More from the Morning After

As a sure sign that Frankstorm had passed, this rainbow appeared at about 8:45 yesterday morning.

Thanks to John Cody for sharing this picture.

How High Was It?

Rob Perry, superintendent of Public Works, reports that, at its highest point during Frankenstorm, the river rose to 9 feet 7 inches--5 feet above normal high tide. The calculations were based on measurements taken at the waste water treatment plant.

Hudson in 1905: Bonus

Time to share another discovery from the 1905 Hudson city directory: Warsher Row. That caption accompanies this photograph, found in the directory, of the trio of buildings at 426-428 Warren Street. 

Warsher Row would have been relatively new in 1905, since the buildings do not appear in this photograph, which shows the same section of Warren Street in the aftermath of the Blizzard of 1888.

Hudson in 1905: Part 65

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

A. A. LOOMIS--Dealer in Fancy and Staple Groceries. Corner of North Seventh street and Park Place. Columbia Phone 150 Trading at the store where you get full value for your money is the place to go. This fact is exemplified by glancing at the success of the grocery business conducted by Mr. Loomis. The store has had only about one year's start, but has already taken its position among the prominent concerns of this kind in the city. Three employees are engaged to take care of the trade, and the best of attention is given to all phases of the business. Mr. Loomis deals in staple and fancy groceries on a considerable scale, buying at the best market prices and giving his patrons the benefit thereof. An important specialty is made of flour and provisions, as well as country produce, vegetables, etc. All orders are given the promptest attention, and deliveries are made to any section of the city.  

The location of A. A. Loomis today--Photographics Solution

Gossips Note: The address given for A. A. Loomis in Illustrated Hudson presents a problem. There is no corner of North Seventh Street and Park Place; the two streets are parallel to each other. The Hudson directory for 1905 is no help either. It gives the address for A. A. Loomis as 702 Warren Street--an address that doesn't exist. So the building at the corner of Warren Street and Park Place is our best guess.

Water, Water . . .

A reader just submitted this picture, taken minutes ago at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. 

Miscalculation on the Waterfront

This morning, a crane that reportedly had been used to pull the Hudson Power Boat Association's floating docks out of the water, tried to leave and got snagged on overhead wires. You  have to wonder how it got to the HPBA in the first place.

Thanks to a Gossips reader for supplying the story and the photograph.

Morning After Reconnoiter

Shortly before 7 a.m., Gossips headed down to the waterfront to see the effects of Frankenstorm. 

Finding the crossing over the railroad tracks blocked, I headed to the other side of town to have a look at the Furgary Boat Club, where I found the entire area flooded and the cabins standing in water.

From North Bay, I headed to Promenade Hill to have a look at the situation at the boat launch from above.

On Promenade Hill, I met someone who told me that a woman who lives in the Hudson Terrace building that appears at the far right of the picture above reported that, in the night, the water reached halfway up the bluff below her house. That might be a bit of an exaggeration since, if that had happened, the entire area around the train station would also have been flooded, and there was no evidence of that.

Heading back home, it occurred to me that these vehicles parked on the approach to the Ferry Street Bridge probably belonged to members of the Hudson Power Boat Association who had walked across the bridge to check out conditions at their clubhouse.

Hudson in 1905: Part 64

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

E. VAN VLIET--Funeral Director and Embalmer. No. 444 Warren street. Mr. Van Vliet is one of the oldest funeral directors in the city, and has been established in the business for the past eighteen years. He has three of his own hearses and one wagon with two assistants to lend him aid in the various duties of his calling. His offices, located in Warren street, are most elegantly fitted up, with a saleroom on the main floor, where caskets, funeral furnishings, etc., are carried. Mr. Van Vliet is a native resident of this city, and is an embalmer of long standing and experience, understanding the business in its every particular. To his art he applies all the most modern and approved methods, ever keeping abreast of the times. He is thoroughly relied upon by the people of the city, because of the personal attention which he always gives his work.

444 Warren Street today--Lillie K Traders & The Chai Shop

On the Waterfront

Attributable to high tide, the full moon, a Frankenstorm tidal surge, or all three, the river is starting to rise. These pictures were taken at 4:30 this afternoon.

Stay Home Tonight

Council president Don Moore has just announced that the special meeting of the Common Council "to discuss potential land sales within the 2013 City Budget," which was originally scheduled for tonight at 7:30 p.m., has been rescheduled for Thursday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m., after the threat of Frankenstorm has passed.

Mark Your Calendars

Two public hearings have been scheduled for Tuesday, November 13.

The first one, which takes place at 5:30 p.m., is about the City of Hudson's application for a grant from the New York State Transportation Enhancements Program (TEP). The City is seeking funding for pedestrian and bike connections to Charles Williams Park. 

This description of the project is from the notice for the public hearing:

The project consists of painted bike lanes and signage to be installed on North Front Street, from Ferry Street to Dock Street, bike lanes and signage installed along Dock Street and only signage installed along Mill Street. The non-motorized vehicle path at Old Dugway Road, between Mill Street and Harry Howard Avenue is to be repaved and finally, approximately 1,300 linear feet of concrete sidewalk is to be installed along the west side of Harry Howard Avenue, beginning at Washington Street and continuing to The Volunteer Fireman’s Home. 

The hearing is being held to solicit input from the public "regarding any potential social, economic and environmental impact . . . and to allow the public an opportunity to comment on the proposed project." 

A second public hearing follows at 6:00 p.m., the topic of which is the City's application for a $200,000 EPA Brownfield grant to continue the cleanup of the old Foster's Refrigeration site on North Second Street. It will be recalled that this site has been proposed as the location of a city dog park.

Both hearings take place at City Hall. If you are unable to attend the hearings, written comments can be submitted. Comments on the TEP grant application should be submitted to the city clerk prior to November 13. Written comments on the EPA Brownfield grant will be accepted through November 16 and can be emailed to John Duchessi or submitted to his attention to the city clerk.

Hudson in 1905: Part 63

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

E. VOLK--Dealer in Confectionery, Cigars, and Soda Water. Corner Front and Warren streets. This is a new enterprise in Hudson and one that is rapidly earning a well-merited success. Its enterprising proprietor well knows the needs of the community in which he is located, and has therefore launched this business in the efforts to accommodate the public in the lines in which he deals. The place is very neatly arranged, and the stock carried comprises everything in a well ordered business of this nature, a fine ice cream parlor being operated in connection with the main store. Mr. Volk is a business man who knows how to cater to the wants of his patrons, and in this respect is building up a very fine trade.

Corner of Front and Warren today

Gossips Note: The address given for Mr. Volk's business in Illustrated Hudson is simply "Corner Front and Warren streets." The Hudson directory for 1905 offers no further help. The choice of the southeast corner was based not only on the fact that there's a storefront there now that looks appropriate for a confectionery shop and ice cream parlor, but also on the historic photograph below, which shows the intersection of Warren and Front streets from the vantage point of the entrance to Promenade Hill. The building on the southwest corner is a residence, the building visible on the northwest corner is presumably some earlier configuration of an engine house addition to the Washington Hose Co. firehouse, and the building on the northeast corner (now missing) appears to be a residential building, like the adjoining buildings that survive today, and not a storefront. 

As If Bracing for Sandy Weren't Enough . . .

Lee Musselman's little dog, Barbie, has gone missing again, probably in the vicinity of her home on Cross Street. Please, everyone, keep an eye out for her before she's lost in the storm. 

Hudson Tweed Ride

The very first Tweed Ride took place in 2009 in England, where it was called Tweed Run. A group of cyclists rode through the center of London, on vintage bicycles, dressed in traditional British cycling attire, to re-create the spirit of a bygone era. The concept quickly leapt across the pond, and in the US, there have been Tweed Rides in such places as Milwaukee, Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Dallas, Traverse City, and now Hudson. 

Organized by Lisa Durfee and Stephanie Monseu, Tweed Ride in Hudson started its 3.5 mile route from the foot of Warren Street, at the entrance to Promenade Hill, then headed upstreet and looped around both the south side and the north side of the city before coasting back down Warren Street to wind up at (p.m.) Wine Bar for celebratory libations. Gossips was there at the beginning to capture the attire and the spirit of the event. Perhaps unique to Hudson, the home of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, our Tweed Ride included folks on unicycles!

Tweed Ride Hits the Streets

Catch them if you can! After meandering upstreet on the south side of town, they'll be heading over to the Pocketbook Factory and then on Washington and Sixth back to Warren Street. The final stretch is down Warren Street to (p.m.) Wine Bar. The vintage cycling costumes are fabulous, and Gossips will be featuring them a little later.

Hudson in 1905: Part 62

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

GERMANIA HOTEL--33-35 S. Front street. Christian Miller & Son, Frank, proprietors. The proprietors of this up-to-date establishment are too well known in Hudson to require any lengthy review in a work of this character. They have been in business for the past thirty-one years, and the hotel subject to their management is considered one of the finest in the city. It contains nineteen excellent rooms, all of which are modernly furnished and appointed; thus providing guests with every comfort and convenience of home. A stay at the Germania Hotel is made the more pleasurable because of the geniality of the managers and the service received at their hands. They personally look after the wants of the boarders, and nothing is ever left undone that will make for their highest enjoyment. The cuisine is unparalleled anywhere in the city; the meals that are set forth being good and bountiful. In connection with the general business, a bar is operated and is always well stocked with the best ales, liquors, wines, beer, and cigars. A specialty is made of Evans' Ale on draught.

Germania Hotel from Illustrated Hudson, N.Y.

33-35 South Front Street today--part of Hudson Terrace

Gossips Note: The picture of the Germania Hotel is one of the rare pictures that show the buildings that lined the west side of Front Street, all of which were demolished during Urban Renewal to build Hudson Terrace apartments.