It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said, “A woman is like a tea bag, you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” That adage can apply to Vivian McKenzie whose particular hot water came in the form of a roof collapse of her Kathleen’s Tea Room in June of 2021. 

Vivian and Eric McKenzie, accompanied by a crowd of family, friends, city officials, and members of the business community, turned the earth on a sunny, glorious late winter Wednesday, beginning the reconstruction of their business, Kathleen’s Tea Room that collapsed on June 2, 2021 when the roof caved.  

McKenzie, who is mayor of Peekskill, spoke about the day (March 13, 2024) being a ‘long time coming’ and the strong emotion she felt as the couple took the first step in rebuilding.  

Nearly three years ago, the one-story building that housed Kathleen’s Tea Room at 979 Main Street was razed after a roof collapse. The new Kathleen’s Tea Room will occupy the ground floor commercial space, with seating for 40, while each of the two upper floors will have apartments. 

City Manager Matt Alexander spoke of a similar experience he had when he was a business owner in Wappinger Falls who lost his store during a seven-building fire in June of 2013. “I took the other fork in the road, and decided to not pursue rebuilding.” 

“I know how much of you is inside this little corner of Peekskill and I stand here with you three years later, seeing how you climbed out of this literal hole in the ground,” Alexander told McKenzie while a crowd of well-wishers looked on. 

Executive Director of the Business Improvement District Bill Powers noted that when the roof collapsed, McKenzie lost all her china tea cups along with furniture. He presented her with two antique tea cups to begin a new collection. 

Anthony Frascone, the president of Full Spectrum Building Group, is the general contractor on the project. He also worked on rebuilding Dramatic Hall further down on Main Street. Referencing the Bible, he spoke of the need to endure and not grow weary. He mentioned McKenzie’s kindness and gentleness and says he never met a mayor like this before and he’s met a lot of mayors. “It’s not about the money, it’s about people and relationships,” said Frascone. He estimated that the foundation for the building will be getting out of the ground in the next two weeks and aiming to finish construction before the end of the year.