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Our History

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Located in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains in historic Garrison, New York, Saint Basil Academy commands a dramatic view of the Hudson River Valley and West Point Military Academy.

Archbishop Athenagoras, of Blessed Memory, founded Saint Basil Academy in 1944 with the valuable assistance of the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. On March 15, 1944, the Philoptochos purchased the 400-acre Jacob Ruppert estate in Garrison New York, on the shores of the Hudson River, overlooking West Point Academy for only $55,000. It was an era when many large estates were put on the market because of the ever-increasing property taxes. In 1976, a parcel of land encompassing 250 acres (primarily marshland) was sold to the Audobon Society.

 

The Archbishop dreamed of establishing an orphanage or children’s home ever since his arrival in the United States in 1931. The Philoptochos purchased the Ruppert estate with the proceeds of two years of the Vasilopita celebrations. The Academy, as envisioned by the late Patriarch Athenagoras, has expanded in scope to be a well equipped Residential Child Care Center, with modern dormitories, a gymnasium/auditorium, indoor swimming pool, beautiful chapel, library and all the necessary comforts of a loving home.

 

The Academy was named for Saint Basil, who was the founder of many orphanages, hospitals, and homes for the elderly in fourth century Caesarea, Asia Minor. He is considered one of the greatest philanthropists of the Church and founder of the modern-day hospital concept.

Decades of Orthodox Support

Saint Basil Academy’s history also consists of constant support from Orthodox individuals and organizations who recognized the need for supporting our youth.

Here are some notable milestone that have occurred throughout Saint Basil’s history:

1954

Daughters of Penelope raise funds for new plumbing for the Academy

1959

AHEPA renovates old horse stables into the AHEPA Hall for Boys dormitory

1962

AHEPA School for Boys and Girls opened

1963

The Pan Arcadian Fraternal Association built the  Pan-Arcadian Hall

1969

Philoptochos & George Spyropoulos donate four new girl's dormitories

1981

Nicholas J. Sumas Library for Children built and dedicated

1982

New AHEPA Hall for Boys built and dedicated

1985

Mr & Mrs William Chirgotis design and donate new Chapel

1986

Daughters of Penelope build heated outdoor pool next to Pan-Arcadian Hall

1990

Young Adult League of the New York area donated and built new playground

1999

Dimitrios and Georgia Kaloidis donate funds for Dental and Medical Facility

Since 1998, ongoing maintenance and renovation has continued, thanks to the gracious generosity of the National Philoptochos, Philoptochos Sisterhood and chapters, the Daughters of Penelope, Dimitrios & Georgia Kaloidis, the John C. Kulis Charitable Foundation, and the estate of Yota Thanos:
  • Replacing the roof of the pool building and repairing/upgrading the pool
  • Replacement of all stoves, refrigerators and dishwashers in all seven dormitories
  • Renovating the bathrooms of all dormitories and the bathrooms in the Main administrative building
  • Repairing/renovating staff housing located in several buildings throughout campus
  • Gutting and renovating existing (former ‘zoo' and storage) buildings as carpentry and other skills workshops for the older children to learn
  • Re-carpeting of the library (followed by 2 Eagle Scout projects to restore library and its collections)
  • Reconfiguration of the gymnasium store rooms and establishment of the Officer Gus Spanos Memorial Weight Room
  • Renovation/reconfigurement of gymnasium storage rooms into a Weight Room
  • Establishment of the Kaloidis Medical & Dental Facility through the renovation of an existing building
  • Repaving of all Saint Basil Academy Roadways with Belgium block curbing in the Main Quadrant

Estate History

The property now occupied by the Academy was once part of a 1686 Crown grant to Philip Philipse, who originally sponsored Captain Kidd as the man to stop the pirates of the day. The property was in turn left to Frederick Phillipse, who upon his death on May 3, 1829, left the property to his sole heir, his daughter Mary Gouveneur. This property was subsequently divided into three parcels. The northern third became known as “Eagles Rest”, belonging to Mary M. Gouveneur, the center third known as “May Cottage” belonging to Mary Philipse Iselin and the southern third known as “Warburton Gouveneur” belonging to Mary Gouveneur. These tracts were in turn sold to General Louis Fitzgerald.


General Fitzgerald was a leading businessman of the community and served from 1875 until 1902 as president of the Mercantile Trust Company. He was born in New York City on May 31, 1838 and was a member of the Seventh Regiment when the Civil War began and marched with it to the defense of Washington. After the war he re-entered the Seventh, holding several officerships, and on March 28, 1882, was appointed Brigadier-General. He retired from the business world in 1902. He died of a heart attack at home on October 6, 1908, and upon his death, the estate passed into the hands of his daughters, Mrs. Ernest R. Adee, Mrs. Harold Fitzgerald and Mrs. Eugene Reynal.

On January 30, 1919, Colonel Jacob Ruppert purchased the estate. Mr. Ruppert subsequently added to his land holdings the acquisition of a section of land between the old Route 9D which bordered the estate and the new Route 9D which was moved east. This portion was part of the E.R. Dick property and was conveyed by Gilbert Forman on July 9, 1935. A large tract of marshland adjacent to the Astoria Silk Works, the Plumbish Farms and east of Constitution Island was purchased by Jacob Ruppert on January 29, 1926 from James Kirke Paulding and was sold to the Audobon Society in 1976 by the Academy.

Colonel Jacob Ruppert of the Seventh Regiment of the National Guard was the son of Jacob Ruppert, Sr., founder of the New York City brewery, Jacob Ruppert Co. He was born on August 5, in New York City. A graduate of Columbia Grammar School, he attended Columbia University, but left to join his father’s business. Beginning as a barrel washer, he was General Manager by 1890 and by the turn of the century, he had assumed leadership of the company. Ruppert was President of the firm until his death in 1939. He proved to be an able brew master and more than quadrupled the brewery’s annual output. A shrewd businessman, he increased his holdings by acquiring substantial real estate following the crash of 1929.

Ruppert’s other interest in life was baseball. In 1914, he acquired the New York Yankees for $450,000. By 1931, the team represented a $6,000,000 investment. In 1919, he purchased the site for Yankee Stadium, which opened in 1923.

Ruppert was also senior aide to Governor Roswell P. Flower and served from the 15th NY District to Congress in 1898 for four terms until 1907. He was a trustee of Lenox Hill Hospital and belonged to many clubs and organizations in New York City.
At “Eagle’s Rest”, he had one of the largest collections of small monkeys, wild birds, and peacocks, in the world. There too, he had a fine collection of furniture, pottery, jade and Chinese porcelains. From his purchase of the estate in 1919, until his death in 1939, he transformed the grounds into a magnificent showplace. Employing over 40 people, over 26 buildings were added and in 1929, he replaced the Fitzgerald’s Victorian clapboard mansion with a cut granite Tudor manor with over 40 rooms. The rooms of the first floor he adorned with fireplaces, wood paneling and brass chandeliers all imported from Western Europe. The southern portion of the estate contained his farm and zoo. On the grounds, he created a piece of the English countryside, with stonewalls, slate roofs, decorative wells, gazebos, landscaped paths and aviaries. The estate was the site of numerous parties. Members of the New York Yankees and his brewery friends often stayed as overnight guests.