Fishkill, NY -- On Sunday, Dec 28, 2009, Metro North Railroad personnel alerted the Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc., a not-for-profit 'friends group' working with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (NYSOPRHP), that one full corner of the historic Bannerman Castle tower structure on Pollepel Island had collapsed.  Bannerman Castle is a National Historic Register site in the Hudson Highlands State Park and is readily observed from the Metro North rail line, both shores of the Hudson 
River, and by kayakers and other boaters.  The unprecedented damage, caused by aging mortar and unprotected brick damaged by the elements, underscores the need for immediate action to save this endangered historic and scenic treasure in the Hudson River.

The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc. is currently poised to begin construction to stabilize the former Bannerman residence, a smaller castle structure located on the west side of Pollepel Island.  In 2007, the Trust received a $350,000 Environmental Protection Fund challenge grant to design and undertake the stabilization of the  residence structure.  Since that time, the Trust has raised nearly $200,000 towards the matching grant, retained the preservation architecture firm Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, Inc. of Manhattan, and submitted a final stabilization design to NYSOPRHP.  The Trust hopes that successful stabilization of the residence in 2010 will raise awareness and spur additional fundraising for emergency stabilization of the larger castle structure and the picturesque towers that ring the island, rising from the waters of the Hudson River.  The new damage to the larger castle, however, signals that we are truly  running out of time to save Bannerman Castle.

The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc. is dedicated to the preservation of Bannerman Castle as an educational, cultural, and heritage tourism resource in the Hudson Valley.  The Trust operates tours of the island under the purview of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and has cooperated with various groups to host school dance performances, fencing tournaments, and photography events, to name but a few, on the island.  The facade of the castle that was damaged was recently featured in a striking fashion spread in Esquire magazine, which may become one of the last photos to document its beauty intact.  The castle has been used as a background in feature films and television programs and is one of the most unique aesthetic resources in the Hudson Valley.

The Bannerman Castle Trust is making an urgent appeal for donations to expedite the stabilization of the Bannerman residence in 2010 and to begin to plan the stabilization of the larger and in-water  structures. Emergency stabilization is needed!  Donations of in-kind services from structural engineers, geotechnical engineers, bracing and shoring contractors, construction  contractors, and firms with experience in maintenance and preservation of coastal structures are sought.  Tax-deductible donations can be made through a PayPal application on our website at www.bannermancastle.org, or you may send your donation to:

The Bannerman Castle Trust, Inc.

PO Box 843

Glenham, NY 12527-0843

contact Neil Caplan at 845-234-3204