New York State Parks seeking partners at DeVeaux Woods State Park

Redevelopment of historic Schoellkopf Hall is underway; State Parks to contribute to further development

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has released a request for expressions of interest (RFEI) for the adaptive reuse of Schoellkopf Hall, located in DeVeaux Woods State Park in the City of Niagara Falls. The RFEI comes as State Parks completes $2 million in work to stabilize the building, including asbestos and lead abatement, structural shoring and temporary roofing.

The stately Schoellkopf Hall, which is listed on the National Historic Register, was most recently used as a dormitory for Niagara University, but was also a former orphanage and military school dating back to 1853. DeVeaux Woods State Park includes a popular destination playground, dog park and little league baseball diamond. It is also the home of the Niagara Region administration headquarters. The park abuts Whirlpool State Park and the Niagara Gorge Trails and is approximately a mile from the boundaries of Niagara Falls State Park.

The 36,000-square-foot building is currently empty and has electric service. As part of the final redevelopment, State Parks will contribute $2 million toward the installation of all necessary utilities and parking.

For a copy of the RFEI visit https://www.nyscr.ny.gov/ or to schedule a tour, contact [email protected]. Responses are due by Wednesday, Nov. 13.