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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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