A House's Place in History

Recently, the house on the corner of North Fifth and Washington streets, which had been one of the many houses in Hudson owned by Phil Gellert, acquired a new owner.

The new owner appears to be preparing for an extensive restoration of the house, although plans for the project have yet to be presented to the Historic Preservation Commission. Sadly, one of the first steps toward restoring the house was to take down all the mature and seemingly healthy trees around the house. One it seems had to be removed because its roots were pushing up through the front porch. For the others, there was no such reason.

Photo: Mara Estribou

Photo: Mara Estribou

Photo: Mara Estribou

People in the neighborhood, when talking about house, mention, as if it may not be true, that this house was the original site of the Hudson City Hospital, which eventually evolved into Columbia Memorial Hospital. Gossips wishes to confirm that this certainly is true by quoting the beloved Hudson historian Anna Rossman Bradbury, who, in her 1908 History of the City of Hudson, New York, had this to say about the founding of the hospital.

The Hudson City Hospital was incorporated on December 17, 1887, as the result of an earnest effort on the part of a few of our citizens, and at the urgent request of Mr. Alfred Van Deusen, who wished to leave to such an institution, preferably located in this city, a legacy of 5,000 dollars. Further action was deferred until June 1, 1893, when a building on the northeast corner of Washington and Fifth streets was rented, properly prepared, and used for hospital purposes until July, 1897.

A legacy of upwards of 30,000 dollars which was left to them by Miss Sarah Bayley, then became available, and a desirable site on Prospect avenue and Columbia street, was purchased. On this was erected the present hospital building, which was ready for occupancy in 1900, the first patient having been received on June 6, of that year. It has thirty beds and all the appliances and furnishing that are to be found in well appointed institutions of the kind.

Below is the building that Bradbury refers to as "the present hospital building," which received its first patient in 1900.

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