Plans afoot for Camp LaGuardia
Goshen. Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said the development of the property that straddles Chester and Blooming Grove into a park would further the administration’s efforts to preserve land.
| 30 Apr 2025 | 11:39
Camp LaGuardia opened in 1918 as a women’s prison. During the Depression, New York City converted the property into a shelter for homeless men. Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia called the the camp “a human repair shop.” The camp closed in 2007. Orange County, then lead by County Executive Ed Diana, purchased the property that year for $8.5 million. It has stood in ruin until now. Photos provided by Orange County/Open Space Institute.
These images are what the Camp LaGuardia property in Chester and Blooming Grove could look like if converted into a county park with such amenities found at Thomas Bull Memorial Park and Winding Hills Parks, both in the Town of Montgomery. That could include golfing, tennis courts, ball fields, horse riding area, boating and fishing, camp sites and nature trails.
During his State of the County remarks last week, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus outlined plans that could transform the long vacant Camp LaGuardia property into what would be the county’s largest park since Thomas Bull Memorial Park was initially developed in the 1960s.
“The newly announced plans to transform the Camp LaGuardia property,” Neuhaus said in his remarks, are not etched in stone.
But the county has reached out to the Open Space Institute, among others involved with land preservation and parkland activities, for preliminary concepts.
The 258-acre property straddles the towns of Blooming Grove and Chester. The county purchased what is now known as the Central Orange Development Area property from New York City in 2007 for $8.5 million.
At the state of the county presentation, Neuhaus pointed to the historic photo of the camp and said many of the structures would be demolished.
He also noted that the county has been approached a number of times by developers proposing 10,000 units of high-density house.
”Hell, no,” was the response from both Blooming Grove and Chester officials, the county executive recalled.
Instead, he said, the property’s development as an recreational area would be the county’s biggest since Thomas Bull Memorial Park was created from four farms in Montgomery in the 1960s.
Again, there were few specifics. But Neuhaus said the park he envisioned “would be what you would get if Winding Hills Park and Thomas Bull Park had a child.”
So what could that mean?
Thomas Bull is the second largest developed facility in the County Parks system, featuring year-round activities for all ages. From toddlers to senior citizens, this facility will meet both your active and passive recreation interests.
It’s amenities include: Skea Lodge, 18-Hole Golf Course, Driving Range, Banquet Facility, Pro Shop, Tennis Courts, Boat House, Ball Fields, Horse Riding Area/Stables, 5-Acre Pond, Fishing, Picnic Shelters, Picnic Tables, Benches, Exercise Area, Arboretum, Playgrounds, Volleyball Courts, Horseshoe Pits, Hill-Hold Historic Museum, Comfort Stations and Parking.
Meanwhile, Winding Hills, also in Montgomery, features: 51 Seasonal Camp Sites, Ranger Station, 40-acre Diamond Lake, 4-Acre Pond, Fishing, Boating (car-top boats only), Playground, Horseshoe Pits, Volleyball Court, Picnic Shelter, Comfort Stations, Benches, Picnic Tables, Grills and Nature Trails and Parking. During the winter, if conditions permit: Ice Skating, Ice Fishing and Snowmobile Trails.
Expect the video
The county executive also has a series of videos planned that will outline in more detail the vision for the Camp LaGuardia site.
For now, what’s being shared publicly is that it is in the process of becoming a new County Park, as mentioned in the address.