2,174 Comments for Bennett School for Girls
TIM wrote:
I work at an Army/Navy surplus store in Oregon, Ohio. We still make dog tags for the customers. The only problem with the machine is that it skips a single or multiple spaces as you are typing. If you have any feedback my e-mail is timothy_whited@owens.edu Thanks
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Barbara A wrote:
Abundant thanks to you, Ann and Jerry, for taking the time to write such a fabulous post. Your memories of Bennett are fascinating and I'm sure I'm not the only one who enjoyed reading about your time at Bennett. I am a native of Millbrook, and although I no longer live in the area, I continue to love this place with the same intense passion I did as a child. Although I didn't attend Bennett, my mother worked there as a hostess in the dining room from the late 60's thru mid 70's, thus there's a good chance she was one of those carefully starched, white-gloved ladies who served you your lunch! I've picked her brain to bits and pieces in quest of her memories of Bennett and I thank you for yours. A heartwretching shame indeed that this place wasn't treasured as well as it's been in our thoughts.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Canadian Chick wrote:
I'm amazed that hasn't gone through the floor and into the basement. Most of the floors don't look solid enough to hold a person, let alone a 400lbs(ish) cast iron tub.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Canadian Chick wrote:
My absolute favorite picture on this site! Thanks Motts.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Jerome N. Margolis, Ph.D. wrote:
I taught at Bennett from 1966-1970, serving as Music Director of Performing Arts. My position included directing music and sound for all drama production, accompanying the modern dance classes and composing music for dancers, and teaching a course titled "Music for Dancers." At the age of 25 being surrounded by hundreds of young women was quite an experience. My wife and
I first lived out at North Clove Rd. which was completely isolated. She was "stuck" there (we only had the one car) with our children - toddlers 10 months apart while my work at the college usually involved 10 to 12 hour days and numerous evenings. We moved into a house owned by Bennett out on Oak Summit Road during our second year.
I enjoyed the area with its woods and snow but my wife did not and after four years I accepted a job as Music Director at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where just about every person in the film industry sent their sons and daughters. Anyway, I really did enjoy Bennett and found many of the students to be of superb intellect and admirable asirations. The drama and dance productions were often of high quality and there were lots of opportunities for highly original and even experimental work.
I do remember Regina Cody, a very old and brilliant teacher who headed the English Dept. and who took a great liking to me
after hearing my string quartet. We shared tea and had some great conversations. I do remember Charles Hoyt - he played some pretty hot Fats Waller on the piano. There was the artist whose last name was Della-Volpe who befriended me early-on as well as the younger Ron Collier. Mike McElhaney directed the theater department and Emily Wadhams the dance department. Harkaway Theater was an incredible environment named for the horse of the brilliant architect who designed the facility 'way back when.'
Halcyon Hall - the posted photos show this
sort of horrid Victorian film-genre building.
Halcyon was actually quite lovely and it is surely only the fault of those so callous as to let it fall into such a state that accounts for the later photos. It was old, yes, but it was a warm, welcoming, stately place with endless character and beauty. It was filled with great old 1900 furniture. Whe n you entered the lobby there was a huge floor-standing clock.
The faculty lounge had old Victorian furniture
I recall having lunch with trustees and we were served by young women in maid's uniforms with white gloves. I did manage to look inbto dorm rooms during an official tour and I remember them being old and small but, still, possession a character that could not be easily dismissed.
The newer dorm building was fairly absurd and whoever let the new architect place it next to Halcyon had little or no respect for the character of the college overall.
You have to have seen the place when it was filled with great kids going to class, snow on the ground or Fall leaves, flowers, etc.
President Eldridge's house stood at the top of the main hill of the campus and looked down upon Halcyon. Keep in mind that Halcyon was the official entrance - you drove up the road and discovered a somewhat 'surrounding' Halcyon Hall with its attached library, chapel, etc. and the main erntrance to the building. Up on the hill were located Harkway Theater, a state-of-the-art dance studio, drama classrooms, the modern music building, fashion design building (music and fashion were connected via and underground tunnel as I recall), a fabulous wide-open art studio where sculptor Tal Streeter worked and taught, etc.
The science building was among the very old facilities but was outfitted with modern classroom equipment, etc.
I can recall almost all of the students I ever taught at Bennett. Two who attained fame -
Gates McFadden ("Star Trek") and Andrea Marcovicci (often called America's leading cabaret singer) well represented the kind of talent and dedication that I found in the wonderfully interesting young ladies who attended Bennett.
The college spared n o expense when it came to bringing famous personalities to campus. During the four years I taught at Bennett we had as guest lec turers/artists
Tyrone Guthrie, katherine Litz, Roy Lichtenstein, Senator Fullbright, ambassadors, scientists, playwrights,
etc. The beauty of any school in which the students are in-residence is that evening programs are always being planned.
Of course, that also meant that, as a young married husband, I was too, too often "trapped" in long evening rehearsals or preparing tapes in the sound booth.
Ann and I returned to Bennett sometime in
the late 1980s while passing thru the area on a return visit from California. The college had gone "belly-up" years before and high weeds were already growing up around the beautiful dance studio. There were some people around as part of the campus was then being used as a workshop for a welfare program I believe - not sure. Ann had tears in her eyes. When I asked her why she said that
she was remembering how lonely and unhappy she had been while I was teaching there. It made me realize that I had made the right decision to move out to California and take a position which was more challenging but gave me a good home-life with Ann and our kids.
Millbrook - what a weird place. It could be charming and delightful as well as lonely,
too damn provincial and even "close-minded." There were too many folks with the same last name. We were treated ok as I recall although you were always "one of those college people." I really don;t know if it's fair to blame the townies for not rescuing the college campus. First of all I went into town a lot and I do not recall the girls patronizing the Millbrook stores unless they really were desperate. They drove into Poughkeepsie or flew to White Plains. So, I'm not at all sure that there was any love lost between the town people and the college folk.
I remember Rolf Haines Pharmacy, John Cading at Corner News Store, Al Maggiacomo dry cleaners and Millbrook Dept. Store. Ha, I used to read Playboy Magazine and when I purchased a copy at Corner News Store it had to be put into a brown paper bag before I left so that I didn;t dare walk down Main St. with it showing.
Horrors! During the summer the college was deserted but we had Upward Bound and I had a blast with those kids.
It did not require a genius to see that Bennett was heading towards bankruptcy if they did not choose to go co-ed while there was still time. The day of the single-sex school was over except for those who could stand on their reputation as great institutions of higher learning. Bennett's trustees, administraion and business officers simply 'sat on their hands' too long before seeing what was coming. I was, of course, deeply saddened to learn of the college's financial failure, but
I dfo recall the business manager making fun of me for leaving to go to a job in California where, according to him, "those private schools go under all of the time."
Well, the school I moved to continues to be one of the greatest schools in the nation and has graduated lumanaries too numerous to count (Jake and Maggie Gyllenhall, Governor Jerry Brown, Sally Ride, nobel winners,
leaders in every field, etc.) Bennett should have gone co-ed by 1970.
The arguments about Molly Ferrer are pretty silly. The issues surrounding whether or not
rich alumni should have recused the campus are probably moot. If Bennett alum had felt the need to rescue the place - meaning the physical plant - they would have done so. Obviously they went on to 4 year colleges and universities and no longer felt a strong-enough attachment to the place to warrant such a rescue.
Personally, I always saw Halcyon and, in fact, the entire campus as a ripe opportunity for someone to develop a huge Bed & Breakfast or lodege of some kind. So much was in-place when the school 'went under.'
Knowing the way Millbrook Bank and the Millbrook twon fathers worked I still believe that they probably enjoyed watching those fine buildings crumble away. My personal belief, however, is that the memories live on and the demise of the physical plant cannot subtract from what thousands of individuals accomplished and took away with them for the rest of their lives.
While reading the comments posted here I remembered that I used to shoot 8mm home movies as a hobby - the kids, our houses, trips, pets, etc. Needless to say I took a few reels of Bennett College when everything looked great. The best is a four-minute color video taken in the 'dead of winter' when everything was covered in lovely snow.
I held my camera in one hand and just drove around the entire campus with my Yashica camera going. I transferred it to VHS yearts later and eventurally to DVD. needless to say, there's been some natural deterioration but the place still looks great in the footage.
(I remember Mike McElhaney dreamed of bringing a video studio to Bennett at a time when video cameras were still large and quite expensive. I'm not sure that ever came about or he would have invariably taken videos of the campus, productions, people, etc.
Anyway, I just thought I would add my insight and memories to this site with the hope that someone, somewhere has their memory piqued.
I'll close with a thought similar to somwething I wrote earlier. Seeing Halcyon in those recent photos is a bit like seeing the ocean liner S.S. United States after she was stripped bare by salvage companies.
The "thing" itself still stands in memory and whatever it looks like now is merely a reflection of what human beings value or, to be kind, are unable to maintain due to
change, progress, values, the natural order of things and even a certain sense of disregard which may also be natural to the human condition.
I truly wish that the young ladies of Bennett College have gone on to wonderfully happy and productive lives and that their memories of Bennett are fond ones.
Best Wishes,
Jerry Margolis
I first lived out at North Clove Rd. which was completely isolated. She was "stuck" there (we only had the one car) with our children - toddlers 10 months apart while my work at the college usually involved 10 to 12 hour days and numerous evenings. We moved into a house owned by Bennett out on Oak Summit Road during our second year.
I enjoyed the area with its woods and snow but my wife did not and after four years I accepted a job as Music Director at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles where just about every person in the film industry sent their sons and daughters. Anyway, I really did enjoy Bennett and found many of the students to be of superb intellect and admirable asirations. The drama and dance productions were often of high quality and there were lots of opportunities for highly original and even experimental work.
I do remember Regina Cody, a very old and brilliant teacher who headed the English Dept. and who took a great liking to me
after hearing my string quartet. We shared tea and had some great conversations. I do remember Charles Hoyt - he played some pretty hot Fats Waller on the piano. There was the artist whose last name was Della-Volpe who befriended me early-on as well as the younger Ron Collier. Mike McElhaney directed the theater department and Emily Wadhams the dance department. Harkaway Theater was an incredible environment named for the horse of the brilliant architect who designed the facility 'way back when.'
Halcyon Hall - the posted photos show this
sort of horrid Victorian film-genre building.
Halcyon was actually quite lovely and it is surely only the fault of those so callous as to let it fall into such a state that accounts for the later photos. It was old, yes, but it was a warm, welcoming, stately place with endless character and beauty. It was filled with great old 1900 furniture. Whe n you entered the lobby there was a huge floor-standing clock.
The faculty lounge had old Victorian furniture
I recall having lunch with trustees and we were served by young women in maid's uniforms with white gloves. I did manage to look inbto dorm rooms during an official tour and I remember them being old and small but, still, possession a character that could not be easily dismissed.
The newer dorm building was fairly absurd and whoever let the new architect place it next to Halcyon had little or no respect for the character of the college overall.
You have to have seen the place when it was filled with great kids going to class, snow on the ground or Fall leaves, flowers, etc.
President Eldridge's house stood at the top of the main hill of the campus and looked down upon Halcyon. Keep in mind that Halcyon was the official entrance - you drove up the road and discovered a somewhat 'surrounding' Halcyon Hall with its attached library, chapel, etc. and the main erntrance to the building. Up on the hill were located Harkway Theater, a state-of-the-art dance studio, drama classrooms, the modern music building, fashion design building (music and fashion were connected via and underground tunnel as I recall), a fabulous wide-open art studio where sculptor Tal Streeter worked and taught, etc.
The science building was among the very old facilities but was outfitted with modern classroom equipment, etc.
I can recall almost all of the students I ever taught at Bennett. Two who attained fame -
Gates McFadden ("Star Trek") and Andrea Marcovicci (often called America's leading cabaret singer) well represented the kind of talent and dedication that I found in the wonderfully interesting young ladies who attended Bennett.
The college spared n o expense when it came to bringing famous personalities to campus. During the four years I taught at Bennett we had as guest lec turers/artists
Tyrone Guthrie, katherine Litz, Roy Lichtenstein, Senator Fullbright, ambassadors, scientists, playwrights,
etc. The beauty of any school in which the students are in-residence is that evening programs are always being planned.
Of course, that also meant that, as a young married husband, I was too, too often "trapped" in long evening rehearsals or preparing tapes in the sound booth.
Ann and I returned to Bennett sometime in
the late 1980s while passing thru the area on a return visit from California. The college had gone "belly-up" years before and high weeds were already growing up around the beautiful dance studio. There were some people around as part of the campus was then being used as a workshop for a welfare program I believe - not sure. Ann had tears in her eyes. When I asked her why she said that
she was remembering how lonely and unhappy she had been while I was teaching there. It made me realize that I had made the right decision to move out to California and take a position which was more challenging but gave me a good home-life with Ann and our kids.
Millbrook - what a weird place. It could be charming and delightful as well as lonely,
too damn provincial and even "close-minded." There were too many folks with the same last name. We were treated ok as I recall although you were always "one of those college people." I really don;t know if it's fair to blame the townies for not rescuing the college campus. First of all I went into town a lot and I do not recall the girls patronizing the Millbrook stores unless they really were desperate. They drove into Poughkeepsie or flew to White Plains. So, I'm not at all sure that there was any love lost between the town people and the college folk.
I remember Rolf Haines Pharmacy, John Cading at Corner News Store, Al Maggiacomo dry cleaners and Millbrook Dept. Store. Ha, I used to read Playboy Magazine and when I purchased a copy at Corner News Store it had to be put into a brown paper bag before I left so that I didn;t dare walk down Main St. with it showing.
Horrors! During the summer the college was deserted but we had Upward Bound and I had a blast with those kids.
It did not require a genius to see that Bennett was heading towards bankruptcy if they did not choose to go co-ed while there was still time. The day of the single-sex school was over except for those who could stand on their reputation as great institutions of higher learning. Bennett's trustees, administraion and business officers simply 'sat on their hands' too long before seeing what was coming. I was, of course, deeply saddened to learn of the college's financial failure, but
I dfo recall the business manager making fun of me for leaving to go to a job in California where, according to him, "those private schools go under all of the time."
Well, the school I moved to continues to be one of the greatest schools in the nation and has graduated lumanaries too numerous to count (Jake and Maggie Gyllenhall, Governor Jerry Brown, Sally Ride, nobel winners,
leaders in every field, etc.) Bennett should have gone co-ed by 1970.
The arguments about Molly Ferrer are pretty silly. The issues surrounding whether or not
rich alumni should have recused the campus are probably moot. If Bennett alum had felt the need to rescue the place - meaning the physical plant - they would have done so. Obviously they went on to 4 year colleges and universities and no longer felt a strong-enough attachment to the place to warrant such a rescue.
Personally, I always saw Halcyon and, in fact, the entire campus as a ripe opportunity for someone to develop a huge Bed & Breakfast or lodege of some kind. So much was in-place when the school 'went under.'
Knowing the way Millbrook Bank and the Millbrook twon fathers worked I still believe that they probably enjoyed watching those fine buildings crumble away. My personal belief, however, is that the memories live on and the demise of the physical plant cannot subtract from what thousands of individuals accomplished and took away with them for the rest of their lives.
While reading the comments posted here I remembered that I used to shoot 8mm home movies as a hobby - the kids, our houses, trips, pets, etc. Needless to say I took a few reels of Bennett College when everything looked great. The best is a four-minute color video taken in the 'dead of winter' when everything was covered in lovely snow.
I held my camera in one hand and just drove around the entire campus with my Yashica camera going. I transferred it to VHS yearts later and eventurally to DVD. needless to say, there's been some natural deterioration but the place still looks great in the footage.
(I remember Mike McElhaney dreamed of bringing a video studio to Bennett at a time when video cameras were still large and quite expensive. I'm not sure that ever came about or he would have invariably taken videos of the campus, productions, people, etc.
Anyway, I just thought I would add my insight and memories to this site with the hope that someone, somewhere has their memory piqued.
I'll close with a thought similar to somwething I wrote earlier. Seeing Halcyon in those recent photos is a bit like seeing the ocean liner S.S. United States after she was stripped bare by salvage companies.
The "thing" itself still stands in memory and whatever it looks like now is merely a reflection of what human beings value or, to be kind, are unable to maintain due to
change, progress, values, the natural order of things and even a certain sense of disregard which may also be natural to the human condition.
I truly wish that the young ladies of Bennett College have gone on to wonderfully happy and productive lives and that their memories of Bennett are fond ones.
Best Wishes,
Jerry Margolis
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Jerry and Ann wrote:
If you would like to contact us:
piano@earthlink.net
piano@earthlink.net
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Jerry and Ann wrote:
We lived in Millbrook from 1966-1970,my husband taught music at Bennett College. Those were fun times,esp seeing Dr Timothy Leary on our front porch having lost his way and needing directions. We were told if any faculty member was "friendly" with TL, they'd be fired. Imagine how we felt each time TL would see us in the villaga and give a big hello and wave! Sorry to see the college go under but by that time we were having a good life living in LA,CA till 2005 when we retired to SoWestern part of VA.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
blue lamp wrote:
Pat please keep us updated on Bennett & Halcyon....I don't live anywere near there so other than what I've learned about it on this web site I knew nothing about it. I just love seeing stuff about old buildings and thinking of there history etc. I know 'if' I'd went there I'd be heartbroken but I do feel for those who love it and preserving history would've been nice here. Its a shame that Millbrook couldn't have tried to do something for all that it had done for them through all those years. Its a shame when it had been closed down in 1977 that someone couldn't have bought it than and made use of this and the other beautiful buildings on the grounds. Of course it does take alot of $$$ to restore old buildings....which not alot of us have and the one's that do want to get rid of them. Sad to say it would cost alot of $$ now to save Bennett if it is possible.....how sad....if maybe it was only 2 yrs old instead of what 31 yrs ago it might not cost as much but well who knows.....it is sad though. So thanks for all the comments from former students etc. I will say this is an interesting site. Motts you do a great job. I hope you will update your web site more often. Have you ever though of going to Waverly Hills TB hospital. I've not ever been but seen enough about it on TV and on various web sites. Pat please keep us updated....same Motts if you can take anymore currant photos of Bennett before its gone that would be nice also. Take care alll.....
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
blue lamp wrote:
That looks like a long drop.....I'm not to crazy about elevators myself....those are some horrifying stories. Thanks to Pat & all the people with the interesting stories of this place. :)
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
blue lamp wrote:
How sad...it is a beautiful view too.......
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
blue lamp wrote:
Motts did you get to take more pictures before they demolished the place? Any updates?Thanks ....just wondering? : ) Would love to see them if so.....
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
blue lamp wrote:
Its a shame really. In its day it does look like a wonderful house. Does anyone know if it was demolished already? How sad. It is sad that they can't think of new uses for old houses & buildings before this happens. Its a way of perserving history. If they are building new condo's what a shame. Like somone sad it could've been renovated back in the day (after it closed) and used for apartments or something. What a total shame. Anyone have an update about this? Also thanks to the students stories that used to go there. They are nice to read. Keep those stories coming. I can image how sad it would be to see the place you lived at and went to school at and have all your memories at.....look like this must be heart breaking really. As always Motts thanks for the great pictures....I don't think I'd have the courage to explore these old places. It appears its very dangerous with the floors falling in etc.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
KahunaTony wrote:
I still don't understand howthey could just leave such a valuable property to rot
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls
Holly wrote:
i was in the abandoned dormitory building at a boarding school on mission hill in boston and it looked just like this...those long boarding school hallways with rows of identical doors!! and always a radiator at the end.
- Location: Bennett School for Girls
- Gallery: Close Calls