NEWCOMB — The Open Space Institute announced last week the start of investigative and structural work on the historic MacNaughton Cottage, located at the OSI-owned and managed 212-acre Adirondac Upper Works property in the Adirondacks.

MacNaughton Cottage is the site from which then-Vice President Theodore Roosevelt began his famous “midnight ride to the presidency” in 1901 after receiving news that President William McKinley had been shot in Buffalo.

The first phase of improvements to MacNaughton Cottage will focus on interior demolition and clean-up to ensure stabilization of this important historic structure. All work is designed to inform plans for future rehabilitation and potential adaptive reuse of the cottage.

OSI has already invested $1.3 million on improvements to its Adirondac Upper Works property with the goal of providing a welcoming, safe and accessible southern entrance into the Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness. OSI’s completed improvements at the site have included relocation and expansion of the Upper Works Trailhead; new directional and interpretive signage; development of a riverside trail; and measures to protect the historic McIntyre Blast Furnace.

OSI is actively fundraising for an additional $350,000 for the MacNaughton Cottage rehabilitation. Funds raised for this project would allow OSI to transform the long-abandoned cottage into a space for visitor education, programming, and resources.

With continued support, OSI envisions a full roof replacement, reconstruction of the front porch, installment of new replica windows and doors, repair and replacement of trim, and new siding for MacNaughton Cottage. Additional enhancements would include natural landscaping and construction of a wheelchair-accessible ramp to the porch.

The MacNaughton Rehabilitation Project is being managed by OSI in partnership with the town of Newcomb and the New York state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Much of the work completed at MacNaughton to date, including architectural planning and structural investigations, has been made possible thanks to generous support from the Cloudsplitter Foundation.

“This project has been more than 20 years in the making, with OSI working with the town of Newcomb, New York state Department of Environmental Conservation, local stakeholders, and a team of architects, architectural historians, and engineers to create a plan to breathe new life into this small piece of American history,” said Peter Karis, OSI’s vice president for parks and stewardship. “These plans build on OSI’s commitment to protecting and improving the Adirondac Upper Works site to better disperse and educate visitors coming to the High Peaks.”

“Projects like these are transformational to the way visitors interact with the landscape and acquire an appreciation of the region’s history,” said LoriJeane Moody, OSI’s senior vice president of development. “We hope to partner with generous donors to fully fund the rehabilitation of MacNaughton Cottage and create a future where everyone can experience this historic place.”

To support the MacNaughton rehabilitation, email info@osiny.org.