Inside the Lipchitz Studio Before Hastings Decides Its Future

The 11-foot bronze in front of the Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library was made in a studio on Aqueduct Lane, and the village has owned that studio for more than five years. On Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 1 to 3 p.m., Hastings will open 22 Aqueduct Lane to residents for short guided tours. The timing is deliberate. The village says the open house comes "before the Building Use Study Committee makes any recommendations about its future." The building's future is still undecided. The process the trustees set up in June requires the committee to hear from residents before it decides, and this tour lets residents see the space while that decision is still open.

The Bronze Everyone Passes Came From This Room

Jacques Lipchitz, the sculptor who lived from 1891 to 1973, moved to Hastings in 1947. The Hastings Historical Society's notable residents page lists his address as 168 Warburton Avenue. The village's own resolution on the studio puts his reason plainly. He fell in love with the surroundings and with the view of the Hudson River.

The Aqueduct Lane studio came out of a loss. The Historical Society says a fire damaged Lipchitz's New York studio in 1952, and American museums raised money so he could build a new one on Aqueduct Lane. The board's resolution names the architect as local designer Martin Lowen Fish and dates the design to 1952. It also says Lipchitz kept making sculpture there for 20 more years.

One of the works from those years is "Between Heaven and Earth." The village resolution says the sculptor dedicated it to Hastings in 1967. The Hastings-on-Hudson Public Library's history page describes it as an 11-foot bronze that Lipchitz donated to the village that year, and it stands outside the library. The Historical Society credits the Hastings Creative Arts Council with bringing the piece to the village.

How a Private Studio Became a Village Decision

The studio became village property through a gift from the Lipchitz Foundation. The sources disagree by one year on when. The board's June 2026 resolution says the village accepted the donation in 2020. The library's history says the foundation made the gift in 2021. Either way, the village has owned the building for more than five years and only began a formal review this year.

At its June 2, 2026 meeting, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution creating the Lipchitz Studio Building Use Study Committee. The resolution cites the studio's cultural and historical significance. The committee has seven members, and the seats are assigned this way:

• One member of the Parks and Recreation Commission
• One member of the Conservation Commission
• One member of the Beautification Commission
• One member of the Arts Commission
• One member of the Historical Society
• Two members of the general public

A member of the Board of Trustees serves as liaison from the board to the committee, and Trustee Samantha Merton volunteered for that role. The village manager and the Parks and Recreation superintendent also attend the meetings. The seats bring parks, conservation, beautification, arts and local history into the same discussion.

The committee's job is to recommend the "best uses" of the studio as a village asset. The resolution lists what it must weigh:

1. The historical and educational value of the building
2. Its location
3. Its condition
4. Its accessibility
5. The needs of the village that the building would serve

The resolution also sets out how the committee should work. It is to engage the public and the trustees through surveys, public forums and presentations, and end with a proposed master plan for the building. Public engagement comes before the master plan in that sequence.

What Has Happened Since June

The committee's posted agendas trace a steady build toward this weekend.

• June 2, 2026. The Board of Trustees creates the committee.
• September 9, 2026. The committee holds its organizational meeting. The agenda proposes meeting on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month.
• September 23, 2026. A regular meeting at the James Harmon Community Center at 6 p.m. The agenda covers choosing a chair and secretary and planning the October 18 open house.
• October 9, 2026. The village posts the open-house notice and opens registration.
• October 18, 2026. Guided resident tours at 22 Aqueduct Lane, 1 to 3 p.m.

If the committee keeps the second-and-fourth-Wednesday schedule it proposed, its October meetings would fall on October 14 and October 28, one before the tour and one after it. Treat those as projected dates until the committee posts an agenda. None of the public material so far names the remaining members, sets a deadline for recommendations, publishes a condition report or cost estimate, or lists specific options for reuse.

What the October 18 Tour Involves

The format is small on purpose. According to the village's open-house notice:

• The tours are open to Hastings-on-Hudson residents ages 14 and older.
• Each guided tour lasts 10 minutes and holds up to five residents.
• You have to register in advance, and the village says space is limited.
• No parking is available on Aqueduct Lane or next to the studio.
• The building is not fully accessible for people with mobility needs.

The notice is also direct about the building's condition. Because of "possible structural and known environmental issues," masks will be offered and are encouraged. That is the clearest public statement yet about the studio's physical state, and it ties directly to the "condition" and "accessibility" items in the committee's charge. The tour shows residents the space, and it also shows them the constraints any future use would have to work within.

The registration link and more background are on the village's Lipchitz page at hohny.gov/lipchitz. The committee also has a page on the village website.

Making an Afternoon of It on Foot

Since there is no parking at the studio, walking is the practical way to get there. A walk can also take in the rest of Lipchitz's public legacy in Hastings.

Aqueduct Lane sits on the trail network. The Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct list Aqueduct Lane, between Hogan Place and Division Street, as an access point for the Quarry Park/Railroad Trail. That trail connects the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park with the Hastings trails. The sources confirm the trail access on Aqueduct Lane, but they do not say exactly how far the studio is from it.

The other public stop is the library, where "Between Heaven and Earth" stands outside. Visiting the studio and the bronze on the same afternoon links the museum-funded rebuild of 1952 to the gift of 1967.

The same Sunday has an earlier draw. The Hastings Flea, postponed twice, is now set for October 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Metro-North lot, 131 Southside Avenue. Residents can go to the flea in the morning and still make a studio tour slot at 1 p.m.

Where Resident Input Goes From Here

The board's charter calls for surveys, public forums and presentations before the committee proposes a master plan, so residents who want a say on the studio's future use should have further chances after the tour. The committee takes correspondence at [email protected], and its meeting agendas appear in the village's News Flash posts.

Tour registration for October 18 is open now through hohny.gov/lipchitz, with five residents per 10-minute slot between 1 and 3 p.m. at 22 Aqueduct Lane.

If you live at St. Andrews or elsewhere in Hastings and want to talk about how a village decision like the Lipchitz Studio review fits into your own plans, Sheila Stoltz would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.