The Benches of Hudson
They are unique--unlike park benches seen in other cities.
They are ubiquitous. They are found in the Public Square, a.k.a. Seventh Street Park.
They are found in Washington Park, a.k.a. Courthouse Square.
They are found on Promenade Hill, a.k.a. Parade Hill.
Cathryn Dwyre, when presenting her proposal for re-imagining the Public Square, talked about the benches. She praised the DPW workers who make these benches for their craftsmanship and ingenuity but suggested that perhaps it was time for a new design. Dwyre's comment inspired Gossips to wonder how long this design has been the standard for park benches in Hudson. Then this picture post card provided a clue.
The post card, sent to friends in New Jersey by a woman visiting her sister in Germantown, is postmarked July 16, 1966. It is evidence that the clunky concrete and wood design for park benches has been around for probably at least fifty years.
COPYRIGHT 2014 CAROLE OSTERINK
Thanks to Bruce Bergmann for sharing this post card
A little paint would help -- while we go through the endless dogpark diatribes about what to do....
ReplyDeleteAre there pics of earlier models in Hudson Carole ?
ReplyDeleteThe evolution of benches in Hudson's parks . . . what a concept! I could probably put something together using old photographs.
Delete... and the lamppost in this pic of the Promenade makes me wish this was the model used when Warren Street was 'reimagined' a few years back.
ReplyDeleteActually, an acorn luminaire, not dissimilar to the one that appears in this picture and in pictures of Warren Street from the 1930s, was an option back in 2008 when the new streetlights were chosen: http://firstwardhudson.blogspot.com/2008/09/new-streetlights.html. The Historic Preservation Commission voted for the luminaires we have now. Only Lisa Durfee, who was on the HPC at the time, voted for the acorn luminaires.
DeleteSo let me get this straight. Except for Lisa Durfee, the whole Hudson Historic Preservation Commission voted AGAINST a historically correct luminary for the 'things of no historical context what so ever' that we have NOW ?
Deletehmmmm ... most interesting Carole
Yup. The ad hoc committee of the Common Council tasked with studying the streetlight issue, of which I was a part back in 2008, made two recommendations for the actual streetlights: that the poles be cast aluminum and the luminaires be the acorn shape, which had historic precedent in Hudson. Neither recommendation was followed; The poles are fiberglass and the luminaires are . . . well, you know.
DeleteAfter a committee studied the issue neither recommendations were followed.
ReplyDeleteLeadership is this town is sick.
Back to the benches...I guess they were built to last if it has been 50 years...
ReplyDeleteActually, Unknown, that's an assumption you probably shouldn't make. Although the same design has been used for 50 years, the actual benches haven't necessarily lasted for 50 years. The ones in Courthouse Square were replaced with benches of the design within the last decade.
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