Last winter, 9 Willard Place, the larger of the two faux Greek Revival houses introduced into the authentic late 19th-century architecture of the neighborhood that began life as Hudson's only private street, underwent extensive interior renovation, which apparently started out as cosmetic alterations but ended up addressing other problems--some of them structural--discovered in the process. Work has now moved to the exterior and appears to involve an area under the eaves on the west wall. (The roof, according to sources, has already been replaced twice since the house was built in 2004.) It is not clear if the reasons are related, but the siding on the north wall of the house has also been removed.
The carriage house behind 317 Allen Street, which was converted to a residence as part of the subdivision of the property by Galloway in 2004, is also currently undergoing extensive work. A few months ago, the current owner decamped to an apartment so that, Gossips has heard, structural problems and moisture issues in the building could be addressed.
Then there's General Worth's birthplace at 211 Union Street. The rendering presented to the Historic Preservation Commission shows the cellar windows in place, but in reality, the cellar windows on the front and the visible side of the house have disappeared altogether.
Ventilation is critical to moisture control in historic buildings--moisture being the most prevalent cause of deterioration in older buildings--and there is ample evidence that sealing up cellar windows exacerbates moisture problems. This being the case, one has to wonder why all the cellar windows on General Worth's birthplace--one of Hudson's oldest and most historically significant buildings--have been sealed up in this manner.
Mention of the " faux Greek revival houses" that are beginning to show thier age ( about 5 years?) prompts reflection about Gallowegia-- a plural form denoting houses built in the Gallowegian style invented by Galloway. Wouldn't it be a nice thing if all new houses built in the city have the date of their construction graven on a plaque and affixed to each of them so as to indicate to those who do not know, and those yet to come who will know even less, about Hudson's architectural history that these houses do not belong to the city's legitimate historical past or any known historic style but to the Faux-federal-Neo-Colonial suburbanism that is Gallowegian. A correspondent suggested "Greek Revulsion" as one stylistic designation for some of these houses and one might add Fauxderal, Colonialette, Italianoid Columnular, and should it happen, Arts and Crap.
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