POUGHKEEPSIE – The ownership of Upper Landing Park on Water Street in Poughkeepsie, under the Walkway Over the Hudson, is being transferred to Dutchess County as a donation from the Dyson Foundation. The county legislature authorized the acquisition at a meeting last week.
The 2.75-acre park is bordered by the Fallkill Creek and the Hudson River and serves as an access point to the elevator that takes visitors up to the Walkway.
Dutchess County Parks will take over responsibility for the maintenance and operation of this waterfront park, including programming and events.
Upper Landing Park is centrally located to many historic sites, tourism attractions, and businesses and will be a connection point in the county’s proposed Urban Trail network.
The Dyson Foundation originally purchased the property in 2012 and opened it as an urban waterfront park in 2013.
County Executive Molinaro said the park “has long been a jewel of a park along the most consequential waterway in American history.“
The property has a rich history, first serving as a hunting and fishing ground for Native Americans for thousands of years. It became one of the first areas to be settled in Dutchess County by Europeans and has served as a homestead, mill site, commercial dock, Revolutionary War depot, industrial hub, and electrical power generation source for the surrounding area.
