On Monday, a New York bankruptcy court approved the $32 million bid by the Grand Lodge of New York's Trustees for the purchase of the former 15.6 acre campus of the College of New Rochelle. In the wake of that official acceptance by the court, New York's Grand Master William M. Sardone has issued a statement to their membership concerning the purchase.
According to his message (above - click to enlarge), the Trustees have been searching for some time for a suitable site closer to the Metropolitan New York City area in order to bring some of the services currently available at their Masonic Care Center in Utica much closer to Masons in the city. When the college campus suddenly became available, the Trustees saw this as an opportunity to do just that, as well as provide wellness services to the wider community.
(Like most Masonic retirement and medical centers, the development in the last several years of accepting Medicare and Medicaid payments required them to open up to the public at large, not just for members and their families anymore.)
It should be noted that the Trustees are a separate entity from the Grand Lodge of New York itself. In addition to being the actual owners of the Grand Lodge's W. 23rd Street New York City headquarters,the Trustees of the Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund currently operate the Masonic Care Community in Utica, along with Camp Turk, and the DeWint House, George Washington's Headquarters and historic site in Tappan.
The former campus of the College of New Rochelle is now owned by New York Masons
For more details about the campus and its current facilities, see New York Masons Buy 15 Acre College Campus.
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