CODY ENGLANDER
Staff Writer
This summer, Interim Chief Executive Kyle Keogh has proposed constructing new patron housing on the grounds of Chautauqua Institution to better address patron needs by increasing opportunities for long-term Chautauquans to live on the grounds. Working with staff and a Patron Housing Working Group composed of Chautauquans with real estate experience, Keogh said the current plan is to build condominiums, add a denominational house and sell lots for single-family homes.
“The denominational house does add lower-cost housing, and that’s a really important one for us,” Keogh said. “Then the condos are a midrange option, then single-family homes or duplexes are the most expensive.”
Keogh explained this proposal comes with a mission to increase Chautauqua Institution’s attendance rate, which he noted has remained relatively stagnant.
“We have had a flat attendance, plus or minus 5%, for the last 25 years at Chautauqua. One of our challenges is we do not have sufficient housing,” Keogh said.
The proposed housing additions come following a decline in rental opportunities on the grounds, with boarding houses and inns closing and former rental properties no longer having rental capabilities. Condos offer the highest number of units for new patrons.
“The condos, if we do those, are about 32 to 40 units each, one condo to start with, maybe,” Vice President of Campus Planning and Operations John Shedd said. “Those would be located near Turner Community Center, not affecting the tennis courts at [that] time.”
Another proposed location for a condo is where the International Order of the King’s Daughters and Sons Chapel is currently located.
“We would tear down the chapel,” Keogh said. “… I don’t love tearing down a chapel, but it’s far from the highest and best use for the space, and the principle of real estate is to figure out the highest and best use for each space.”
The IOKDS chapel was donated to Chautauqua Institution, though the denominational house is no longer active on the grounds. Additional prospective areas identified for new housing are on the South End along Park Avenue, around the Carnahan-Jackson Dance Studio, behind the Chautauqua Cinema and a potential new denominational house next to Everett Jewish Life Center.
“We want to maintain the denominational housing; we’d love to extend that,” Keogh said. “It gives us a great price point to get a less affluent Chautauquan. Affinity groups tend to add to the culture of Chautauqua, and people have a great experience when they stay at those places.”
The locations identified for the new patron housing options were chosen with consideration to minimize community impact by adding housing options in the margins of the Institution rather than in central locations of the grounds.
“We tried to make [the spots] as unintrusive as we can and minimize the impact of others,” Keogh said. “But when you live in an area, it hits you. While it won’t hit many people, in the spots where [people live near the proposed locations], it does have an impact, and I have a sensitivity for that. We tried our best to minimize those, but there’s no way to build where that doesn’t have some impact.”
While plots may be sold as early as before or during the 2027 Summer Season, housing won’t be built until 2028 or 2029 at the earliest. Funds from real estate transactions will go toward Institution capital expenditures, according to Keogh.
“We will use the funds from the sale to fund capital expenditures, starting with the Athenaeum,” Keogh said.
At 4 p.m. Monday in the Alumni Hall Ballroom, Keogh will hold a “Patron Housing Listening Session” for community input and will make a recommendation to the Chautauqua Institution Board of Trustees before the end of his tenure.
“We want to be responsive to [the demand for housing] while also maintaining the incredible character [and integrity] of Chautauqua Institution,” Keogh said.
