Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects: West Point Foundry Preserve is the site of a former 19th-century foundry in the Village of Cold Spring, New York. The site occupies 87 acres of a dramatic, forested valley that opens up to the geologic expanse of the Hudson River. Scenic Hudson Land Trust selected Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects as prime designer to transform this post-industrial site into a park that reveals links to the site’s history, both industrial and ecological.

The $3.5-million project respects the property’s inherent natural beauty, utilizing existing historic paths and rail lines to connect building ruins. Displays allow visitors to learn about the foundry’s role in the Civil War and its contribution to America’s Industrial Revolution. Exhibits at Foundry Cove explore the marsh’s remarkable renewal and abundance of wildlife. Through incisive design interventions, visitors to the park participate in an active and informed experience of this accumulated landscape.

Location: Village of Cold Spring, NY, USA
Lead Designer: Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, P.C.
Client/Owner Scenic Hudson, Inc.
Additional Project Credits:
Engineering: GHD Consulting Engineers, LLC
Historic Stabilization: Li/Saltzman Architects, PC and Liam O’Hanlon Engineering, PC
Exhibit and Interpretive Design: C&G Partners, LLC
Survey: Badey and Watson Surveying and Engineering, PC
Traffic: Frederick P. Clark Associates
Archaeological Monitoring Report: Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc.
Estimator: Slocum Consulting
Environmental: Ecosystems Strategies
Photography: Elizabeth Felicella
Historic Images: Putnam History Museum