Jane's Walk: Site 17

The pursuit of oriels up Warren Street brings us to the Hudson Opera House, which, of course, does not have an oriel. The particular focus of our attention to this monumental 1855 municipal building is the ornamental iron work.
 

The window hoods, the capitals on the pilasters, the entablature, and other decorative elements are all cast iron. A "signature" near the entrance to the West Room reveals the source of all this ornamentation: the Gifford Iron Works, owned by Elihu Gifford, the father of Hudson River School painter Sanford Robinson Gifford.


The Gifford foundry was located in this building, which once stood at the intersection of Columbia and Green streets. A fragment of the building still survives today.