WEST POINT FOUNDRY - COLD SPRING - Much has been written of the West Point Foundry, which is not located in West Point but across the river in Cold Spring, New York, approximately 40 miles north of Manhattan. It was here that iron for New York's first steam locomotive was cast, and here that today the Foundry's old Administration Building now stands abandoned. A great history (with some great photos) of the West Point Foundry can be found here, at Rob Yasinsac's site, which is how I first discovered the old Foundry.
I made my first visit to the West Point Foundry in March of 1999. The Administration Building today appears to have been abandoned for at least fifty years. Its floors and roof are falling in, and all that remains of a wing to the rear are the brick exterior walls. I walked through one room on the first floor, which in and of itself was a pretty harrowing experience. While the Foundry isn't much of an exploration prospect, it is a great little building, one that has miraculously survived to become one of the Hudson Valley's more noteworthy ruins.
Surrounding the Administration building is a public park maintained by an organization called Scenic Hudson. A stroll along the park's trails leads one through the ruins of the old furnaces and other buildings that once belonged to the complex. Will something be done to save the old Administration Building before it really is too late? UPDATE: Scenic Hudson has carried out extensive conservation work on the administration building. The cupola was removed and now sits on the ground in front of the building, a curious sight indeed. Wood and metal braces now support the floors and roof. © T.E. Rinaldi, 2006
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