Hopes for Historic House Hang On

Last Friday, after the Historic Preservation Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness to the Galvan Initiatives Foundation to move this early Hudson house from 900 Columbia Street, where it would eventually be demolished, to 215-219 Union Street, Rick Scalera, special adviser to the Galvan Foundation, is alleged to have commented that the building would probably be demolished anyway because moving it would cost too much. Although I reported this on Gossips, I took it to be a typical example of Scalera's acrimonious wit when it comes to historic preservation, like the time he said that 400 State Street would make "a lot of retaining walls." 

Then last night, while walking William, I encountered someone who told me with certainty that 900 Columbia Street was going to be demolished after all. My informant had the additional information, which had not been mentioned on Gossips, that it was the expense of moving power lines to allow the house to be transported through the streets of Hudson that was the reason the project was being abandoned. The source of this information, said my informant, was Tom Swope, executive director of the Galvan Foundation.

So, this morning I called Swope to get the story straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak. He told me that Gossips had started the rumor by reporting something that Scalera denies he ever said, that they have not even talked with National Grid yet to find out what would be involved in clearing a route for the house or what it would cost, and that the project is still a year away since the Mental Health Association must build its new facility and move its residents there before anything can be done with the historic house. The anxiety of those who don't want this house demolished is understandable, but for now it seems there is still the possibility it will be saved.