n e w b u r g h ~ n e w y o r k

     For most people, being in Newburgh means exiting off of I-84 to get to the New York State Thruway; catching a flight at Stewart Airport; Christmas shopping at the Newburgh Mall; or having a beer on the waterfront on a warm Friday night. This isn't the real Newburgh. The real Newburgh is Grand Street revealing its venerable Gothic Revival-style cottages overlooking the river, the weeping willows leaning over Polly Pond at Downing Park, the hollowed out factories echoing the city's industrial heydey, and the boarded up storefronts of the once vibrant Broadway. Beauty and ugliness, life and atrophy, coexist and compete in this city along the scenic Hudson River. Unfortunately, over the last 50 years ugliness has proved the stronger. For example:

• Newburgh's East End Historic District is home to more than 4000 historic buildings, making it the largest such district in New York State. A.J. Davis, A.J. Downing, and Calvert Vaux are among the many renowned architects who designed homes and buildings in Newburgh   /   In 1996, The National Trust for Historic Preservation called Newburgh's East End Historic District one of the "11 Most Endangered Historic Places" in the country.

• In 1952, the National Municipal League and Look magazine selected Newburgh to receive the "All American City Award," for its outstanding citizen action in putting the city's financial affairs on a sound footing ("Citizens Action")  /   In 1981, the federal government put Newburgh on the top of its list of the most distressed urban areas in the country (DePalma).

     But this Web site is not about dwelling in Newburgh's recently dismal past. It's about understanding its past and revealing the both simple and complex sources of its problems. It's also about revealing the enormous potential that Newburgh has to be a great city once again, based on its combination of historical heritage, rich architecture, compact urban form, strategic location, and the dogged perseverance of some of its residents and business community.