A cultural park designed for the interplay of nature, art, science and history
Visit Us: 61 East Bridge St, Saugerties, NY 12477
On the Esopus Creek waterfront in Saugerties, NY, Arm-of-the-Sea is transforming the ruins of a water-powered paper mill into the Tidewater Center: a home for theater arts, ecology and community well-being.
The site is being developed to tell the multi-layered stories of this place. The Tidewater is Arm-of-the-Sea’s home base and an incubator for new theater work. It also hosts presentations by visiting artists, naturalists and historians at our weekly summer series of Waterfront Wednesdays.
The 2024 Tidewater Season is over, and the Center is closed to the general public until Spring 2025.
Check our events calendar for upcoming performances.
Can I bring my dog to the Tidewater Center?
We love dogs but WE ONLY ALLOW SERVICE DOGS at the Tidewater Center. Service Dogs are individually trained to do specific tasks for a person with a disability. We do not permit support animals.
If you have any doubt about what category your dog is in, please refer to the comprehensive ADA definitions for service animals.
Is the Tidewater ADA Accessible?
The Tidewater Center is wheelchair accessible. There is one designated ADA parking space, an ADA portable toilet, and a reserved space within the Theater Tent for a wheelchair.
Help further development of Tidewater Center:
To volunteer, please contact:
TIDEWATER THEATER TENT
This 3,000 sq. ft. seasonal structure is nestled within the massive walls of a former coalbin. With a 44’ x 25’ elevated stage and seating for 100, the Theater Tent offers a ocused performance space which can also be configured for meetings, workshops and other needs. Situated on a flood plain and only 4’above mean high tide, the Tent is designed to allow flood events to come and go with minimum disruption
PROGRAM SUPPORT CENTER
A new permanent facility that, when completed, will provide space for staff meetings and performer hospitality.
Construction made possible by support from a legislative grant from NYS Senator Michelle Hinchey, the Kiwanis Club of Saugerties, and numerous individuals.
PUBLIC FISHING AREA
A 100’ section of our waterfront is available for fishing. In addition, a public dock and kayak ramp are easily accessible at the adjacent Tina Chorvas Park.
In the courtyard of the coalbin, a series of kiosks offer insights and activities.
Open during Waterfront Wednesdays and other public events, these kiosks currently include:
WINDOW ON THE ESOPUS CREEK
Fish tanks and microscopes for startling insights into local aquatic fauna.
MILL MUSEUM
Artifacts uncovered while re-developing the Tidewater Center site, formerly the Sheffield Paper Mill.
WATER STORIES PROJECT
Participants relate their experiences for an oral community tapestry through this collective craft led by Jill Olesker,
STREAM DISCOVERY TABLE
See how water shapes the lands, and how human actions affect a waterway in this hands-on activity station.
PAPER MILL EXHIBIT
A selection of images depicting the water-powered paper mill complex that occupied this site for 135 years. Also includes paper-making demonstrations!
PUPPET PHOTO BOOTH
Take a photo with characters from Arm-of-the-Sea’s extensive archives.
SNACK BAR BY R.
Local artist & impresario R. Stang curates treats for all ages available during Waterfront Wednesday.
Waterfront Wednesdays
A free community events series. Each evening culminates with an Arm-of-the-Sea performance.
Artists-in-Residence
Artists on site developing new performance-based work. 2024 Artists included Anna Laura Hafner and Dee Dee Maucher.
Tidewater Summer Camp
A fusion of theater arts and environmental science for ages 8-14.
Esopus Creek Puppet Suite
Community volunteers and veteran puppeteers join forces to present Arm-of-the-Sea’s annual hometown extravaganza.
Day in the Life of the Hudson River
Arm-of-the-Sea collaborates with the Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy to host local students as part of an estuary-wide day of river sampling and data collecting from NYC to Troy.
Sunset Kayak Tours
Gail Porter of I PADDLE NY hosts sunset kayak tours departing from the Tidewater Center on select summer evenings
For 135 years, the property was the site a large water-powered paper mill complex. A fire destroyed much of the mill in 1963 and most of the remains were subsequently demolished. The site lay derelict and abandoned for decades until, in 2000, it was donated to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater organization. Unfortunately, their plans for a Sloop Homeport failed to materialize.
In 2014 Arm-of-the-Sea signed a lease / acquisition agreement with Clearwater and began a long discovery and envisioning process on how to develop this contaminated brownfield property. In 2018 the site was cleared, an access road installed, the large ruins were fenced off, and the shoreline stabilized.
With support from the NYS DEC’s Hudson River Estuary Program and a talented team of pro-bono professionals, we hired ONE NATURE LLC to help draw up a Master Plan and Phase One Site Plan. These plans received Planning Board approval in 2020, the same year we took title to the property. In 2021 we were able to cap the contamination with clean fill and open the site to the public. The Theater Tent went up in 2022 and the Program Support Center in 2024.
This is only the beginning of what we envision.
Help further development of Tidewater Center and consider a tax-deductible donation:
The Tidewater Center is located at:
61 East Bridge Street, Saugerties, NY 12477
Accessible via I-87 on the New York State Thruway.
Open June-September for seasonally scheduled events.
Contact: ART@ARMOFTHESEA.ORG