Women's Rights National Historical Park has extended its scoping period for preserving the Wesleyan Chapel, site of the nation's first women's rights convention in 1848. When the NPS acquired the Wesleyan Chapel in 1985, it bore little resemblance to its original appearance, having been altered over the years -- most recently to a laundromat and apartment building. At that time, the NPS and the National Endowment for the Arts sponsored a design competition; the award-winning design removed all modern additions to the structure, preserving the chapel's remaining historic fabric which was incorporated into a new commemorative and contemplative park. The long-term preservation of historic fabric is now at risk due to factors such as moisture, wind, and vandalism. In addition, the contemplative environment intended in the original design has been significantly diminished as noise from heavy truck traffic on the adjacent state highway continues to increase. The park has assembled a planning and design team to develop and evaluate a range of alternative actions through an environmental assessment/assessment of effect. Local media interest in this project has been high, with television coverage from nearby Syracuse, New York, and by multiple newspapers. Several hundred newsletters were mailed to interested parties, and agency and public scoping meetings were held on March 8th. The scoping period will remain open until April 12th.
