Kirkside

Kirkside. Built in 1857. , Helen Gould, daughter of the financier Jay Gould became enchanted with the village of Roxbury where her father was born and raised. In 1894 she purchased the property next to the Gould Family church which she had helped to build. Ms. Gould immediately began renovation and expansion of the 1857 farmhouse adding wings which tripled the size of the house. The house was decorated with Gothic, Italianate and East Lake Victorian details., On the spacious grounds behind Kirkside, Gould added staff quarters, a barn, garages, an ice house and a children's playhouse. Originally intended as a summer residence, she spent more and more time there; for her, Roxbury was the "village of peaceful days.", Helen Gould's influence and activities extended beyond her work at Kirkside and the Gould Memorial Church. Reputedly, she influenced residents to adopt a boulevard concept for the street, trees, and sidewalks along Main Street to unify old and new elements and create a more village-like atmosphere., In 1949 after the death of Helen in 1938 and her husband Finley in 1942, Helen's brother offered the Kirkside property to the Dutch Reform Church of America as a memorial to his sister. In 1950, Kirkside was dedicated as a home for aged ministers, missionaries, other professional workers of the Church, In 1980, Kirkside residents were notified that the facility would close its doors that year and the Church would put the property up for sale. A group of Roxbury residents fought the move and a lawsuit was undertaken to block eviction of the residents and prevent the sale of the house and the 11-acre parcel., Kirkside Park was purchased from the Church by the community and deeded to the Town in 1981. The Town agreed to "hold the premises forever as a public park for use by the citizens of the Town of Roxbury". The Kirkside Mansion which had become a retirement community for local residents, was closed in 2017 due to high costs and low occupancy. Planning is underway to transform the mansion into a hospitality and entrepreneurship facility., Signs funded by the Gould Family, Delaware County and private donations and sponsored by the Roxbury Historic Preservation Commission and the MARK Project.