Since 1946, the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts—listed on the National Register of Historic Places—has been host to a rich cultural program focused largely on classical music and related education activities. Caramoor is best known for its Summer Music Festival but also accommodates year-round concerts and related events throughout its 90-acre campus of paths, historic buildings, and gardens.
VHB provided civil engineering and transportation planning services as part of a master planning team selected by the Center. The master plan leverages Caramoor’s unique strengths and character, addresses its deficiencies and opportunities, and provides a set of guiding principles and framework that can be used to prioritize allocation of resources over the next decade, as well as recommend short-term operational improvements.
VHB developed concepts that incorporate accessibility and mobility of pedestrian and vehicular traffic; recommended better siting of parking, lighting, wayfinding, and circulation to improve the patron experience; and assisted in the assessment of civil and site engineering improvements to develop an implementable master plan. To better understand existing issues and future opportunities, VHB participated in face-to-face interviews with Caramoor Center staff and helped develop and participated in public outreach with donors, trustees, and other stakeholders.
