In Space and in Hudson: 1969

In 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the lunar surface. Back on Earth, 1969 saw some pretty memorable things happen right here in Hudson. 

As we've already noted, the struggle to save the landmark General Worth Hotel was underway. On September 15, there was a public hearing that brought Columbia architecture professor James Marston Fitch and other notables from the world of historic preservation to Hudson to argue for the building's preservation. 

The Common Council minutes for 1969 make interesting reading. So engaged, I recently discovered that on October 21, 1969, two resolutions, which from the vantage point of 2016 seem curiously related, were adopted. The first (Resolution 5 for that month) opened Willard Place, which had been a private street since it was established in 1872, as a "public highway." 

The second resolution (Resolution 6) committed the City to obliterating Chapel Street and along with it Rope Alley west of Second Street. 

Final action on both resolutions was taken at a special meeting held on November 10, 1969. At both meetings--the one in October and the one in November--the members of the Council present voted unanimously in support of the two actions. Alderman J. Neill Sullivan (Fifth Ward) was absent for the vote on October 21; aldermen David W. Bartholomew (Fifth Ward) and Edward J. Pell, Sr. (Second Ward) were absent on November 10.
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