Queens Chronicle: Poppenhusen Gets $100,000 Grant

Call it coincidence, but the $100,000 grant state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) was able to give the Poppenhusen Institute for expenses is the same amount it cost to build the historic site 147 years ago.

Avella announced the grant at the College Point building Monday. The funding, which is the largest single expense grant the institute has ever received, will help Poppenhusen cover operational costs.

The money was obtained by the senator as part of more than $1.3 million he successfully allocated for programs and organizations throughout his district and across Queens.

“The Poppenhusen Institute is a cultural staple not only of our Queens community, but of New York City as a whole,” Avella said in a prepared statement. “In addition, this facility is an important city landmark that requires proper care and maintenance to preserve its historic charm.

“During tough economic times, it is more important than ever that we, as elected officials, do everything we can to make sure that facilities such as Poppenhusen do not struggle.”

But the facility is struggling, according to its Executive Director Susan Brustmann and Board President Jim Trent. Although they would not elaborate on how much, Trent did say that the institute is five digits heavily in the red, primarily due to the state eliminating funds to nonprofit groups in 2008, amounting to $80,000 a year at Poppenhusen.

“We still have debt and a lot to overcome, but this grant gives us a breather,” Brustmann said. “And we couldn’t operate without the help of all our volunteers.”

The institute offers mostly free programs including karate, drama, music, sculpting and history workshops in addition to historical and holiday events. Its yearly budget, which Trent calls “bare bones,” is $250,000.

Two capitol projects are scheduled to get underway in the next year or two, which are expected to make the facility more user friendly and less expensive to run. A contractor is expected to be named this week to install an elevator and handicap accessible bathroom. Brustmann said work is anticipated to take more than a year and will begin in August.

That will be followed by the addition of new windows that will keep out the cold and hopefully lower heating costs. Trent said in the past the building had to be closed during some winter months because of cold temperatures.

Since fundraising is a continuing issue, Brustmann and Trent said they are looking at all options, including expanding the haunted house at Halloween and the Octoberfest, by closing off the street for a few hours. Renting out the facility for private events is ongoing.

The institute was built by rubber manufacturer Conrad Poppenhusen in 1868 as a gift to the community on his 50th birthday. He also made a $100,000 endowment to keep it going.

The building served as a vocational high school for boys and girls and had the first free kindergarten in the United States. It later housed a library, a jail, village offices and a bank.

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