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The former Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh.

Background

The former Dutch Reformed Church in Newburgh, New York, is an outstanding Greek Revival building designed in 1835 by Alexander Jackson Davis.

The monumental structure borrows proportions, siting, and details from classical Greek precedents. Intended as a symbol of the community's enlightened taste, it commanded a dominant view over the Hudson. The DRC is "the greatest surviving ecclesiastical commission of America's greatest architect of the era" according to J. Winthrop Aldrich, former New York Deputy Commissioner of Historic Preservation.

Deconsecrated since 1967, the structure has suffered severely on the exterior, although the sweeping interior is remarkably well preserved. Long appreciated by architectural historians, the building was named a National Historic Landmark in 2001. In 2002, the Newburgh Preservation Association funded the building's Historic Structure Report, delivered April 2003. In the next year, foundations and drainage were repaired, and the first window was restored. In 2005 the DRC was named one of the "100 Most Endangered Sites" in the world by World Monuments Fund. In 2006, all four columns were restored. In 2007, an exterior lighting system began nighttime illumination.

About this Website

Explore this website to learn more about the building's significance, setting,and early history; the architect and his circle; and the structure's later history, and why it was declared a landmark. Learn about the progress we've made in the last few years, the organizations that have supported us, the events we've held, and how our efforts have been covered in the press. You can see who we are, how you can volunteer, and how you can join the NPA or make a contribution.

For background, see DRC Press Kit

Harvesting History

Community Gardens at the DRC

On Sunday, July 15, 2012, volunteers for the Newburgh Preservation Association (NPA) planted the seeds of "Harvesting History: The Community Gardens at the Dutch Reformed Church."

The goal of "Harvesting History" is to raise awareness of the group's preservation activities at the historic landmark while setting aside a portion of its grounds for community gardens that will yield organic, locally-grown vegetables to help sustain and nourish the City of Newburgh's poor and hungry.

Volunteers built beds, loaded soil, and planted vegetables on the hot Sundary afternoon, finishing just before a torrential rain came to water the new plantings.

View news story in the Times-Herald Record

Volunteers planting on 7/14/2012

Conceived by NPA, "Harvesting History" reflects the joint efforts of a number of local government and non-profit organizations. The City of Newburgh, which owns the DRC, surveyed the property. Chad Wade, a landscape architect with Orange County Planning, designed the garden plan.

Once in motion, PathStone, a not-for-profit regional community development and human service organization overseeing a number of sustainable farm projects in Newburgh, assisted NPA in planning and implementing the garden beds.

The Greater Newburgh Partnership then donated the funds to build a protective wooden fence, while the Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union donated the moneys for a bench.

Going forward, the community gardens at the DRC will be tended by volunteers from St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Newburgh, and NPA will donate whatever foods are grown on the property to the church's thriving food pantry and soup kitchen.

Download full press release (PDF)

Last updated: July 16, 2012 Website by HDE. Please report website issues to the editor.