The New Rochelle site of the Wildcliff mansion that was destroyed in a fire in November 2018 is being renovated into a greenhouse that will serve as a children”™s education center focused on gardening and botany.
CBS News reported the Hudson Park Children’s Greenhouse, a 2,500-square-foot place, will be located at the site that overlooks the Long Island Sound. A groundbreaking ceremony was held on Monday, with construction beginning this week.
“It’s an illustration that you can draw from even the darkest experience, some light,” New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said.
Educator Millie Ilich was credited by Bramson in bringing the project to life. Ilich envisioned the greenhouse as a location with “omething beautiful for children to see that they plant something. A result of that beauty, then blooms and grows. I think it’s great experience.”
The Wildcliff mansion was a 20-room property built in 1852. It was being used by local nonprofits before it was destroyed in an arson attack by a group of teenagers. Only the shell of the structure remained standing, and the city government has decided not to demolish the shell.
Photo: The aftermath of the November 2018 fire at the Wildcliff mansion, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
