Another Image of the Past

The pictures Gossips published yesterday of Fleet Street inspired Paul Barrett to share this photograph he discovered. It appeared in the Register-Star on July 9, 1971, and shows the area west of Front Street, looking north from the vantage point of Ferry Street. The only thing left standing is the PNA (Polish National Association) Hall at 1 South Front Street/1 West Warren Street.

The caption that accompanied the picture read:

DESOLATE FRONT STREET BEARS ONE HOUSE  Through the wire of the protective cyclone fence, only the remaining structure of the Polish National Hall stands on South Front St. A lone bulldozer roams the cratered area while the solid foundation of Promenade Hill Park looms on the left. This photo was taken from Ferry St. near the bridge. (Register-Star photo by Joe Traver)

The Division for Historic Preservation of the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation tried to save the PNA Hall, which was a very early Hudson structure. It had been built in the late 1780s or early 1790s and used as a store by Marshall Jenkins, one of the original Proprietors. But the Hudson Urban Renewal Agency had its way, and the building was demolished in April 1974.

TEXT COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK