By Rob Sample
The bulldozing of Mahopac Farms has cost the area a priceless piece of history, lamented several residents at the Nov. 6 meeting of the Carmel Town Board.
Mahopac Farms, which straddled the Westchester County line, had for decades housed a petting zoo, museum, and livestock barn – making it a popular stop for families. But after local and county officials were unable to secure state funding to keep it up and running, the 33-acre site was sold to Georgia-based Diamond Point Development, a developer of self-storage facilities.
On Sept. 17, Diamond Point announced plans to build a three-story, 105,400-square-foot storage facility at the location. The facility will house 800 self-storage units and is expected to open late next year. The developer opened similar facilities earlier this year in Poughkeepsie and Danbury.
In a nod to the property’s past, the developer says he intends to come up with a design that resembles a barn.
Nonetheless, Carmel Town Historian Alicia Briley called the demolition of Mahopac Farms a “loud, unsettling reminder of the fragility of our heritage.”
“The destruction of Mahopac Farms not only robbed the community of its collective memory, but also highlighted a glaring failure in the town’s commitment to preserving its history,” she said. “Why is there a pattern of neglect toward buildings and artifacts that define the essence of who we are as a community? Preservation, not desecration, should guide our actions as stewards of shared history. Each site holds not just bricks and mortar but memories and experiences.”
Briley further stated the property’s development would have ecological implications, especially for the animals that once roamed the 33-acre site, “including the owls that lived in the barns and the stray cats that had called the farms home.”
“The bulldozer’s roar signaled the end of safe harbors and nesting sites,” she said. “The links between humanity and nature are intricate and precious. When one part is obliterated, the consequences echo painfully throughout the whole world.”
Briley also described the Old Town Hall, which houses the Carmel Historical Society, as “neglected,” with a mold issue that would not be tolerated by other town departments. “We really need you guys to figure out how to fix this building,” she told the board.
Carmel resident Cindy Cole read a letter to the board from Timothy Farina, a Mahopac native who is studying architecture at Yale University. Farina pointed out that historic buildings aren’t just important for aesthetic reasons, but for their methods of construction.
“The barns of Mahopac Farms were built with old growth timber and enormous fieldstones collected on site,” he wrote. “They not only held immense historical value, but ecological cultural and economic value as well. Many in our community – indeed, in our country – look at old buildings as an expense, something which is more difficult to preserve and therefore easier to demolish rather to maintain. Yet, what has been proven time and time again in communities is that the long-term benefits (of preservation) far outweigh short economic boosts. Let us not forget the White House itself was almost destroyed for the sake of progress.”
Farina wrote that letting such sites go before the wrecking ball sends the message that a society values money over people, landscapes, and history.
“It is critical now to get serious about preserving what other cultural landmarks we have left,” he wrote. “If you have ever looked at a history book of Carmel, Mahopac, or Putnam County, you will see beautiful photographs of a bucolic landscape, impressive and beautiful buildings, and community spaces – hotels and churches – 99 percent of which are gone. This neglect of preservation erodes our community.”
Carmel Town Supervisor Michael Cazzari said the town tried – and failed – to secure the funding needed to preserve Mahopac Farms. Initially, the town envisioned a destination akin to Tilly Foster Farm in Brewster, which would both preserve the area’s agricultural history and promote commerce and tourism.
“I worked with Sen. (Pete) Harkham; we couldn’t get money,” said Cazzari. “The owners chose, as is their right, to sell it to someone else.”
The property sold for $30 million, a sum that would have required a townwide property tax increase to raise, according to Cazzari.
“It’s a very sorry state that we’re losing things,” he said. “The state decided to spend the money on other things which aren’t important to any of us, but that’s the way it is.”
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