The Glenwood Power Plant is an abandoned industrial complex built in 1907 to accommodate the electrification and expansion of the New York Central Railroad. Located on a four-acre site built on a wooden pile foundation extending into the Hudson River, the historic complex consists of a Pump House, Coal Tower, Rotary Building, and paired Turbine and Smokestack Halls with 200-foot-tall brick smoke stacks. The plant was designed by Charles Reed and Alan Stem, notable civic architects who were also collaborators on the new Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The plant is a historic asset with great potential great potential for adaptive reuse despite severely deteriorated materials and structure. Located next to the MTA Metro-North Railroad train tracks, the site is highly visible and celebrates the industrial heritage of the region.

Easton Architects prepared a comprehensive Existing Conditions Assessment to evaluate the conditions of the site and the feasibility of an adaptive reuse project. We oversaw a multi-discipline consultant team that provided structural assessments, laboratory conservation testing, civil site surveys, and drone surveys of inaccessible areas. Easton Architects oversaw all aspects of the project and coordinated directly with the client and municipal agencies with jurisdiction over the site.

The report evaluated all interior and exterior materials—which included original mechanical equipment—and reviewed life safety implications of the current conditions. We developed recommendations for infrastructure and building envelope upgrades and outlined options for restoration, repair, and replacement. We created a phasing plan for implementation that addressed immediate, short-term, and long-term needs. Our document serves as a critical master planning tool for the next steps in the Glenwood Power Plant’s redevelopment.