Sleepy Hollow NY 2011
The Kathryn W. Davis Riverwalk Center opened in 1926 as the Bathhouse in Kingsland Point Park in Sleepy Hollow, NY. When bathing in the Hudson River was no longer permitted in the early 1970s the building started a slow steady decline. By 2007, the building was in heavy disrepair with leaking roofs, broken windows and obsolete building systems. The park is a key element of the Village and has high usage during the season. The demand for the facility was evident and thanks to the generosity of the Kathryn W. Davis Foundation the building was able to become viable to the community and Kingsland Point Park once again.
In 2008, JHPA was engaged by the Friends of Westchester County Parks and Scenic Hudson to prepare a Conditions Assessment and Recommendations for Adaptive Re-use Report for the facility. Following the recommendations prepared in the report, JHPA prepared documents for the restoration of the exterior envelope and key interior spaces back to its original 1926 appearance. As part of the restoration the design included adaptive use of the interior to accommodate an Environmental Education Center as well as returning kayak rental and sailing school facilities that previously occupied the facility. The open air pavilion at the upper level which had historically been a community gathering space during the late 1920-1940s was also restored for continued public use and made handicapped accessible. The Kathryn W. Davis Riverwalk center was officially re-dedicated in the spring of 2011 with educational programs starting during the summer.