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Thursday, August 17, 2000
Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno (R-C, Brunswick) announced today that he has obtained a $250,000 State grant to help fund the creation of the Saratoga Antique Auto & Carriage Museum at the Bottling Plant in Saratoga Spa State Park.
"Saratoga is the ideal location for this museum because we're talking about horses and horse-power," Senator Bruno said. "The Antique Auto and Carriage Museum will attract tourists from throughout the country and will complement the many historical, cultural and recreational opportunities that make Saratoga a tourist mecca and keep the local economy strong.
"This will be another jewel in Saratoga's crown, along with the Tang Teaching Museum, the Saratoga Children's Museum, the National Museum of Dance and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame," Senator Bruno said. "The new museum will provide a unique educational experience for families and particularly for children to see the vehicles that are part of our history and culture."
"I want to thank Senator Bruno for his support of this project," Carroll Cook, Director of the Saratoga Antique Auto and Carriage Museum, said. "For the Capital Region it will increase our importance as a location for museums, as well as the for the resources and educational opportunities they provide."
"We plan to focus on the development of the carriage and the automobile, particularly the contributions made right here in our region, and throughout Upstate New York," Cook added.
"We're going to have a series of education and research programs for students about the role of the automobile and carriage in social and economic development and the advancement of technology."
"This is another example of how Senator Bruno supports efforts to strengthen tourism in Saratoga and, as a result, strengthen our local economy," Lewis Golub, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Museum, said. "With Senator Bruno taking the lead by securing State investment in this project, I'm confident that many private donors will come forward to ensure that this is a first-class museum."
"Senator Bruno is once again demonstrating his leadership in preserving historic structures," Bernadette Castro, Commissioner of the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said. "Both Governor Pataki and Senator Bruno have set a national standard in reaching out for public and private partnerships. We at State Parks could not be happier to welcome the Saratoga Antique Auto and Carriage Museum to our magnificent Saratoga Spa State Park."
The total cost to acquire and renovate the bottling plant, located along the Avenue of the Pines in Saratoga Spa State Park, is estimated at between $2.5 million and $3 million, with private donations supporting most of the cost. Renovation work on the 21,000 square foot building is expected to begin this fall, with the museum opening early next summer.
Automobiles for museum exhibits will be provided by private collectors, as well as by members of the more than 70 automobile collector clubs in the greater Capital Region.
The Saratoga Antique Auto and Carriage Museum is chartered by the state Board of Regents as a not for profit educational institution.
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