NYPA's Lansing Manor to get Major Renovation: Temporary Visitors Center for Manor to Open May 25
Contact Steve Ramsey 1-800-724-0309 steve.ramsey@nypa.gov
May 23, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTH BLENHEIM—Renovations to Lansing Manor, the historic home located on the grounds of the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project, will begin in mid-June. While the manor will be closed until spring 2002, an adjacent manor building, the Land Office, will open this May 25 as a temporary visitors center for the manor and include a 30-minute video walking tour plus lots of historical objects from the collection.
This renovation consists of interior and exterior decorative work, a new roof and energy conservation improvements. The manor, built in 1819, was restored by the Power Authority in 1977 to reflect the lifestyles of its residents during its first 50 years. Several periods, including American Empire and early Victorian, are represented in its decor. This renovation builds on earlier work, completed in 1996, which involved exterior painting, restoration of porch flooring, and foundation and drainage improvements to the manor.
"The Power Authority is utilizing the latest in restoration science and incorporating state-of the-art energy conservation methods, guided by Governor Pataki’s commitment to energy efficiency, to improve the beauty and comfort at Lansing Manor for future generations," said Joseph J. Seymour, chairman and chief executive officer of the Power Authority."
"We are bringing to this magnificent site, many of the energy saving techniques the Power Authority uses with businesses and local governments across New York, and also the knowledge we have gained in energy efficiency, to benefit Lansing Manor."
Energy conservation and structural work will begin this summer with insulation and venting improvements to the attic, replacement of the roof with one in the historically correct style, and the addition of storm sashes to the double hung windows to reduce air leakage. It also includes installation of a heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system. Interior decoration including plastering, painting and wall-papering, with designs that reflect the manor’s history, and exterior painting, will take place this fall. All work has been approved by the New York State Historic Preservation Office.
"Whether it is power plants, transmission lines, wetlands or the historic Lansing Manor, we take seriously stewardship of all our properties," Seymour added.
Lansing Manor was built by John Lansing, a prosperous New Yorker who, among his many roles in public service, served as a military aide during the American Revolution and as delegate to the Constitution Convention in 1787. Lansing built the manor, on farmlands carved out of his extensive Schohaire County holdings, as a gift to his daughter Francis and her husband Jacob Sutherland. Lansing had frequently visited the farm, staying in the tenant’s quarters prior to the construction of the manor.
The manor, a classic example of Federal architecture, is a square building—forty-six feet to a side. It is two stories high with a full basement and full attic, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is now run as a museum by the Power Authority in conjunction with the Schoharie County Historical Society.
The manor was operated as a farm by a series of owners and tenant farmers until the Power Authority acquired it as a wildlife area for animals displaced by construction of its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project in 1972. The manor complex features several other period outbuildings including a dairy barn, added in 1881, which now serves as the Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center for the power project. A variety of native birds, foxes, chipmunks and deer can be seen on the project grounds.
The Blenheim-Gilboa Visitors Center is open seven days a week year-round and the temporary visitors center for Lansing Manor is open Wednesdays to Mondays beginning this Friday, May 25 through Columbus Day, with both closed on some holidays. Both are admission free with hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The main visitors center is packed with high-tech, interactive exhibits and videos, that demonstrate plant operations, plus displays on the local environment. For more information, please click on www.nypa.gov or call 800-724-0309.
