On June 21, 2023 the Town of Carmel Town Board passed a resolution calling for the preservation and restoration of the 1760 Thomas Belden House which is currently owned by New York City DEP. Upon receiving the resolution State Assemblyman Matt Slater was able to successfully advocate for the preservation as confirmed by Mayor Eric Adams’ intergovernmental staff via correspondence received on July 5, 2023.
Assemblyman Slater said, “The Belden House is a historic piece of Carmel’s community that must be protected and restored. I appreciate our partners on the local level in Carmel alerting us of their concern and working collectively to protect this important piece of our history. Now, New York City must invest the allocated funds to restore the house as originally intended in 2006.”
Efforts to restore the Belden House have been initiated and halted multiple times throughout the years. In 2006, a substantial sum of $2.9 million was assigned for the rehabilitation of the Belden House. The DEP expressed confidence that the rehabilitation project would secure the future of the Belden House, safeguarding an important part of the region's heritage; however, no progress has been made despite the desire from the community to see it preserved.
“There have been countless dedicated endeavors aimed at preserving a significant fragment of the town's rich history. As an advocate, I join forces with the Putnam County Coalition to Preserve Open Space and the Friends of Belden House, united in our strong desire to ensure its conservation,” said Slater.
“The Belden House is an important historical landmark and I’m happy to hear the New York City’s DEP has no plans to destroy it, but there needs to be a plan moving forward. The fact is, this property has fallen into disrepair and we need the DEP to honor their commitment from years ago to rehabilitate the structure. I look forward to engaging with the representatives from DEP to make this happen,” said Kevin Byrne, County Executive.
“This historical home holds rich history for the Town of Carmel and now having confirmation from NYC DEP stating that it will not be destroyed provides great comfort. Our next step is to understand why the $2.9 million that was allocated to restore the property hasn't been received and push to start on the much needed restoration work of the home. We look forward to continuing to work with Assemblyman Matt Slater on this issue." said Mike Cazzari, Carmel Town Supervisor.
The above information was previously distributed and made public for immediate release by the New York State Assembly.
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