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Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 6:14 am
by Ridge70
Is Ken Sr still alive? If so, does he still live at Windsong? I believe he would be about 99 years old. I searched this site for any updated info but can't find any.

Thanks.

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Sat Sep 06, 2008 2:24 pm
by Dave McCarthy
He passed away the summer of '01, I believe. He had a life estate in the house and it reverted to the state on his death. The state, shamefully, appears to be letting Windsong go to seed, the same way they are letting the carriage road system fall apart and failing to maintain historic trails. (To be fair, I haven't been to Minnewaska in a couple of years, but I have no reason to believe the state is stepping up efforts.)

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 3:48 am
by traildude
I ws just up there and Windsong was falling apart. What a shame! I spoke to an employee who said the state had come up with $$ for proper bathrooms and other improvements but the park management had bunged it up so bad the project was cancelled.

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:45 am
by Ridge70
I didn't know he died. But I googled it and found the obituaries for both of them. And here I thought they were both still living there.

Windsong will probably fall to the same fate as all the other structures have up there. I hope not though. I think it's a shame that they couldn't pass it on to their children or leave it in the family somehow. But I know part of the agreement when the state took over the land was that it could NOT be passed on.

What about the other structure up there at the main parking lot? Isn't that a private residence too?

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2008 11:20 am
by Sharon Saracino
It is a shame that such a beautiful house is being allowed to deteriorate that way. Since it can not be used as a private home anymore, why isn't it used for the park office or perhaps a visitor center/gift shop? The Mohonk visitor center is a wonderful place with nature exhibits and information. Perhaps Minnewaska could do the same sort of thing.

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:07 pm
by Dave McCarthy
The cottage by the Wildmere site is identified in a map in the 1993 master plan as one of the "Smiley Leaseholds"; the 1993 master plan states that the leaseholds expires in 2087. I have no idea if anyone currently has the lease, and I've never seen any sign of activity at the cottage. (I'm only at Minnewaska once or twice a year, though.) I'm curious about the cottage as well. Anyone have any info?

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:03 pm
by petercbenson
I was soaking up some sun on the Wildmere rocks in August and I overhead a park ranger mention that they had just put a new roof on Windsong. He said they still weren't sure what to do with the structure, but that there was a lot of bad mold inside. I wasn't able to verify this maintenance from across the lake. Can anyone confirm this?

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 9:19 am
by guest
they have indeed begun the process of reroofing and reclaiming the building. the new master plan-though it is not set in stone-calls to have windsong fixed up and used as the office/visitor center. many of the employees/regulars support this decision and we should get as many people as we can on board, because it's inconvenient to have the office all the way down in the peterskill. of course, hopefully the park doesn't lose sight of their big mission-keeping it a preserve. i think its possible to use the house with a minimal impact, but it also called for more parking up there...i dont want to see cars scattered everywhere when im taking off along the red trail and im sure all the animals i've seen over there do not either. we shouldnt be altering or destroying the habitat for the sake of parking...we should just get a good pair of hiking boots and enjoy the walk. also, the smileys still own the house in the wildmere parking lot. Al has been working on it all summer trying to keep it together :)

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Wed Nov 13, 2013 1:18 pm
by guest
Does anyone know what year or years Windsong was built? I heard that the Phillips' built it in the early 80's but the house looks like it was built before then.

Windsong?

Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2018 9:20 am
by kimbear
Hello anyone interested??
I was told that the state is going to tear down the Phillips house - WINDSONG!
This I think is a crime. I sent letter to the governor and received a reapply today stating that the home has no historical significance? Are they crazy. History starts with the park itself. What to do about the demolition of this beautiful site??

Re: Ken Sr? Windsong?

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2018 6:17 am
by Guest
At one point it was decided to make Windsong into a visitor center, but about two years ago the decision was made to tear it down. It was built in the 80's after the second hotel burned down, so it's a stretch to call the building "historical". I prefer to see it stay, but the State is not very good with thinking outside the box.