The Final Years and Lasting Legacy

"5 Day Bankruptcy Auction," Bennett College, Millbrook, Dutchess, New York, 1977. Bennett College Collection.

Despite these efforts, the college struggled with declining enrollment and the financial burdens associated with expansion. The same campaign brochure acknowledged the challenges facing the institution when asking the question “Is Bennett aiming high in inaugurating the expanded science program?” the reply was:

“Yes, it is. Bennett knows it can survive by keeping pace with other colleges, but to flourish it must attain an edge of excellence in all programs.” 

On October 13, 1977, Bennett College filed for bankruptcy. In its final months, trustees explored partnerships and merger opportunities with several institutions, including Marist College and Briarcliff College. These negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful. Briarcliff College instead pursued a merger with the New York Institute of Technology.

Halcyon Hall before demolition, Bennett College, Millbrook, Dutchess, New York. Late 20th century. Bennett College Collection.

Although the college closed, its legacy endured. In 1979, former trustees established the Bennett College Foundation, Inc. using restricted funds from the institution. The Foundation provided scholarships to Bennett alumnae, as well as their children and grandchildren, pursuing undergraduate study at accredited colleges and universities. Through alumni donations and annual newsletters, the Foundation helped maintain connections among former students and friends of the college. The Alumnae Association and Friends of Halcyon Hall continued to organize reunions and preserve the memory of the institution.

In 1985, the Bennett College Collection was transferred to Millbrook Library, ensuring the preservation of the institution’s historical records and archival materials. Alumnae and their families continue to donate materials, further expanding the collection and contributing to the enduring legacy of Bennett College.

To view the finding aid, click here: https://empireadc.org/search/catalog/nmbr_5866

Real Estate Listing, Bennett College, Millbrook, Dutchess, New York, c. 1980. Bennett College Collection.

Following the college’s closure, ownership of the campus changed several times. Various redevelopment proposals, including those by Resorts Management, Inc., Country Inn, and Teri-O Partners, Inc., sought to rehabilitate Halcyon Hall and the surrounding property, but none came to fruition. In 1996, Triple Dot Productions reached out to the then owners James O’Dea and his wife about filming the movie The Terrible Meek, a dramatic cinematic adaptation of the 1911 one-act stage play by playwright Charles Rann Kennedy, but the filming location was ultimately moved to New Hampshire and Maine. Unfortunately, after years of vacancy and deterioration, the property entered foreclosure in 2014. The Thorne family and Millbrook Tribute Garden subsequently acquired the site with a new vision for the former campus. 

After acquisition, plans for demolition and site remediation were implemented. In September 2021, several remaining campus structures were removed due to asbestos contamination, including Carroll Hall dormitories and the Science Center. By 2022, decades of neglect including roof collapses had rendered Halcyon Hall structurally unsalvageable, and the building was demolished.

The original student dormitories were later purchased and converted into Bennett Commons apartments. A small number of historic buildings remain standing on the former campus, including Exmoore House, the former house for the College’s President.

Rendition of Bennett Park.

In the years that followed, the Thorne family established the Millbrook Community Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and revitalizing local historic properties for public use. In 2023, with support from Dutchess County’s Partnership for Manageable Growth Program, the organization worked with the Dutchess Land Conservancy to establish a conservation easement protecting the future of the site.

Today, the former Bennett College campus is being transformed into Bennett Park, a 32-acre public space envisioned as “The Gateway to Millbrook.” Plans include walking paths, community gathering spaces, a restored outdoor Greek Theater, and the preservation of original stonework and chimneys from Halcyon Hall. Through Bennett Park, the history of Bennett College continues to shape the landscape and community of Millbrook. Learn more about the park and how to support their efforts here: https://www.millbrookbennettpark.org/.

View additional records and images relating to the final years of Bennett College here.