A public park in Millbrook now stands on the lands of the former Bennett College, forever preserved by the Dutchess Land Conservancy.
It was the end of an era in Millbrook when Halcyon Hall was demolished in 2022. The building, abandoned since Bennett College’s closure in 1977, had slowly but inevitably succumbed to the ravages of time. The Hall, located at the gateway to the Village of Millbrook on the corner of Franklin Avenue and Routes 82 and 343, had become a hazardous eyesore, one whose time had long since passed. With the final bricks removed, Millbrook Community Partnership, a local non-profit dedicated to the refurbishment and preservation for public use of local properties, would begin ushering in a new era for the property.
In September 2023, the Partnership finalized a conservation easement with the DLC that will forever protect and preserve the future Bennett Park. The conservation easement was funded by Dutchess County as part of its Partnership for Manageable Growth Program. The 32-acre tract of land will one day be crisscrossed with walking paths and sitting areas. Open areas that emphasize the historical and cultural nature of this property will be open for public enjoyment by residents and visitors of Millbrook, enhancing the area’s sense of place.
“As a highly visible gateway to the Village of Millbrook, it was vital that the DLC protect this one-of-a-kind property,” DLC President Becky Thornton said in 2023. “Millbrook Community Partnership’s robust plans for the former Bennett College lands will make Bennett Park an absolutely beautiful and vibrant entrance to Millbrook and a place where the public can enjoy the outdoors. We are extremely grateful to Dutchess County for their instrumental role, and are thrilled to be a part of the protection of a park that will greatly add to the charm and character of Millbrook.”
Bennett Park will be but the next stage in the storied history of this land. Halcyon Hall, the largest structure to formerly stand on the property, was constructed in 1893 by New York City publisher H.J. Davison, Jr. and designed by James E. Ware, architect of the Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, the Osborne Apartments in New York City, and numerous private homes in New York and New Jersey. Originally a luxury hotel and exclusive summer get-away destination, Halcyon Hall was a five-story Queen Anne Tudor style structure with wide terraces, wooden shingles, and a cobblestone foundation. Unfortunately, the hotel didn’t gain popularity due in large part to a nationwide economic downturn following the Spanish-American War and the number of guests dwindled. Halcyon Hall went bankrupt in 1901 and lay vacant for a few years.
In 1907, May Bennett, a schoolteacher from Irvington, NY, purchased Halcyon Hall for expansion of her Bennett School for Girls. Ms. Bennett was able to easily adapt the site, using hotel rooms as dormitories and converting the larger public rooms to classrooms and lecture halls. A chapel, stables, and an outdoor theater were added to the campus in short order. That first year, 120 students were enrolled at the Bennett School for Girls and they were taught by a faculty numbering 29 teachers. Students there studied for six years, four in high school and two more in higher studies. Within a few years, the Bennett School discontinued its high school teaching and became a two-year junior college, changing its name to Bennett College in the process. Further expansions of the school over the years included Gage Hall, a new library, an additional dormitory - the stucco Alumnae Hall - and, in 1972, the Kettering Science Center. Throughout its history, Bennett College was attended by generations of young women from prominent American families. At its peak, as many as 300 students studied literature, history, art, interior design, fashion design, child development, and equine studies, among many other majors of study.
Forced to compete with the growing popularity of coeducation colleges and universities in the 1960s and 1970s, the trustees of Bennett College made the decision to expand and convert to a four-year coed college. A great deal of money was spent on upgrading facilities. These expenditures proved to be the financial breaking point. Facing bankruptcy, the trustees attempted to reach a collaborative agreement with Briarcliff College, a junior college in Briarcliff Manor. Unfortunately, Briarcliff College merged with New York Institute of Technology instead, and, in 1977, Bennett College entered bankruptcy. On August 9 of that year, after 70 years as an educational institution, the doors were forever closed.
The library and records of the Bennett School for Girls and Bennet College are housed at the Millbrook Library. Many archival photos are included in the collection, a treasure trove witnessing to the scenes of a bygone era. As for the College itself, it quickly fell into ruin. When the water was turned off in Halcyon Hall pipes burst causing considerable damage throughout the building. Over the years, nature took its course as portions of the roof collapsed and vines covered the outside. Trees could even be seen growing inside. A number of attempts to develop the property were made in the 1980s but all were for naught. And so the decaying property stood for many decades.
The course of the Bennett College property was finally changed when it was purchased by Millbrook Community Partnership in 2014. Bennett Park opened to the public in 2023 and serves as a prime example of the value of preserving land that provides a rich sense of the cultural history of central Dutchess County. It will be enjoyed by future generations and stand as a symbol of the power of cooperative conservation between private partners, municipalities and land conservancies.
