Thorne Building renovations continue

Thorne Building renovations continue

The historic Thorne Building on Franklin Avenue in the Village of Millbrook is undergoing renovations expected to finish in 2027.

Photo by Charlie Greenberg

MILLBROOK — Renovations to Millbrook’s Thorne Building are now in the final stage of planning with the restoration work expected to finish just beyond the 2027 deadline.

Leading the renovation efforts is the Millbrook Community Partnership, or MCP, a nonprofit organization which acquired the Thorne Building from the Village of Millbrook to renovate the building and operate it as a community center.

The Thorne Building was constructed in 1894 in response to criticism from a Poughkeepsie newspaper columnist who observed that Millbrook, while having strong public infrastructure in general at the time, lacked a suitable public school. Samuel Thorne, whose distant nephew Oakleigh Thorne leads the MCP, elected to build a school — the recognizable beaux-arts building undergoing renovations today.

“[The Thorne Building] is really the reason Millbrook became a village,” said Krista Fragos, project manager of the building’s renovation. At the time of the school’s construction, Millbrook was an unincorporated community. As a formal village government was required to accept the building as a gift, the construction of the Thorne Memorial School, as it was known, provided the motivation for Millbrook to incorporate.

  Interior renovations to the Thorne Building intend to restore the structure for use as a community event space.Photo by Charlie Greenberg

Following the relocation of Millbrook High School, which was previously located in the Thorne Building, to its present location in the 1960s, the Thorne Building has seen infrequent use. Though the structure has not deteriorated majorly, significant modernization is required to adapt the building to any of the various uses proposed for it.

In keeping with the Thorne Building’s historical place at the core of the village, The MCP decided that it should be converted into a versatile community center.

The Thorne Building’s location in the geographical center of Dutchess County and recognizably in downtown Millbrook makes it well-suited to its future function serving a wide range of interests in the community, said Michael Sloan, the redesigned building’s architect.

A multi-purpose theater, designed by renowned theatrical architect David Korins, will be the centerpiece of the refurbished Thorne Building. “We’re paying special attention to the acoustics,” Fragos said; the MCP has engaged acousticians Charcoalblue to that end.

Additionally, the planned community center will house coworking spaces, arts facilities and a professional kitchen.

Work has already been done to strip the building of decayed plaster and asbestos, a representative of the MCP said.

“The board has approved all the major design plans. At this point, it’s just down to where things like outlets go,” Fragos said. While architects and engineers are at work on the final granular details of the building’s design, the MCP is preparing for the next steps and is planning to release an update in the near future.

Once the final plans for the building are in, the MCP will open bids to contractors for the construction work on the building. At that point, construction work will take around two years.

“We’re making progress every day,” Fragos said.

Latest News

Books and bites beckon at the upcoming Sharon Summer Book Signing

Author and cartoonist Peter Steiner signed books at Sharon Summer Book Signing last summer.

Photo by Stephanie Stanton

The 27th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing at the Hotchkiss Library of Sharon will be held Friday, Aug. 1, from 4:45 to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 2, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 3, at noon.

Friday’s festivities will honor libraries and the power of the written word. In attendance will be 29 locally and nationally recognized authors whose books will be for sale. With a wide array of genres including historical fiction, satire, thrillers, young adult and non-fiction, there will be something for every reader.

Keep ReadingShow less
Voices from Ukraine to America come to Stissing Center July 27

Ukraine Emergency Fundraiser at The Stissing Center in 2022 raised over $120,000 for Sunflower of Peace.

Photo by Michael Churton

The spirit of Ukraine will be on display at the Stissing Center in Pine Plains on Sunday, July 27. Beginning at 5 p.m., the “Words to America from Ukraine” fundraiser is set to showcase the simultaneous beauty of Ukrainian culture and the war-time turmoil it faces, all the while fundraising in support of Ukrainian freedom.

“Words to America from Ukraine” aims to remind and spread awareness for the suffering that often gets forgotten by those who live in comfortable worlds, explained Leevi Ernits, an organizer for the event. “We are trying to make an attempt to remind people that we are human, and we are connected with human values,” she said. “With very few words, poetry can express very deep values.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Grumbling Gryphons’ set to celebrate 45th anniversary with gala and summer theater camp

Celebrating its 45th year, the Grumbling Gryphons will perform at HVRHS Friday, Aug. 1, at 7 p.m.

Photo provided

The Grumbling Gryphons Traveling Children’s Theater is preparing to celebrate its 45th year — not with fanfare, but with feathers, fabric, myth, chant, and a gala finale bursting with young performers and seasoned artists alike.

The Gryphons’ 2025 Summer Theater Arts Camp begins July 28 and culminates in a one-night-only performance gala at Housatonic Valley Regional High School on Friday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Founder, playwright, and artistic director, Leslie Elias has been weaving together the worlds of myth, movement and theater for decades.

Keep ReadingShow less
Learning calligraphy by hand

Attendees practive brushstrokes led by calligraphy teacher Debby Reelitz.

Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Calligrapher Debby Reelitz came to the David M. Hunt Library to give a group of adults and children an introduction to modern calligraphy Thursday, July 17.

Reelitz said she was introduced to calligraphy as a youngster and has been a professional calligrapher and teacher for more than 25 years.

Keep ReadingShow less