Homage to Hudson Avenue

On Sunday, I made the mistake of referring to the location of the Gifford-Wood Company in the 1910s as Hudson Street not Hudson Avenue. When the error was pointed out in a comment, I readily acknowledged it but lightheartedly (I thought) tried to excuse my shortcoming by pointing out that it was hard to think of this road, whose original raison d'etre was to access the new Gifford-Wood Company building that was constructed in 1910-1911, as something so grand as an avenue. For this I was castigated by another reader, who accused me, with much apparent indignation, of taking it upon myself to "rename one of Hudson's Streets, in this case an Avenue." So it is in penance for this transgression that I share this little bit of Hudson Avenue history, found in the Hudson Evening Register for February 5, 1913. (Note that Hudson Avenue doesn't even get a label on the Bing map reproduced below.)

OBJECT TO MATERIAL PUT ON HUDSON AVENUE

Gifford-Wood Co. Requests the Commission of Public Works to Remove It.

At the meeting of the Commission of Public works, which was held late yesterday afternoon, the following communication was received:

Gentlemen: Will you kindly cause to be removed from Hudson avenue the clay soil which you put there a couple of months ago. We believe there were 150 loads, more or less. At any rate all of it is most unsuitable for the purpose for which it was used, and it is a very great obstacle to us in the operation of our business. Would state [sic] that it can be readily removed on most any warm day, such as we have had for the past week or so, and we trust that you will grant this request at your earliest possible convenience and thus greatly oblige yours truly.                                                  GIFFORD-WOOD CO.

Superintendent O'Hara was asked about the material used on Hudson avenue, and he said that gravel, but not of the best quality, had been put on. He considered that the elements had much to do with making the road way much worse that it would be at other seasons.

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