist Brothers	Dutchess County
1929	498	249	deed for 3.08 acres along Hudson River	Marist Brothers	Dutton Lumber
1929	498	244	deed for .553 acres along Hudson River	Marist Brothers	Dutton Lumber
1947	693	546	$100 parcel corner of N Water & Hoffman sts	United Hudson Realty Co	A C Dutton Lumber Company
1949	716	373	release of CH rights to some Dutton land	Central Hudson	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1949	714	368	settles easement for CH on Dutton land	Central Hudson	A C Dutton Lumber Co
1961	0	0	Drumgold plot of boathouse property
1963	1221	177	easement along ww road for water main	Marist College	City of Poughkeepsie
1969	1261	59	deed Water Works Area or txfr Macpherson parcel	Marist Brothers	Marist College
1974	1397	587	old tennis courts	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
1974	1102	804	Sewer treatment plant	Marist College	City of Pougheepsie
1974	0	0	Water Works road
1974	1397	585	parcel abt 153 x 303 next to Water Treatment Plant	Marist College	City of Poughkeepsie
1974	1397	588	26a old tennis courts	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
1977	0	0	history of leased land from City of Poughkeepsie
1977	1467	726	take over water works area	City of Poughkeepse	Marist College
1977	1467	726	agreement re Cornell boathouse or 736?
1977	1467	736	sewer plant property b?	City of Poughkeesie	Marist College
1977	1467	736	City sewer project	Marist College	City of Poughkeepsie
1981	1554	600	relocate water works road	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
1983	1614	3	water works road	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
1990	1864	782	water works road	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
1990	1864	788	lower parking lot (catacombs) ##3001	City of Poughkeepsie	Marist College
2003	0	0	Longview water project
2003	0	0	# 6636 recoup of land seized for taxes	City of Poughkeepsie	A C Dutton Lumber
2003	0	0	Riparian rights confirmation
2005	0	0	2561 HRRA may use Marist water & sewer	Marist College	Hud Riv Rowing Assn
2012	0	0	general Hudson River items

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