Trolley Barn


Project icon

Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

Between 1874 and 1935, the City of Poughkeepsie’s historic Trolley Barn housed a fleet of first horse-powered and later electric trolley cars that carried residents and shoppers along Main Street to the Hudson River, Vassar College, and nearby Wappingers Falls. After the city switched to buses, this unique structure became a garage and then an auto parts store before falling into disuse. Today, Poughkeepsie is breathing new life into this historic node, attracting visitors and residents alike back into the Middle Main neighborhood through the arts.

Beginning in the fall of 2017, MASS’s Poughkeepsie, NY office partnered with Mid-Hudson Heritage Center, Hudson River Housing, and architecture firm Liscum McCormick VanVoorhis to reimagine the Trolley Barn as an arts center and event space, dedicated to inclusively catalyzing reinvestment along Main Street. The project team worked closely with members of the community to develop possible programming schema alongside local artists and nonprofits. The Trolley Barn project received an initial grant from NeighborWorks America to renovate the front portion of the building, and later went on to receive funds from the Restore New York Communities Initiative to complete the building’s transformation into a multi-cultural center for arts programming and events. The Trolley Barn opened in 2019.

Project Details

41.7004, -73.921

Location: Poughkeepsie, New York, USA

Year: 2017

Status: Completed

Size: 14,400 sq. ft.

Program: Adaptive reuse of historic transit garage into a community arts hub and event space

Services: Community Outreach, Schematic Design

Clients:
Hudson River Housing, Mid-Hudson Heritage Center

Partners:
Mid-Hudson Heritage Center, Hudson River Housing, Liscum McCormick Vanhoorhis