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Video, Audio, Photos And Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Announces Reopening of Yonkers' Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site Following $20 Million Restoration and Exhibit Update

Government and Politics

November 16, 2022

From: New York Governor Kathy Hochul

New Exhibits Expand on the Known Story of the Hall and Incorporate the Histories of the Region's Indigenous Peoples and Enslaved Africans

Improvements Significantly Expand Accessibility - Including New Elevator, Redesigned Exhibits, and Virtual Wing — and Expected to Double Annual Visitors

Governor Hochul: "I have been to probably every state park, the tiniest to the largest. And it is truly a joy, whether it's the buildings or the open spaces, the camping, the hiking, no other state in this country has the variety that we have. And I will continue to be the chief champion, the chief advocate, and continue to visit it all."

Hochul: "We're going to continue to strengthen this legacy for years to come, and to make sure that there is no story of this state regardless of whether it was a positive experience or a negative, these stories need to be told so people understand what people had to endure. What people had to endure as part of our state's great history."

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the reopening of Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in Yonkers after a $20 million renovation of the building and grounds, as well as the design of new exhibits. These new exhibits advance the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation's Our Whole History initiative, which is an effort to ensure that the state's historic sites embrace stories that reflect the diversity of our state and nation's history.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks are available below:

Good morning, everyone. What a great celebration this is. We're a little delayed because I couldn't resist because I do love historic places and parks. I started wandering through the exhibits, and I'm touching everything and smelling everything. I'm like a little kid in a candy shop because this is extraordinary, and I want to thank our Parks.

Erik Kulleseid, you have just taken us to a whole new level. I love the energy that you bring us, the passion you have for not just our open spaces, but our historic places and parks like this and buildings like this that have such an incredible story to tell. And to all of your members of your team who are dedicated to this purpose of making sure that for generations from now, people understand the real story of New York — the good, the bad, the ugly. It's a story that needs to be reminded of, so we always look forward and say, "We'll never look backwards and say that was acceptable in our society." So, I think this is an opportunity for us to learn the past, but also reimagine a different future. So, thank you for your leadership as well.

I also — you'll be hearing from Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who has a real story to tell about the saving of this. I will not tell you the story, but it's powerful. There was a time when people thought that this should be torn and maybe development put here, some other projects. And if you can imagine what the thought process was back then, I don't even — I can't comprehend that. And I want you to tell that story yourself, but thank you for being an early champion for a long, long time to make sure that this building deserves the recognition, but it's also not a building, it's about the neighborhood. A neighborhood that deserved to get the attention, the recognition, and the investment that we did right here today.

And Mayor Mike Spano, you have been an amazing partner in this as well. I thank you for — we talked about this, we sat down for coffee or tea — probably coffee for you, tea for me, a little while back, and this was on your to-do list too, to make sure we accomplish this. And it doesn't happen without the legislature. I thank Shelley Mayer for being a great champion of these projects as well, a great voice in our state legislature. As well as Gary Pretlow, who's been an ally on many, many projects. Nader Sayegh isn't here, but I want to recognize him and Daniel O'Donnell, the Chair of Tourism and Parks. I mean, we are great partners, Danny, to make sure that these investments are made. That's why we did approve a historic amount of money going toward parks and preservation because if not now, when? I don't want to be the Governor where people say, "Well, if only they'd invested back then we wouldn't have the decline in the degradation at this time." So, we're making those investments now, and I know that future leaders will appreciate that as well. And I want to thank everyone involved in our Parks Commission and Dave Martin, the Head of the Friends. Always good to have friends. A lot of friends here of the Philipse Manor Hall.

So, great feedback in this community once again. I think last time we were here we were talking about a major — well, I've been here many times, but a major investment education because of the legislature understanding that education is everything. It's how we lift people up. We give them an opportunity for a better outcome. And to have thought about the investments in education, this is a place that also is an education. You come in through the doors, you have a chance to step back in time and to realize, you know, this convergence of cultures that occurred in this very place and in a story that had been suppressed for so long, told only from one perspective of people who lived here. That's certainly one perspective, but is nowhere near the whole story. So, that is why, you know, Yonkers, you know, goes back to 1646. I mean, that's extraordinary. 1646. So, there's hundreds of years of story to tell and that's exactly what we're doing. Because that's — Yonkers's story is part of the rich story of New York and rich story of our great United States of America too.

So, from the indigenous people who are the original keepers and protectors of this land, there's exhibits downstairs that talk about their existence. There's a diorama of a village that shows you what it was like to live on the Hudson back then and for kids and everyone and all ages just to go back and imagine what it was like at that time, and the traders and trappers who went up and down the Hudson and opened up the corridors of commerce that, you know, created the City of Albany, you know, the work that was done up there, all the way up the pipeline and how the traders were part of this. The Revolutionary War Patriots who fought for freedom and against tyranny. And the Loyalists who we would say were on the wrong side of history, but they were here as well. But also, the enslaved African people who were forced to work on the land and build the towns and were weighed down by physical shackles and truly historic injustice. That was the suppressed, untold story of this space for too long. And today, we now liberate that story. We will make sure that everyone knows the true story. Each of those individual stories add up to the conclusive story of what happened in this space throughout history and the Philipse Manor Hall will now tell that story like never before.

So, after being closed for 18 months, those who used to come here — I know Senator Mayer was talking about coming here as a child when it was just an open space, okay? The story was screaming to be told from the walls and from the exhibits that did not exist at that time, and now they do. And that's what's so extraordinary about this $20 million investment. It now pays true homage to this as a national historic landmark and a key piece of our colonial history. This building — I'm sorry, 1682. 1682. The numbers are just so old, it's hard to comprehend. It's like, "Really?" I'm from Buffalo. Everything was 1800. So, it's like, "You sure that's right?" This is a village and a city hall back in the 1800s. Mayor Spano, you had your inauguration here I understand, so way, way, way back. That is also part of the history.   

But as you all know, this one's focused on the Philipse family who were enslavers, they enslaved people and you know, they were part of that whole experience with the Loyalists. And now we're finally putting their story — the enslaved workers and the indigenous Munsee people on equal footing. All their stories have merit to tell. So, that's why you see — that's why when you enter the space, you see the three life size figures at the end, each representing those individual stories that are told and represent the cultures that are really intertwined in a fascinating way. So, we're going to be making — we made also upgrades. I tested out the elevator — it worked. And so again, it's all about accessibility. There are so many people that have mobility challenges and just want to be part of the normalization, be able to come into a place like this and enjoy it, but without having access through a thoughtful process, making sure there really is accessibility, we are now making this open to everyone.

So, in support for people who are hearing and visually impaired, as well as a virtual offering — and this is, we were talking about this downstairs, is that sometimes people understand a space through their virtual world. They can be educated about what happened here all across the world. I mean, this story is now unlocked for students and others who want to appreciate the story of this place. But that also is an enticement to come here. Once you see it online, it's like, "Well let's plan a vacation around this. Let's come here." So, through the Office of Parks and Historic Preservation, the Whole Story initiative, we're also looking to drive more people to our sites, because I'm always looking about how we can make more money for the state. And the more people that come here, the better. And we also have other initiatives like the Commission on African American History, which we announced to spotlight the contributions of African Americans to our country in New York. And in fact, the Commission, which we created, is having its inaugural meeting this very evening. So, that work is continuing.

So, we're creating more equitable access to outdoor recreation and culture opportunities. As you heard, we're making a historic investment in more places like this. So, this is a great story to tell. It's a story that needed to be told, and I want to make sure that we continue focusing on other sites like, Rockefeller State Park. I know that Lucy is here. Hello, Lucy. The old Croton Aqueduct Historic Park, I mean, there's incredible gems here. And that's what I'm going to continue doing over the next years, is to be able to introduce parts of our state to each other. I have been to probably every state park, the tiniest to the largest. And it is truly a joy, whether it's the buildings or the open spaces, the camping, the hiking, no other state in this country has the variety that we have. And I will continue to be the chief champion, the chief advocate, and continue to visit it all. So, everyone who wants to go bike riding with me or hiking, I put out the challenge to anyone who wants to keep up with me because I'm going to just celebrate this state and go. Alright, here we go. Okay. I've got a partner.

So, we're going to continue to strengthen this legacy for years to come, and to make sure that there is no story of this state regardless of whether it was a positive experience or a negative, these stories need to be told so people understand what people had to endure. What people had to endure as part of our state's great history. So, with that, let's hear the real story of how this building was saved from our great leader, Majority Leader, Andrea Stewart-Cousins.