Harlem Valley State Hospital

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Harlem Valley State Hospital
Main entrance to the former hospital, now Evangelical Center of Olivet University in June 2024
Map
Geography
LocationDover, New York, United States
Coordinates41°38′14″N 73°34′20″W / 41.63734°N 73.57229°W / 41.63734; -73.57229
History
Opened1924
Closed1994
Links
ListsHospitals in New York State

Harlem Valley State Hospital, south of the hamlet of Wingdale in the town of Dover, was a New York State psychiatric hospital that operated from 1924 to 1994.[1][2]

History

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The grounds were originally slated to be a correctional facility, Wingdale Prison, but complaints by the local population caused a re-purposing of the buildings (under construction) into a state hospital. It is located on NY 22/55 opposite the Harlem Valley–Wingdale station on the Metro-North Harlem Line.

The hospital was closed in 1994 due to budget cuts and was sold to a Long Island-based housing developer, the Benjamin Companies. However, the Benjamin Companies gave up on its plans to pursue the Dover Knolls project - comprising development of a golf-course housing community surrounded by commercial, office, and retail development - when the Great Recession hit and just before the housing market collapsed.[3][4]

Current ownership

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In August 2013, Olivet Management LLC, a newly formed real estate development and management company, bought from the Long Island developer the Benjamin Companies 503 acres on the east side[4](approximately half the property) for $20 million, to be used as an upstate campus for Olivet University.[5]

Opinions on Olivet's purchase of the property were mixed: on one hand, Business Insider reported in 2014, "Wingdale residents are actually excited about the arrival of Olivet," expectant that "the college will draw new jobs and commerce to the town." On the other, David Allee, a photographer and former urban planner who captured pictures of the "massive campus with dozens of decayed buildings"[4] before Olivet University refurbished the property, thought Olivet's plan to use the existing structures was a bad idea. He observed: "It's become a hazardous waste site. The buildings were so full of asbestos and mold that I'm shocked anybody thinks they could rehab them." In fact, in response to a complaint levied on October 23, 2013, OSHA fined Olivet Management $2.3 million for knowingly exposing workers to asbestos and lead during the renovation of the property and ultimately placed Olivet in OSHA's Severe Violator Enforcement Program.[6] Additionally, multiple news outlets have cited several controversies about the school and its founder, David Jang.[4][7][8]

On October 27, 2015, Olivet University obtained from the New York State Education Department the right to open and operate an academic institution in Dover and in 2016 began offering courses at the new campus,[9][10] dubbed "Olivet Center".[4] The Metro-North station adjacent to the campus, formerly called "Harlem Valley-State Hospital", has been renamed "Harlem Valley-Wingdale".[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Harlem Valley State Hospital". Harlem Valley.Org. Archived from the original on 2007-06-12. Retrieved 2007-06-23.
  2. ^ "The Harlem Valley Psychiatric Hospital Page". Robbie Knobbie.
  3. ^ "Dover Knolls". Town of Dover, New York.
  4. ^ a b c d e Bradshaw, Sarah (December 29, 2013). "Big plans for former psych center in Dover, many questions". Poughkeepsie Journal.
  5. ^ Jacobs, Harrison (July 14, 2014). "Chilling Photos Of An Abandoned Mental Asylum That's Being Turned Into An Evangelical College Campus". Business Insider. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  6. ^ Press Release (April 2, 2014). "Olivet Management faces $2.3M in OSHA fines for knowingly exposing workers to asbestos and lead at NY work site; Exposure occurred during renovation of former Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center". OSHA.gov. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  7. ^ Berger, Joseph (October 4, 2013). "Amid Questions, Town Welcomes a New College". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
  8. ^ Olsen, Ted; Smith, Ken (August 16, 2012). "INVESTIGATIVE REPORT: The Second Coming Christ Controversy". Christianity Today. "David Jang has become an increasingly influential figure in Asian and now American evangelicalism. He and his followers have founded media outlets and a Christian college and are key influencers in the World Evangelical Alliance. But many say he leads a group that has encouraged the belief that he's the 'Second Coming Christ.' Is there any truth to the allegations?"
  9. ^ Wilson, Geoffrey (November 4, 2015). "Olivet to offer courses at Dover Plains property in 2016". Poughkeepsie Journal.
  10. ^ "New York State Authorizes Olivet University to Operate Courses in Dover". Olivet University News. November 5, 2015.
  11. ^ "Harlem Valley-Wingdale". MTA.info. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
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