I can’t believe my eyes or luck! I just happened to stumble upon this video moments ago. I was 19yrs old when I first laid eyes on Halcyon Hall/Bennett College. My roommate’s parents literally lived across the street from it. I remember it was winter break as we approached her house…and after hours of driving an old two lane road…it magically appeared in the landscape. It was breathtaking!!!Under a spectacular full moon it stood, covered in fresh white snow! I was so overwhelmed by its presence that I jumped out of the car and ran towards it leaving my friend and luggage behind! Lol! They told me about this incredible building and it’s history that night. I was mesmerized! The very next day, under its spell, I went to explore it. Bennett College was one of the most incredible memories I ever had. It spoke to me and I believe I fell in love with its abandon beauty. For years I would inquire about it and even spoke to a Realtor about it. But it was quite evident the property was beyond renovation. I still have my black and white photos from that adventurous exploration! I cherish them and that incredible experience. My eyes are drying now from the sadness…it was inevitable. Your video was beautiful and tremendously appreciated…even though my heart just cracked. I thank you. She will never be forgotten. ♥️

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

What an amazing story, thank you so much for sharing. Halcyon had an almost mesmerizing quality, one that it possessed even long after being abandoned. The place was undeniably beautiful up to it's final day.

@avortinus6031

Жыл бұрын

Amazing story.

@tommurphy4307

5 ай бұрын

did you attend English class there? too bad.....@@AntiquityEchoes

Very sad to see. My father was a teacher at Bennett from 1962 until 1972. It was an idyllic life in a fascinating environment. My childhood was spent roaming this campus. That the chimneys remain standing tall is a testament to the great stone masons from the community of Millbrook.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

That's beautiful. We've actually been interviewing with those who knew Halcyon firsthand. If you're interested in speaking with us let us know!

@samajax

Жыл бұрын

@@AntiquityEchoes I’d be glad to talk. Most of the professors lived in Bennett supplied housing. We were just across the road/creek on the south side. West of the tennis courts- which are also gone. The house is still there and occupied. How do we connect?

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

@@samajax - Thanks! Drop us a line via email when you feel inclined and we can proceed from there - AntiquityEchoes@yahoo.com

I wish I could say this was a surprise. That such an amazing old place could be left to rot like Bennett was, only to be destroyed. But its all too common and what will replace it will be garbage. Likely condos. Such a shameful waste. Thank you so much for documenting her fall. This was a special place to me and so many. Goodbye Halcyon Hall.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

It was a sad but foreseeable end. As for the property, you may be happy to know it will become a public park named 'Bennett Park', after the former school. There will also be a museum space housed in the former directors home, which has been restored.

@tommurphy4307

5 ай бұрын

how would one restore something that has yet to be created?@@AntiquityEchoes

Mama Byerfilms here. I still cannot look at these pictures without feeling devastated. I went to Bennett in 1970. It was one of the most wonderful years of my life. Freedom and independence for the first time for this 18 year old, meeting new people from all over the place, reveling in the absolute beauty that was Bennett and the town of Millbrook. We used to go to New Paltz to hang at Pat and George’s, drink tequila with salt and lime and dance to the music. That’s where I met my husband who was at SUNY New Paltz. Fifty three years later we’re still together. Thank you Bennett College for giving me what was promised in your pamphlet that I found at my local library in Connecticut (no internet back then). It was all about “the Bennett experience”. Rest in peace.

@AntiquityEchoes

9 ай бұрын

That's beautiful! We've actually been collecting interviews from past alumni over the years, who have sat with us and shared their stories of what life was like at Bennett and within Halcyon Halls. Universally it seemed a very warm and well-loved facility and building from all who have shared their memories. If you would ever like to be a part of this ongoing 'oral history' project, please send us an email at AntiquityEchoes@Yahoo.com

@ottomewful

4 ай бұрын

My first year was 1970. Maybe I knew you. My name is Martha, but I think I was known as Marty back then. Tim Vernon was my piano teacher. Ring a bell?

My cousin went to Bennett College- and just loved it. When I lived in Manhattan we sometimes drove up that way and ..as many others have said..there was just something about it, though hard to define. There are other marvelous abandoned and demolished structures in the New York area, but Halcyon Hall was unique. I followed any news of it for decades. Would it be restored? Condos? A hotel again? Nursing home? Many ideas, a few offers without real backing..and the seasons came and passed, and still it stood. It lost windows, and began slowly crumbling. Empty, but echoing laughter of guests, then students...then explorers I think it was last spring when I checked again, it was still there. Today it popped to mind and I found your video. Grieving a place I didn't live in seems odd, but I grieve. Your video is beautifully done, with love and reverence for what was. Those chimneys...whew.. Thank you.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Halcyon Hall seems to have resonated with a great many people who never knew it personally. It was beautiful, on a far deeper level than simply its appearance.

I grew up in Millbrook just blocks from this place. When I was in Highshcool in the 90s, we used to sneak in there all the time and explore. Such an alluring building that just begged you to enter. Will be strange to see it gone when next I visit. I'm happy I had the chance to appreciate it when I did. Great video. Thanks for giving the ol girl a classy ending.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Halcyon Hall was beautiful until the very end.

@wandererpyepoudre744

Жыл бұрын

i never had the guts to explore her kudos to those with it

@joecozzi1365

8 ай бұрын

I explored there many times from the late 2000s, but would love to see more interior photos from the 80s and 90s.

I have been mysteriously compelled to want to know everything about the old college. Since 2020 I have been documenting videos and still pictures found online. I can't explain what it is about the fascination, the hold on me. Never seen it in person, but feel I have. Great video and music for its sad demise. know only memories exist of the former glory.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

We understand how you feel, Halcyon Hall had pieces to it that people could relate to. Old world architecture is far more warm and human than our modern-day constructions that give off an air of cold sterility.

@avortinus6031

Жыл бұрын

I've been reading and watching videos about the place for three hours. I think I'm hooked too.

@xan8123

Жыл бұрын

I’ve been hooked on this place for years for some reason it was the first abandoned building i found fascinating for some reason.

This was so well done. It brought tears to my eyes though. This was the place that got me hooked on urbex many years ago. It’s so incredibly sad that no one cared enough to save it. Thank you for sharing.

@tommurphy4307

5 ай бұрын

what did YOU do to save it??

It was well past time and really the only way the story of Halcyon Hall could end at this point but still hard to see a building that would have been so beautiful in its prime come to this. Beautiful footage of a sad but inevitable day.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

The time to save the place had long passed. This is a form of closure for many.

Halcyon Hall/Bennett was a beloved Urbex spot, like with Grossinger's Resort, both were unique & both were well covered by Antiquity Echoes. Both have fallen & both are missed, thank you to A.E. for doing what you do to keep these places alive & your music picks are outstanding. Love your channel & content.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your kind words and support. It really helps us when faced with documenting heartbreaking events like this.

@majortwit

2 жыл бұрын

Speaking of the Catskills, I studied Brown’s Hotel for a long while. Like so many, it closed in bankruptcy and later reopened as an all condo property (Grandview Palace.) It too had a storied history until a fire destroyed almost all of it. The condo owners got nothing; the property had been insured relying on false information, so no insurance coverage, and the intrinsic land value is oceans less than the costs of mitigation and cleanup.

@Realist1775

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. Beautiful and thoughtful.

Rusty, you and Christina have once again done a masterful piece of work. This was difficult to watch. Halcyon Hall was my all time favorite place to explore and photograph. I'm glad we got to do some exploring in there together a number of years ago. Truly the end of an era. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

This place brought a great many people together, even in the decades after it closed.

Wow! So sad. Well done Rusty and Christina! Another amazing piece of architecture and history put down, but lovingly and artistically documented.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. It was a terrible thing to wake up to every morning we filmed.

Videos and news like this make me so sad...

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry to have been the source of the bad news 💔

This was on my bucket list but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go because of how bad it is. Such a shame it was let go beyond saving.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

The past several years found the place in farr to dangerous a condition to explore. Once they boarded the windows and blocked out the sunlight it became nearly impossible to navigate safely.

This is outstanding. Thank you for documenting it for those who weren't able to see it in person.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it! There was lot of heartache here. But, it was our way of saying farewell, so in the end it was therapeutic in many ways.

Another flawless documentation of a wonderful building taken from us too soon, this brings a tear to my eye because this building was the one that got me into urbex and made me fall in love with the beauty of urban decay, i'm so glad I got to experience the pure awe of this structure before its inevitable demise... Goodbye old friend

I had never ever seen this place anywhere until I saw it in a dream awhile ago. Now I’m invested

@AntiquityEchoes

6 ай бұрын

Whoa.

Even though this was long coming, it's sad to see this landmark go. The building was beautiful even in the ruined/abandoned state. Love the footage and the drone shots!

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It was a sad, but expected end 💔

What a haunting video. I could almost hear the cries of the ghosts through the old decayed windows.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Were they the cries of ghosts or of the building itself?

You guys always manage to capture so much in your videos and photos, so much that just leaves me without words. And now here we are again with another beautiful capturing of history, this time with original photos from within Overbrook’s history. Thank you for creating and sharing.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! We are incredibly interested in the histories of these places, and it's great to hear others feel the same way.

Thanks for doing this. Sad, but important.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Broke our hearts every day we were there filming, never got used to it.

@majortwit

2 жыл бұрын

This location was a deep dive for me. Four years studying the history and thousands of images and videos. I doubt there will be another place so well documented; Halcyon was an urbex rite of passage.

As a 16-year-old French teenager, I did not know Bennett School, to tell the truth I discovered by chance on this architectural beauty which I literally fell in love with. I'm a big fan of architecture and historical places like that. Thank you for making these videos on the subject, it's really well done. I know how important this is to many people's hearts, but every good thing comes to an end. As a new generation, we need to discover this kind of place even if it has disappeared. It is now one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my life, sincerely. Thank you so much.

@AntiquityEchoes

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind words and beautiful thoughts behind them. It's our hope that future generations will care for these places, preserve them, and cherish them as they should be.

So sad to see this go, it still bothers me. I loved this place. Amazing to see parts of the interior you could never see with just a drone though.

This was so well done. Thank you.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you 🖤

It’s awkward like complimenting a funeral director for his service, but well done. Thank you.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

The process of filming, reviewing, and editing very much had the feeling of a memorial service. Thank you.

@marcboulware6242

2 жыл бұрын

@@AntiquityEchoes Thanks for documenting this very majestic Building to those of us who live in another State and would not have known about it otherwise. When I first watched, I was like, "Save Her! Save Her!! Save Her!!!" but that was before I read (in the comments) there was a fire involved. It is too bad that no one stepped up to save her. But the Elements (Water, Fire etc) are often fatal to all things man-made once they become involved. Unfortunately Buildings of this magnitude like this will almost certainly never get built again in our life time, and that, in itself, is a big loss. PS: Been keeping up with you and Christina since your ''LiveJournal'' Days. Thanks for sharing Rusty!

@majortwit

2 жыл бұрын

Just came across this. Here I thought it was only me 😬 Carson McCullers: “We are homesick most for the places we have never known.”

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

@@marcboulware6242 - Thanks for the continued support! As for the building, there was never fire damage to Halcyon Hall, though in a lot of places the timber was black with decay and may have had the appearance of fire damage.

I wish Antiquity Echoes could have filmed Greer School when the Fountains of Millbrook bought Greer and they demolished it. Greer was a beautiful place on 1500 acres and a home to 200 disadvantaged children. I was one of those children. We would go to Bennett College every year and were hosted by the students there for a day full of fun and games, including rolling down that big green hill in front of the college. Unfortunately, Greer will be having its last reunion on June 7th, 2023! It's important to remember that while physical buildings may disappear, the memories and experiences that we carry with us can last a lifetime. The fact that we are able to recall the joy and camaraderie of those times at Greer School and Bennett College is a testament to the lasting impact that those places had on our life.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Wonderful story and memories. Aside from those few who (incorrectly) labeled the abandoned edifice an 'eyesore' the old property seems almost universally loved. We feel that even those who complained about its abandoned form likely miss the place in some way now that it's gone.

Wow, something that was on my bucket list! Thank you so much for the time to record her demise! A lost treasure.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Someone has to stand witness, in filming it we hoped that everyone could pay their respects in their own way.

Anyone notice the insane talent of the machine operator, able to demolish the sections of the structure with the precision of an NFL quarterback?

@AntiquityEchoes

6 ай бұрын

We agree that, though we hated seeing the building demolished, the machine operators were highly skilled. In fact, everyone we had met from the crew was very personable.

Breaks my heart to see history neglected and destroyed...

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It's a heartbreaker.

Rusty..... Great imagery, Great flying, Great timing, Great documentary on this historic building. You da' man.

Such a beautiful place sad they had to tear it down😢

@wandererpyepoudre744

Жыл бұрын

the whole town lost it's charm too

amazimg footage. some of your best work

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks, always trying to improve, even when filming tragedies like this.

always wanted to see this place. glad i have a good pic to use for my wallpaper

An iconic structure and a historic look into the highlights of the golden age of architecture. I passed it for many years and year after year hoped it would be saved, preserved for future generations to admire. An irreplaceable loss to our culture and the visionaries or our historic past, never to be replaced by our disposable society...

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Fewer and fewer places like Halcyon remain, making this loss all the more impactful.

@sheryldestafeno-bowe9418

Жыл бұрын

Me too

Im so sorry to hear of this...😥

I wonder in what year a renovation still would have been successful and realistic if you take everything into account.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Mist likey something could have been done with it up until some point in the 90s. We first saw the place in 2008 it was badly decayed by that point.

@styzoom

Жыл бұрын

@@AntiquityEchoes Even then already too late, sad but inevitable. It wouldn't be so terrible if they were building new grand constructions in other places, unfortunately they don't.

Its a shame the mega rich don't care about these kind of buildings, they'd rather spend 90 million to live on the side of a cliff in a giant glass and steel monster.

For the amount of that building that was wood it's amazing more of it hadn't collapsed under it's own weight sooner.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Old-growth timber is far different than the lumber we all see nowadays.

this old girl has been my necessity from 40 years would plan my yearly trip to Millbrook watched her destruct how wonderful where to go now???

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

When Halcyon Hall fell a lot more was lost than just old walls.

Sad, so very sad....

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

Heartbreaking.

so sad to see such a popular urban expl building get destroyed rip Halcyon Hall

Saw an old reddit post on this place in r/OldPhotosInRealLife and it sent me down a rabbithole. Was really hoping the hall would end up saved, so this is incredibly sad to see. Some of the historical interior photos are really magnificent. I guess at least it got a final fitting tribute with such a well-done video

@AntiquityEchoes

11 ай бұрын

Sorry your rabbit hole led to a sad ending. Thank you for the kind words though, it was a somber send-off for a place that deserved much better.

I remember 2 yesrs ago I told someone that this was gonna be the next location to get Demolished soon after two local abandoned places got demolished..and unfortunately I was right.. I'm glad I got a couple photos and some videos of Bennet College before, and after.

I can bring back some if the fondest memories exploring this place by thinking of a single Number that anyone that frequented this place still has drilled in their heads.......282

I think we all knew that Halcyon Halls days were numbered and that it's fate was demolition. Especially with how the fire that ravaged it made it unsalvageable, sort of like Dixmont back in 2005. Still doesn't change how sad it is seeing it put out of its misery.

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

We all knew it was going to happen eventually, but that doesn't mean we didn't hope against it.

@marshalljimduncan

2 жыл бұрын

Remember Woodville and Mayview?

@lizzie1892

2 жыл бұрын

There was NO FIRE!!! it's Water damage

@avortinus6031

Жыл бұрын

I wish they just let it until it naturally came to the ground.

It must have been the most amazing place to go to school! Sad.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It was amazing, even decades after closing.

Sad😢

I drove up and and saw this place once. Sad it was a shell of its old self but honestly what could be done with the place it was falling apart.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It lingered like a ghost for decades. In a lot of ways it haunted the town of Millbrook.

So sad!!

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

💔

Sad...looked like it was a beautiful building at one time.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It was beautiful until the last wall fell.

I can almost hear the building crying...

@AntiquityEchoes

8 ай бұрын

This was one of the most difficult things we have ever filmed, and it went on for weeks 💔

There were so many things that could have been done with this beautiful building!!😪 They just let it sit and rot

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It would have been beautiful in any role, such a shame.

@ChristieAdamsKangoo

Жыл бұрын

It was doomed almost from the moment it was abandoned. IIRC, the heat was shut off but not the water. So within weeks of the college closing down, the first night below freezing caused the pipes to burst and flood the place. That caused many would-be buyers to turn away.

explored this place in 13 , decay was headed your way .

It was a well-constructed building, to have been abandoned for 40+ years, with all that water damage and decay, and still be solid in places.

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

It was considerably more rigid than it appeared, even the demolition crew were impressed by the strength of the old timbers.

Does anyone have the basement floor plans for this building? I have the upper floors ( maybe not an attic, if that exists please upload to imgur or somewhere! )

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

We would love to see that as well.

@wandererpyepoudre744

Жыл бұрын

check in with the library

😢

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

💔

Just got back from work and have it streaming now. Is it over?

@AntiquityEchoes

2 жыл бұрын

Once the premier ends you can rewatch it like any of our other videos.

This is so sad, I with it could've been saved earlier. Maybe even turned into a hotel.

terrible loss

@AntiquityEchoes

Жыл бұрын

The end of an era.

Incredible place HJ ( xplorer llttf)

😢😭

@AntiquityEchoes

Ай бұрын

💔