The historic Matton Shipyard is a rare surviving example of an early 20th century ship building and repair facility. From 1916 to 1983, Matton workers built more than 340 tugboats, police boats, WWII submarine chasers, and other vessels.
Matton Shipyard is part of Peebles Island State Park and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A newly opened Matton Shipyard will link to existing land and water-based recreational trails, including the Empire State Trail, and is part of an ongoing larger regional story that includes pre-and post-European contact, industrial history, and the Arts.
The Vision
The Matton Shipyard Preservation and Adaptive Reuse Initiative will restore this historic site by renovating historic buildings, bolstering flood protection, and building an active and accessible community waterfront. It will proudly anchor the eastern gateway to the Erie Canal and the southern gateway to the Champlain Canal.
The Plan
Four key goals are guiding the revitalization of Matton Shipyard:
1. Preserve existing buildings and visual character of the site.
2. Promote the site as a hub for recreational, educational, and cultural activities.
3. Open access to the water for residents of Cohoes, surrounding communities, and visitors.
4. Address long-term challenges, including flooding and economic sustainability.
Forward Progress
The Matton Shipyard Preservation & Adaptive Reuse Initiative is a multiphase, long-term project. We're making steady progress, including:
- Completed planning documents and drawings, preservation documentation, and environmental assessments.
- Stabilized existing structures, including the 1917-era Office Building and Planing Mill, and WWII-era Watchman's Shanty.
- Removed four buildings that had lost structural integrity.
- Remediated environmental hazards and removed 50,000 pounds of trash and debris.
- Developed design and engineering solutions for shoreline stabilization along 750 feet of Hudson River shoreline.
- Installed new interpretive signs, visible from the Empire State Trail to mark the site and share its history.
- Continued collaboration with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (owner of Matton Shipyard), the NYS Canal Corporation, the City of Cohoes and many others to advance our vision for a revitalized shipyard.
Please contact us with questions or suggestions: andy_kitzmann@partner.nps.gov.
Financial Support
Please contact us if your organization would like to become a major donor to the Matton Shipyard initiative; contact Executive Director Bob Radliff at Bob_Radliff@partner.nps.gov, 518-237-7000, ext. 203. We are grateful to the following for their support and encouragement of this project:
Albany County Convention & Visitor's Bureau
City of Cohoes
Children of the American Revolution
Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area
Individual Donors
National Park Service
National Trust for Historic Preservation
New York State Canal Corporation
Paul and Alane Hohenberg Fund
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Stephen and Mary Muller Fund
The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region
The McCarthy Charities
Tom Phelan Memorial Fund
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
List as of June 2023