• Who owns the Cistern? Who operates it?

The structure is owned by the City of Poughkeepsie. There is no official operator in a municipal agreement with the City, as the structure has not yet been developed for public attendance. MASS and the City are actively inviting both arts and development organizations to attend proof-of-concept events to demonstrate its potential. These events have been orchestrated by artist Samuel Stubblefield.

In the future, the City may release a Request for Proposals for development of the site and/or programming operators.

• How possible is this project?

MASS Design Group and Guy Nordensen & Associates conducted a thorough engineering and structural study to determine what adjustments must be made to the Cistern to make it safe and accessible, and we delivered this as a report to the City of Poughkeepsie in 2024. Our initial assessments concluded that updates would be feasible, but we acknowledge we have a long way to go to secure the right partners and support for further evaluation, and future design, and construction phases.

MASS has studied similar converted cisterns in Houston, Istanbul, and Copenhagen that host art exhibits and experiences, and with these as precedents we believe the Poughkeepsie Cistern has similar potential for conversion.

• Can I host my event in the Cistern?

Not right now. The structure is not currently ADA accessible or fit for large groups. The previous events were conducted as proof-of-concept ideas in direct partnership with the City of Poughkeepsie for the purpose of demonstrating its potential.

If the City enters an agreement with an operator organization, the rental of the Cistern would be under their jurisdiction.

• How can I get involved?

  The City of Poughkeepsie is actively looking for an investor and/or to enter an agreement with an arts programming operator If you are interested in contributing or volunteering, please fill out this Google form.