The long-vacant tower building at Rye Town Park could become a community hub for classes, arts programs and marine education if the Town of Rye wins a $100,000 state planning grant it has applied for.

Town officials and Friends of Rye Town Park, the nonprofit that has championed improvements at the waterfront park, envision the tower as a non-commercial space hosting educational workshops, fitness and wellness classes, youth programs, arts and crafts, and community meetings.

The grant would fund planning and community input for the tower's interior renovation, not construction itself. If approved by late November, public input sessions would follow so residents can help shape what the space becomes.

Diana Page, who heads Friends of Rye Town Park, has been a driving force behind the tower's revival.

The group previously raised $500,000 for the re-stuccoing of the tower's exterior and landscaping upgrades around the building.

The application is the latest in a string of state-funded investments at the park. In January 2025, Rye Town Park received $8.1 million through New York State's Green Resiliency Grant program for stormwater management features to reduce flooding and erosion along Long Island Sound.

Town of Rye Supervisor Gary Zuckerman said in a January 2025 statement that "this kind of alliance between State and Town governments is making possible smart, sustainable investments."

The pattern continued this summer. The Town Council on June 11 adopted a bond resolution authorizing up to $650,896 for Rye Town Park Commission facilities improvements, including building repairs and renovations.

Stalled renovations at the park resumed by late June, the Rye Record reported.

The tower has sat empty for years. Residents interested in its future should watch for announcements about public input sessions after the state's funding decision, expected by late November.