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Friends of Stewart Park (FSP) is pleased to announce that new and much-needed restoration work has begun on the Fuertes Overlook in Stewart Park thanks to a $20,000 grant from the estate of Dr. Tapan Mitra, a leading economic theorist and long-serving professor at Cornell University.
The funds have made possible this vital restoration work on the Fuertes Overlook, allowing for the Overlook to be usable this summer. The grant was administered by the Community Foundation.
Built in 1934 as a gift to the City of Ithaca from the Cayuga Bird Club (CBC) in honor of famed ornithologist and artist Louis Agassiz Fuertes, and located near the historic Cascadilla Boathouse, the Fuertes Overlook has long been a beloved landmark in Stewart Park, where it overlooks the Fuertes Bird Sanctuary and “swan pond” which was also funded by the CBC and constructed in 1927.
The Overlook was initially restored by Friends of Stewart Park in 2018 with financial support from the Triad Foundation and other donors. Stone masonry was done by Brainstone Stonework and metal railing fabrication by Accufab Inc. Volunteers reset bluestone pavers to create a stone pathway leading to the Overlook’s entrance and added attractive landscaping. Unfortunately, in early 2020, serious structural damage to the exterior wall was discovered when the pond water levels dropped, along with those in Cayuga Lake. FSP, in partnership with the City of Ithaca, began to plan how to repair the problem and to fundraise to cover the cost of the repair.
Fortunately, the estate of Dr. Tapan Mitra stepped in. A leading scholar in the field of economic theory and applied mathematics, Dr. Mitra became a faculty member in Cornell University’s Economics Department in 1981 and lived in Ithaca most of his life. In his time, Dr. Mitra established endowments at Cornell University and University of Rochester to fund annual student prizes with the hope of encouraging academic excellence. Dr. Mitra also left his mark on the Ithaca community with generous legacy gifts to Hospicare, the Finger Lakes Land Trust, and now to Friends of Stewart Park. The $20,000 gift will preserve one of the park’s most recognizable birding locations.
“Dr. Mitra’s charitable gift to repair improvements to a natural area’s accessibility for all to enjoy enables public space for reflection and connection to each other and to our beautiful local natural world. Community Foundation is honored to uphold his philanthropic intention to the benefit of residents and visitors alike,” said George Ferrari, Community Foundation CEO.
“My uncle cared deeply about the wildlife and natural beauty of the Finger Lakes, and spent a great deal of time at Stewart Park over the span of almost forty years. As an avid birdwatcher, he would be delighted that this gift will play a role in restoring and preserving the Overlook,” said Aveek Majumdar, his nephew.
The Fuertes Overlook restoration work, being completed by Reilly Masonry, is complicated – it requires temporarily draining the pond around the overlook – but it will ensure that this historic landmark will continue to charm visitors to Stewart Park for years to come.
While the gift is expected to cover most of the Overlook’s repair, FSP is accepting further donations with a goal of raising an additional $4,000 to fully fund the project. If you would like to contribute to the restoration of the historic Fuertes Overlook, please visit www.stewartpark.org/overlook, or call Friends of Stewart Park at 607-319-4766.
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