Calling it a matter of "public trust," Carmel Supervisor Mike Cazzari is demanding that New York City finally make good on a two-decade-old promise to restore the historic Thomas Belden House, a Revolutionary War-era landmark that has fallen into severe disrepair on city-owned watershed land.
In a July 1 letter to New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Garcia, Cazzari urged the agency to publicly recommit to preserving the1760 mansion, establish a restoration timetable, identify funding and meet with local officials to discuss a path forward.
"The people of Putnam County have honored their commitments to New York City," Cazzari wrote. "It is time for New York City to honor its commitment to Putnam County."
The appeal comes as local preservation advocates believe momentum may finally be building to save one of Putnam County's oldest surviving homes.
Last month, the Putnam County Soil and Water Conservation District voted to continue discussions with the DEP, the Friends of Belden House and other potential partners about restoring the property and transforming it into the district's permanent headquarters, along with a historical, educational and watershed interpretive center.
While those conversations have generated cautious optimism, no formal agreement has been reached, and Cazzari's letter underscores growing frustration over what local officials say has been decades of broken promises.
The supervisor noted that in 2006 the DEP publicly announced plans to spend $2.9 million restoring Belden House for agency offices. Twenty years later, he wrote, "that promise remains unfulfilled."
Instead, the historic structure has continued to deteriorate after years of neglect.
"The continued deterioration of the Thomas Belden House is entirely preventable," Cazzari wrote. "Every year of inaction increases restoration costs and risks the permanent loss of an irreplaceable piece of New York and American history."
Cazzari argued that the restoration commitment was part of the broader understanding between New York City and Putnam County that accompanied decades of watershed protections designed to safeguard drinking water for millions of New Yorkers.
The supervisor notes that for years, Putnam County communities have accepted strict land-use restrictions to protect the city's reservoirs, while New York City has failed to uphold its own commitment to preserve Belden House.
The Town Board unanimously adopted a resolution in 2023 urging the DEP to stabilize and restore the property, but little tangible work has followed.
Constructed around 1760 by Thomas Belden, a land agent for the Philipse family, the house later evolved into one of the Hudson Valley's finest examples of Carpenter Gothic architecture after extensive Civil War-era renovations by George Mortimer Belden.
The 316-acre farmstead became part of New York City's watershed holdings after the city acquired the property in 1896 during construction of the West Branch Reservoir. The house later served as offices and housing for watershed employees before falling vacant.
In recent years, the DEP proposed demolishing the deteriorating structure, prompting strong opposition from the Friends of Belden House and local preservationists who argued the building could instead be adaptively reused.
The Soil and Water Conservation District has since emerged as a potential long-term steward of the property, envisioning educational programming focused on conservation, agriculture, local history and watershed protection.
Cazzari said the timing makes the issue especially significant as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of American independence.
"It is deeply troubling," he wrote, "that New York City is allowing one of the few surviving structures from that era to decay on property it owns."
Whether the renewed discussions ultimately lead to restoration remains uncertain.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here