Renovate or Raze?

Prior to a fire that took the top section of the turret of the Ganse House (current Highland Library building), the lovely home was an inspiration to the thousands of laborers who traveled along the Highland-New Paltz trolley line. Today, the building’s fate is being discussed by Highland area residents and the library board. The library long ago outgrew the building and in 2010 the residents rejected a referendum to bond for a new space on Commercial Avenue. It lost by fewer than 100 votes. The board is considering razing the Ganse building and putting the new library in its place. Other possibilities include another try for Commercial Avenue with fewer bells and whistles, or doing the construction elsewhere.

Opponents to razing it cite the loss of another lovely old building in the village and the loss of the potential to mend the fabric of the hamlet’s visual statement and history. Stay tuned.