“We were able to take some of the original Haverstraw brick from 1932-34 that was kept here on the property as opposed to some new brick to complete the restoration of this Tete-a-Tete seat", remarked Kenneth Jay Linsner, co-chair of Rockland County Art in Public Places (AIPP) and co-chair of the Dutch Garden Restoration Project Subcommittee.
“Back when the Dutch Garden was designed, there were many of these brick benches and whole brick dining tables,“ continued Linsner.
No Longer a Secret Garden by 2012
Find out what's happening in New Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This brick bench restoration was the main reason for a dedication Wednesday afternoon in the historic and lovely Dutch Garden in back of the County Courthouse. Access is currently across the foot path in the back of the Courthouse parking lot. However, next summer this Secret Garden will become much more noticeable to the residents of Rockland County.
“We are thrilled to have access now through South Main Street (where Annie’s Nails building used to be),” said R. Allan Beers, coordinator of the county's Division of Environmental Resources. “There will be handicap access and a large parking lot. All should be complete by summer 2012.”
Find out what's happening in New Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The AIPP, which formed a sub-committee for the purpose of restoring this tete-a-tete to its original form, operates under Rockland Percent for Art Law. It is comprised of community volunteers appointed by the county legislature to enhance the quality of life in Rockland County through public art selecting, placing and restoring. AIPP has placed 38 new and restored pieces locally.
Rockland Center of the Arts' Executive Director Julie Ramos administers the program. The restoration of the bench was completed by Gary Dinnebeil and Yankee Construction from Cornwall, NY and cost approximately $3,000 to complete. The tete-a-tete is a brick bench with an elaborate back.
Dutch Garden History
Built in 1934, the Dutch Garden was designed and supervised by landscape architect Mary Mowbray-Clarke, who at the time, resided on South Mountain Road in New City.
“Mary used to go to Garnerville everyday to pick up a very skilled Sicilian craftsman who worked on all the brick and the brick inscriptions,” said Harriet Cornell, legislative chair. “She had a team of about five people that she hired and they created the original 10 acres. Currently the garden is taken care of by R. Allan Beers and Michael DiMola (park operations manager) and I want to thank them for a wonderful job.”
Between the years of 1940 and 1960, the garden’s popularity and fame won it many awards and it was used for many events and weddings. The gazebo toward the back of the now existing property was known as the “summer house” on Mowbray-Clarke’s original design. There is also the remains of an office space and greenhouse where Mowbray-Clarke worked.
" was the very first county park, funded by the federal government under the Works Project Administration (WPA) to put people back to work post-depression by building projects of benefit to communities and the nation," explained Cornell. "It is a testament to the Dutch heritage of Rockland County and to the renowned brick industry of Haverstraw. Bricks from 50 different local companies were used to build the tea house, serpentine walls and other structures in Dutch Garden."
"It was on every tourism map of the United States; weddings were held there," said Cornell. "Burl Ives sang there; Eleanor Roosevelt visited there. It is a part of Rockland history that has been painstakingly restored after vandalism and neglect, and I am thrilled to have played a role in restoring this county park for the enjoyment of the public."
In years to follow, the Garden went into much disrepair and “It was reminiscent of an abandoned graveyard,” wrote Linsner. Fortunately, in 1999, the Garden was nominated to the New York State historic register and received $50,000 in Historic Preservation Grant monies for Phase One of its renovation. Phase two was accomplished with support from the “Friends of the Dutch Garden.”
Erin L. Martin, former director of the Rockland Historical Society and current AIPP co-chair also spoke and provided refreshments at the end of the day’s events.
"This garden is a lovely oasis in New City”, expressed C. Scott Vanderhoef, Rockland County Executive, “and with the new South Main entrance, Dutch Garden will be much more accessible to all.”
