The possibility of creating
a sanctuary & retreat center
in the heart of the Hudson River Valley,
...in these particular times
​...times which most certainly call for it.

Hello Friends. With the echoes of Michelle Obama's voice in my head (...to "Doooo something.") I followed a strong instinct to head to Hyde Park, New York this last November to visit the FDR Presidential Library & Museum for inspiration, and to take a private tour of an intriguing place that I had found in a listing online. As many of you know, I do so love to look at available old churches, school houses & lodges, and then imagine how they might be repurposed and reawakened. It brings me great joy, and keeps my "producer brain" whetted. Of all of the listings I've been intrigued-by lately, this one fascinated me the most, and I knew it would be well worth the time to schedule a tour and to see what it was like. What I found was a surprise and a delight, and I'll return this Spring to explore again.​
Hyde Park is perched on the east side of the Hudson River Valley, and is a surprisingly casual town with plenty of everyday charm. It boasts the Vanderbilt Mansion & Gardens, and just south in Poughkeepsie is Vassar College and The Culinary Institute of America, while just north is Rhinebeck with its scene of culture and cuisine. The FDR Museum itself is a moving and marvelous historical repository of a time when the country longed for a New Deal. Which is a yearning we find ourselves in, once again, eh?
Within the lovely property sits a modest 200 year old historic Dutch Reformed Church, with an attached parsonage, a small schoolhouse, and a contemporary community hall with an industrial kitchen. Oh, and a small graveyard...and a very pretty one at that. A large parking lot blends into a grand lawn, and the back line of the property is one of those jaw-dropping natural rock walls that reminds one of the times when the Earth pushed this place into existence, a newly birthed beauty. This property happens to be for sale for the first time in its two centuries history, and includes land that is full of opportunity for development.
Well, it made me wonder. Wouldn't it be grand to create a Retreat in a convenient destination, accessible by train (yet tucked away a bit from the city) to gather the great minds who could help us move forward in a civilized and creative way? The selling price is remarkably reasonable, due to the town's slow recovery from the pandemic, as well as it being a particular kind of sale. For the parcel would require a steward who understands its sacred history, even while fashioning a small 'campus' - in practical phases.Although the historic buildings must stay "as is", the rest would be up to the creativity of the new owner thanks to the implementation of a new zoning overlay for the town's Crossroads Core and main thoroughfare. 
As a lifelong theatre artist and non-denominational reverend who has a history of transforming historic & sacred spaces, I'm proud to have saved a former fellowship lodge to create a highly successful nonprofit arts & humanities center on the West Coast. This East Coast project, however, would be different: the focus would be a private endeavor, creating a space where great minds can gather in fellowship, nonviolent trainings, silent meditation, workshops & presentations. A Hyde Park Peace Retreat would be a word-of-mouth kind of place, a space for creating peace in these troubled times. It is neither in a flood plane nor a fire zone, and there's a delightful old-fashioned drive-in motel, The Roosevelt Inn, mere blocks away. 
The existing buildings offer many possibilities for the community, for the church and meeting hall are ready for ceremonies, discourses, and instrumental concerts. I'd see the parsonage being transformed into a small museum about the land, first occupied by the Wappinger tribe. Interestingly though, this Retreat need not be an overly-active rental venue, nor feature a board of directors to drive its existence. It would remain quiet in the wintertimes, be in 'phased' construction in the springtimes, and then reawaken in the warmer months. ​Its 'present' use can be realized with various improvements & solutions, and then a proper opening could follow; while its 'future' might translate well into a retirement community or educational center.
Picture
The many possibilities for a Retreat Center.
The land that is part of the offering is ripe for phased new construction: from placing temporary mobile homes, to installing beehives & community gardens, raising a multi-use barn with a workshop, landscaping with a natural walking meditation labyrinth, and the eventual addition of ADU units for the comfort of the guest artists & peace thinkers who would be invited to visit.
And so, in the spirit of Eleanor Roosevelt, it could be a place to find agreement: to unite certain notions and p'raps even nations. Such a place might make a small sound while having a big impact. It would be quite quiet indeed (....ssssh) and/or prove to be calmly consequential (...Oh...).
Note to friends, with thanks:  I wanted you to have a peek at the idea. This narrative is for private viewing, not to be shared for the time-being until I've had the chance to collect more information and financial backing, and tour the property for a second visit. Onwards! to the discipline of dreaming practical dreams.  [March 2025]