New owner plans arts training center at Maryknoll property

A vacant Maryknoll property in Ossining formerly occupied by the Maryknoll Lay Missioners has been sold to a Westchester investor who plans to reopen it as the Hudson Valley Arts Training Center.

David Lyons paid $2.75 million for the four-story, 42,944-square-foot structure at 40 Somerstown Road, according to Houlihan Lawrence Commercial Real Estate Group in Rye Brook.

The former Maryknoll Lay Missioners headquarters on Route 133 in Ossining could be reopened as an arts training center.

The building on state Route 133 had been owned since 1958 by the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America Inc., more commonly known as Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The property initially was purchased by the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic in 1924, according to Houlihan Lawrence.

Maryknoll’s 40-year-old lay missioners group about a year ago moved its headquarters to Maryknoll’s seminary campus on nearby Ryder Road. That property and its iconic main building, the Maryknoll Mission Center, known for its pagoda-style tower, stone facade and terra cotta tiled roofs, were not part of the recent sale and are not on the market.

Thomas LaPerch, manager of the Houlihan Lawrence Commercial Group, represented both the seller and buyer in the transaction.

Lyons said the Somerstown Road building “will allow local artists and musicians to unleash their creativity and really master their work. The center will also offer various arts programs to the citizens throughout the Westchester area.”

The first floor of the property houses a chapel, 15 dorm rooms with attached half baths, 17 offices and an accessory kitchen. A library and conference room, 13 dorm rooms and five apartments with full kitchens and baths are on the second floor. The third floor includes an additional 16 dorm rooms, a library and conference room, an accessory kitchen and three full apartments with full kitchens and baths.

LaPerch said the libraries and conference rooms could be used for art displays and the dormitory rooms could house artists doing residencies. “This space is an amazing addition that the community will really benefit from,” he said.

An original version of this story incorrectly stated the sold Maryknoll property was the Roman Catholic order’s landmark training center for missionary priests in Ossining. That Ryder Road property is not on the market.