From the Sissman Chronicles: Some Structural History
As Project Refresh nears its implementation, I thought it would be interesting, especially for those of you with a historical bent, to recount some of the past structural changes to our campus.
The first was a negative one. The original plans for our buildings envisioned each to have one story more than were actually built. They aroused considerable opposition from many local institutions and individuals who felt that this height impinged too strongly on the natural vistas of the Hudson River; so, the top floors were deleted.
Another manifestation of opposition to our original plans came from some residents in Sleepy Hollow Manor, who objected to what they thought would be undue noise from traffic along our southern border. These concerns led to the installation of two white metal swinging gates on this road that were closed when there was no urgent entry. A couple of years later, when these neighbors moved away, these gates would remain open at all times.
Steps to blend our buildings into our sur-roundings included the planting of rows of trees along our northern and southern borders, and the decision to permit the trees between our western wall and the river to grow and expand. One undesirable side effect of growth was to block river views from some of our apartments. I know of one resident, living in a western apartment, who asked the administration to reduce his river view monthly fee to that of a non-view one; his request was denied.
A small early change occurred in the Hudson Room that now houses our ping-pong table. Originally this room was a wood-working shop, full of large and small equipment donated by residents. It was open for use by all residents who could not only work there but could borrow tools they might need for home projects. Two residents manned the shop almost daily and would do furniture refinishing and repairs at a small cost, which they then donated to Kendal. One day one of these men tripped while getting onto a ladder; he injured himself, but fortunately not seriously. Ever sensitive to the possibility of lawsuits, our then CEO, Pat Doyle, immediately closed down the shop.
The most extensive physical changes to our buildings came via Project Renew, which was completed in 2015. This construction added new apartments in Adirondack, built the Sunnyside ward, relocated our library to its current spacious sunny location, and built a porte cochere over our front entrance; all highly desirable changes. Although there was considerable obstruction to some normal resident passageways during the building work, they were relatively easily traversed. Incidentally, contributions from residents were solicited to help finance Project Renew. Those who responded positively often arranged that the amount donated be simply subtracted from the refund due to their survivors when their apartments were vacated.
So, new changes are coming. May they be as valuable and efficiently carried out as the past ones!
Norman J. Sissman