MILLBROOK — The day may have been rainy, but the outlook was sunny as more than 350 community members toured the future Thorne Building Community Center (TBCC) on Saturday, May 28, some for the first time.
George Whalen, Oakeigh Thorne and others from the Millbrook Community Partnership (MCP), the 501(c)3 nonprofit behind the years-long project spoke of how much transforming the historic one-time high school means to the them, as did the response to the day’s event.
“The MCP, along with our many volunteers who assisted in the Open House Day, are delighted with the huge turnout, positive suggestions, and overwhelming enthusiasm received from the community for the TBCC. We hope the community will continue to stay updated by visiting our website: www.thornebuilding.org.”
The building, which was given to the newly incorporated village of Millbrook in 1895, has been in a serious state of disrepair for many years. After no longer being used for educational purposes after 1962, it served as various venues over several years, but eventually was left to lay dormant.
During Saturday’s tour, its stately elegance was evident as its stripped-down brick walls were bare, the asbestos recently removed. It ‘s not hard to envision a finished project, which was what the tour was all about.
The first floor has an auditorium and stage that will allow for theater events and could also accommodate social engagements like weddings. There are plans for possibly an art gallery and some community work spaces too. Many large windows allow an abundance of natural light.
Plans for the second floor include possibly a dance studio, classrooms, a room for seminars and kitchen/catering space. S
The third floor might be designated for office space, and the basement offers many possibilities, including a culinary center and kitchen, recording studio, technology center and more.
Many of those who attended were back for the first time since high school at the Open House. Others, such as Lois Marder, have been back more recently for events like antique shows; she praised the MCP’s progress.
“After all these years it is delightful to see the elegant interior of this building and listen to all the stories that people recall,” she said.
Resident Irene Wing said she was just glad the building would be put to good use.
“I’m glad it will be returned to its former glory,” she said.
Resident John Kading celebrated his 94th birthday on Saturday. He recalled going to school at the Thorne Building and was glad to see old friends and former classmates on the tour to share memories with of their high school days in those very halls.
Whalen, Justice Betsy Shequine, Millbrook Mayor Tim Collopy and Patsy Pollack were among the many who volunteered to greet and guide the visitors on tours of the first floor. There were 14 volunteers in all, and the hundreds who showed up seemed to be impressed and delighted a the renovations thus far.
Built in 1820, 1168 Bangall Amenia Road sold for $875,000 on July 31 with the transfer recorded in August. It has a Millbrook post office and is located in the Webutuck school district.
STANFORD — The Town of Stanford with nine transfers in two months reached a median price in August of $573,000 for single family homes, still below Stanford’s all-time median high in August 2024 of $640,000.
At the beginning of October there is a large inventory of single-family homes listed for sale with only six of the 18 homes listed for below the median price of $573,000 and seven above $1 million.
July transfers
79 Ernest Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 6.87 acres in 2 parcels sold to Matthew C. Marinetti for $1,225,000.
29 Drake Road — 3 bedroom/3.5 bath home on 2 acres sold to Harper Montgomery for $850,000.
6042 Route 82 — 4 bedroom/2 bath home on 1.09 acres sold to Spencer Thompson for $795,000.
125 Tick Tock Way — 3 bedroom/2.5 bath ranch on 1.9 acres sold to Fleur Touchard for $475,000.
August transfers
102 Prospect Hill Road — 3 bedroom/2 bath home on 6.35 acres sold to Karl Creighton Pfister for $565,000.
252 Ernest Road — 2 bedroom/1 bath cottage on .85 acres sold to Meg Bumie for $465,000.
1196 Bangall Amenia Road — 4 bedroom/2.5 bath home on 2.16 acres sold to Roderick Alleyne for $875,000.
Hunns Lake Road (#759929) — 59.1 acres of residential land sold to Argos Farm LLC for $3,325,000.
* Town of Stanford recorded real estate transfers from July 1 to August 31 provided by Dutchess County Real Property Office monthly transfer reports. Details on each property from Dutchess Parcel Access - properties with an # indicate location on Dutchess Parcel Access. Market data from One Key MLS and Infosparks .Compiled by Christine Bates, Real Estate Advisor with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty, Licensed in Connecticut and New York.
Hunt club members and friends gathered near Pugsley Hill at the historic Wethersfield Estate and Gardens in Amenia for the opening meet of the 2025-2026 Millbrook Hunt Club season on Saturday, Oct. 4. Foxhunters took off from Wethersfield’s hilltop gardens just after 8 a.m. for a hunting jaunt around Amenia’s countryside.
Joining in the fun at the dedication of the new pollinator pathway garden at The Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4, local expert gardener Maryanne Snow Pitts provides information about a planting to Lorraine Mirabella of Poughkeepsie.
MILLBROOK — Participating in a patchwork of libraries that have planted pollinator pathway gardens to attract insects and birds to their native plantings was one of the accomplishments being celebrated at the dedication of a new pollinator garden at the Millbrook Library on Saturday, Oct. 4.
“A lot of work went into it,” said Emma Sweeney, past President of the Millbrook Garden Club, who started the local library’s initiative two years ago.
The Pollinator Pathway program is a national effort to plant native plants that native insects depend upon for sustenance and preferred plants for their own seasonal reproduction.
Jana Hogan of Ridgefield, Connecticut, Executive Director of the Pollinator Pathway program, was on hand to present a plaque to the library for its successful participation.
“A garden is not just a garden,” said garden designer Andy Durbridge of Wassaic, designer of the library’s garden. “It may serve as a model for other gardens along the line.”
Speaking to the 50 visitors at the dedication, Durbridge said that the library’s garden has a mission, that it is a working garden, planned to serve insects and birds over their seasons. The earliest plants support pollinators, while the full range of plants continues to serve the needs of those they attract, offering habitat, shelter and food.
A pollinator garden is akin to a prairie, rather than a formalized European garden, Durbridge noted.
The garden project was supported by the library’s Friends group using funds raised during the Holiday Silent Auction and ongoing book sale. A grant from the Millbrook Garden Club also provided support.
Smithfield Church
AMENIA — Fans of the smooth sounds and rhythms of Brazilian Jazz will enjoy “Rio Jazz: Intimate Brazilian Jazz,” a concert at The Smithfield Church on Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at 3 p.m.
The concert is one of the acclaimed Bang Family Concerts, an ongoing series offering an eclectic range of performances by regional artists. The historic 19th-century church sanctuary offers perfect acoustics, thanks to its dimensions as a classic Greek square.
Assembled in 1988, Rio Jazz is led by Matt Finley, a pioneer in Brazilian jazz, who has brought together a combo of world-class performers for an hour of live music including a sampling of his own compositions. The Brazilian genre began in 1963, with the rise of the bossa nova and its growth in popularity in the U.S.
Members of the combo performing live are pianist Larry Ham, double bassist Lou Pappas, and drummer Jeff Siegel. Guitarist Jeff Ciampa from Orange County is playing for the Smithfield audience for the first time. And vocalist Denise Jordan Finley will join her husband in performing a collaborative composition.
The Smithfield Church is located at 656 Smithfield Valley Road in Amenia. A suggested donation of $20 will support future Bang Family concerts. A meet-the-artists reception will follow the concert. For more information, go to www.thesmithfieldchurch.org/concerts.
