Gouveia Park

The park today

Gouveia Park is a quiet, passive-use park on a hilltop above Albany Post Road (Route 9A) in the north end of the village. The grounds include open lawns, planted garden areas and mature trees around the former Gouveia house, with westward views toward the Hudson River. The house — the Ann Gallelli REAL Space — hosts community programs, arts events and small gatherings; the village has used the grounds for concerts and readings. There are no ballfields or playgrounds; the setting is the point.

History

The 15.69-acre hilltop property at 1300 Albany Post Road was the home of John and Laurel Gouveia, who bought it in 1984; the house on the site was built in 1967. Beginning in 2011 Laurel Gouveia negotiated with the Village of Croton-on-Hudson to leave the property to the public. She died in 2014, and the village formally accepted the gift — the land, the house and a $1,000,000 endowment for its care and upkeep — in early 2015. Her will requires that the property be preserved and maintained and that its principal use be a park open to the public, while allowing flexibility 'provided that the park-like setting is maintained for a public and park-like purpose.'

The park's subsequent use has been debated at length in village government. Part of the endowment funded a driveway and parking lot. A 2019 proposal by the Board of Trustees to move municipal offices to the property drew public opposition and was not pursued, and an ad hoc committee studied uses for the site. In 2023 the village established a Gouveia Park Task Force and issued a Request for Interest for the property. On March 21, 2025 the house was dedicated as the Ann Gallelli REAL Space ('Recreation, Event, Arts & Learning'), a community-use facility named for the longtime trustee and deputy mayor.

The bequest terms

Laurel Gouveia's will, as accepted by the village in 2015, directs that the property 'shall be preserved and maintained' and that its 'principal use shall be as a park which shall be open to the public,' with flexibility for other uses provided the park-like setting is maintained for a public, park-like purpose. The accompanying $1 million endowment is dedicated to the care and upkeep of the park. These terms have framed every subsequent debate over the property's use.

Visiting

Hours

Open daily during posted park hours; dogs are only permitted during posted open hours.

Fees

None.

Parking

On-site lot off Albany Post Road, built by the village from the park endowment.

Getting there

1300 Albany Post Road (Route 9A), on the hill in the north end of the village; entrance driveway from Albany Post Road.

Rules

Dogs allowed on a leash no longer than six feet, and only during posted open hours — permitted by a 2024 amendment to Village Code chs. 108 and 168 (Local Law Introductory No. 6 of 2024); Gouveia is one of only three village parks open to dogs. Village park rules apply: carry in/carry out, and no vehicles in the park including bicycles, skateboards and scooters.

Accessibility

Links

• Gouveia Park — Village of Croton-on-Hudson
• Ann Gallelli REAL Space Dedicated at Gouveia Park — River Journal