$3 million center a major attractor for city
Click for Possible Design of Fort La Presentation Welcome Center
The Fort La Présentation Association (FLPA) has announced plans for an estimated $3 million museum to offer a year-round attraction for residents and visitors to the community. It will be roughly 6,000 square feet and contain interactive museum exhibits, archeological artifacts from the historic fort, flexible space for gatherings and community events, a catering kitchen, working 18th century inspired fireplace and gift shop.
In 2018 in partnership with the city, FLPA commissioned a feasibility study to explore the path forward. Board President Barbara O’Keefe said that the FLPA “has incrementally improved the site since that study including shoreline stabilization, expansion of the trail and deck, establishing the Newell Family Archeological site and providing access to outlook point and a pavilion to enjoy the view. We also plan for a blacksmith shop and a digital presentation showcasing the fort.
“We believe that to initiate change, to inspire growth, to create demand for services such as motels and restaurants, Ogdensburg needs an attractor, something that will incentivize tourism as does the Ogdensburg History Museum and Frederic Remington Art Museum. To that end, the board has been developing plans for a welcome center to motivate historic tourism at a time when tourism is showing new growth in the region.”
The same organization which did the 2018 study, LaBella Associates, now agrees it’s time to move forward. “The development of the historic Fort La Présentation property in Ogdensburg has provided significant benefit to the community. This new phase of work promises to provide a level of outreach and engagement that will increase visitation to the site and provide additional programming to encourage year-round occupation of the site,” LaBella said in a proposal to design the welcome center.
O’Keefe said the center will set the stage for development of the fort site including displaying artifacts taken in several excavations and now held by the state. “With a place to put them, those important artifacts, including cannons, will return home and we will have a permanent visitors interpretive center as a first step in developing the audience and support needed for the actual recreation of the fort and associated Native American village. That long-term vision could be a turning point in the future of Ogdensburg, offering a history-driven economic boost,” she said.
The center will support cooking demonstrations, traditional crafting events, display of artifacts, and provide a home base for sponsored events such as reenactments, fishing derbies and other events for community engagement. Focal elements will include a great room with a grand fireplace, hearth and bake oven and will take on 18th century stylings and provide a feel of the historic significance of the site.
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