Putnam's Boscobel House could receive $500K to renovate failing ceilings
Senator Chuck Schumer visited with Boscobel staff Monday to announce he is requesting $500,000 in next year's federal budget just for the remaining Boscobel repairs.
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Caretakers of a 200-year-old home-turned-museum in Garrison could be getting federal aid to help fix a collapsed ceiling – a welcome influx amid a shortage of cash to renovate.
Staff at the Boscobel House on Route 9D said Monday they have had to forgo certain repairs around the mansion since April 2024. That is when the library's three-ton ceiling collapsed, damaging several centuries-old relics.
An inspection of the mansion then revealed the ceilings in all 20 rooms were close to failure. It cost $1.2 million just to open the house back up as a work in progress.
Even after insurance payments and donations, it still needs about $500,000 to finish the job. They might receive it courtesy of Sen. Chuck Schumer.
"It will help us finish, for instance, this room behind us," Boscobel House Executive Director Jennifer Carlquist said in an interview Monday in the house's main foyer. "The last room on the main floor that is not yet open to the public."
The Senate minority leader visited with Boscobel staff to announce he is requesting $500,000 in next year's federal budget just for the remaining Boscobel repairs.
A spokesperson for Schumer said staff is confident it will be included in the final budget bill since it was preapproved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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Carlquist said the home — once owned by a prominent British loyalist — has caught on in recent years with historical tourists from around the country. Some have been coming just to learn about the renovations, which have been incorporated into the educational experience at the house.
"It's such a wonderful circle and connection for people," Carlquist said. "This funding really helps us keep that going for the next generation."
Boscobel staff and donors have been lobbying federal and local officials for the last year and a half to bring their funding request to this point.
In addition to Schumer's funding request, Putnam County also provided a grant to help construct the house's new wheelchair lift.
"We're so grateful Sen. Schumer, so many other officials and so many community members haven't forgotten about Boscobel," Carlquist said.
The federal funds could be available early next year for the Boscobel staff to draw from if the final budget includes the earmark and if Congress passes the bill in January as Schumer hopes.
