Greenburgh Receives NYS Grant to Restore Odell House
The Town of Greenburgh is the recipient of a $600,000 grant from New York State for the restoration of the historic Odell House located on Ridge Road, Hartsdale.
The Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters was constructed in 1732 and was a critical location for the Revolutionary War. It served as the headquarters for Count de Rochambeau and his French expeditionary forces from July 6 to August 18 in 1781. During that time, George Washington and General Rochambeau met for six weeks to plot the winning strategy of the American Revolution.
In 1965, the last Odell gave the house to the Sons of the American Revolution. The contents of the house included their furniture, their pots and their China, their clothes and their diaries.
The Greenburgh Town Board voted to take ownership of the historic house on July 10, 2019. At that time, the town also planned to apply for a consolidated funding application grant for $600,000 from the state for a $1,200,000 rehabilitation project.
The agreement between the Sons of the American Revolution and the Greenburgh Town Board to turn over the historic Odell House to the town also included plans to make the house into a space that would be open for students and scholars.
In addition, the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters have plans for the 250th anniversary of the revolution in 2026 to make the Odell House one of the prime stops.
With the NYS grant, the state will contribute $600,000 towards the restoration work and Greenburgh, along with the Friends of Odell House Rochambeau Headquarters, will raise the matching funds.
Greenburgh Supervisor Paul Feiner said he expects the title of the property to pass to the Town in the near future. At that point, restoration work will begin.
