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Henry Varnum Poor and Crow House – Some History

Crow House is the hand-built home and studio of artist Henry Varnum Poor (1887-1970), in New City, NY. Poor built this astonishing stone house in 1920, after returning from France in WW I and filled it with ceramic elements that he made – from door knobs to sinks, lights, shower murals and numerous tiles.  In his day (mid-20th century) he was one of the country’s foremost ceramicists, a successful painter in the NYC scene, a fresco muralist (Department of Justice, Washington DC and many other federal buildings), architect  and author.  He was also a co-founder of Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.  His house was the center of an artists’ colony on South Mountain Road in New City, NY that included Burgess Meredith, John Houseman, Maxwell Anderson, Milton Caniff, Paulette Goddard, Kurt Weill, Lotte Lenya, Sidney Simon, along with many other well-known artists, activists, composers, and writers.

Friends of Crow House and the Town of Ramapo Involvement                                                                  

Friends of Crow House/Henry Varnum Poor Foundation was established to work with the Town of Ramapo in an advisory capacity and to facilitate public access. The 17 years of neglect by the Town of Ramapo and their refusal to work with the HVPF, or any other organization, has resulted in severe degradation of the property (view images above). They have failed to allocate sufficient funds for the maintenance of Crow House, and they have proven themselves to be unreliable and a disinterested partner. It is questionable if the Town of Ramapo will continue to own or divest itself  of this asset, as one thing is for sure: they show no interest in restoring and maintaining it as was the agreement. Therefore, the HVPF is reaching out to partner with a new responsive owner who will restore and maintain Crow House. HVPF is reaching out to the Town of Clarkstown and/or the County of Rockland to become the new partner(s), as NYSHPO has indicated that they would support another municipality as owner.  These localities have done this before for other properties. As their partner, the HVPF would steward the property, its open space and facilitate access to the public. Rockland County has a rich history of the arts and Crow House could be a great addition to this legacy.

Your Input is Crucial:  Planned meeting with Town and County Leadership

The HVPF plans to arrange an in-person meeting with George Hoehmann (Clarkstown Supervisor) and Ed Day (Rockland County Executive). Here is where your input is essential. We hope to use Letters of Concern from like-minded individuals such as yourself to help persuade them to act and procure Crow House from the Town of Ramapo.  We  would appreciate your Letter of Concern to include:

1)     Why you believe that this extraordinary, unique, hand-built Crow House should be preserved and shared with the public. 

2)    Note that there is precedent in preserving artists’ homes:  The Edward Hopper House in Nyack is a destination for art lovers throughout the region.  We foresee Crow House to have similar art and architectural significance once the house and property are restored.

3)    It would also help tremendously if you would include your impression of Henry Varnum Poor as an important and influential artist, whose legacy, like Hopper’s, should be preserved.

4)    Note too that Crow House is located within an established area of open space currently used for outdoor recreation and it is on the historic and scenic South Mountain Road.

We will also be presenting the 900+ signatures from our petition (Change.org). If you have not signed it yet, please do so at this link: https://chng.it/Qbc6DZmh

We hope you agree with the Foundation’s plan and will send a Letter of Concern. If so, scroll down and send us a message, or if you prefer to write a letter, please return it by April 24, 2023, to Clare Sheridan, c/o the Henry Varnum Poor Foundation, 242 Kings Highway, Tappan, NY 10983, or email it to CrowHouse@gmail.com.

Thank you so much for your help with this important effort.

Sign the Petition

Please note that this is a request for petition signatures only.  It is NOT A REQUEST FOR FUNDS OR CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. Funds solicited by the petition service will go to the petition service, not to Crow House.

Some of the 20th-Century’s most distinguished artists, including the composer Kurt Weill, the performer Lotte Lenya, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Maxwell Anderson, were residents of New City’s South Mountain Road. The hub of the community they created was Crow House, the hand-built home and studio of the painter, ceramicist and self-taught architect Henry Varnum Poor (1887-1970). According to experts, Crow House is one of the most important Arts and Crafts houses in the nation.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

With an almost half-million dollar grant from New York State, the Town of Ramapo, in 2007, acquired Crow House and the five acres surrounding it. Although legally obligated to maintain it and to open it to the public, the Town has done neither.  

If you are a resident and/or taxpayer in Ramapo, Clarkstown (in which the property is actually situated), or elsewhere in Rockland County, NY, please add your name to the list of individuals who support the Henry Varnum Poor Foundation in demanding immediate measures to stabilize and then restore, for the benefit of all, this irreplaceable feature of history and cultural life in Rockland County.  

If you are not a resident or tax payer, but wish to sign, we welcome your signature indicating your support of our efforts.

Read the July 18, 2022 Media Alert

Volunteer

The Henry Varnum Poor Foundation seeks interested volunteers to help with outreach. Please contact us if you are interested in helping with this effort. Email us at CrowHouse@gmail.com