WATERVLIET – Behind the walls and fences of the Watervliet Arsenal stand eight historic houses that were homes for officers and non-commissioned officers and that helped give the cannon factory its status as a National Historic Landmark.
The oldest residence, a two-story Greek Revival building, served as the commander’s quarters from 1842 until it was last used in July 2018 and mothballed as the U.S. Army moved to stop providing on-base housing at the arsenal.
The fate of the commander’s quarters, the seven other residences and three garages may be demolition, wiping out some of the most historically significant structures at the 112.5-acre arsenal that’s helped arm the nation’s military since the War of 1812 with equipment and cannons and in the city that hosts the base.
Both the National Park Service and the state Office of Parks, Recreation an Historic Preservation have been seeking ways to protect the arsenal’s historic character. The commander’s quarters is considered key to the arsenal’s historic significance while the seven other residences are identified as contributing factors.
When asked why the Army wants to remove the houses and garages, the Watervliet Arsenal issued a statement that said that the deputy secretary of the Army on July 17, 2019 “directed Watervliet to divest itself of family housing because the conditions of housing no longer meet the Army’s commitment to providing quality housing to our Soldiers and their Families and is not economically sustainable.”
Most options under consideration call for demolition. The Army is taking public comment on the fate of the housing until May 21.
“We currently don’t have an opinion on any of the different plans because we are waiting for the public comment period to end. Once the public comment period has ended, we will review all the plans and determine next…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply