More About 260 Warren Street

In response to the previous post about the state of this building at the corner of Third and Warren streets, Alderman Nick Haddad (First Ward), who served on the Historic Preservation Commission before becoming an alderman, reminded Gossips that the proposed renovation of the building had been granted a certificate of appropriateness twice: in June 2008 and again in June 2009, the latter basically reiterating what was approved the previous year. 

In the fall of 2009, the HPC prepared a letter to the building owner pointing out that none of the work that had been authorized by the certificate of appropriateness had begun and expressing concern about further deterioration to the building if it were not stabilized and secured before winter. The letter cited Section 13 of the Hudson Historic Preservation Law, which "requires owners of buildings in historic districts to maintain their properties so they 'do not fall into a serious state of disrepair' that 'might produce a detrimental effect upon the character of the historic district as a whole or the life and character of the property itself.'" The letter went on to urge the owner to "begin as soon as practicable the repairs and maintenance outlined in the CoA granted to him in June 2009."

According to Haddad, the letter was the product of discussion among HPC members and was reviewed by the city attorney, but when it was ready to be mailed, the mayor intervened to prevent that from happening. The mayor in the fall of 2009 was, of course, Rick Scalera, who now works as a special adviser to the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, the not-for-profit created by the same people who are the principals in Galvan Partners LLC, which owns 260 Warren Street. Three years later, as yet another winter approaches, the work approved by the HPC has still not begun.