Peter Cipkowski on Urban Renewal in Hudson

In recent years, Peter Cipkowski has shared the treasure trove of photographs and movies of Hudson left by his grandfather Jozef Cipkowski, who owned a grocery store, Chipp's Market, at 39 South Front Street and lived with his family over the store. 

The building that housed Chipp's Market and all the other buildings along the west side of Front Street--south and north--were demolished in the 1970s during a period of urban renewal in Hudson.

On Thursday, October 26, Cipkowski will present "A Brief History of Hudson's Experience with Urban Renewal," an illustrated talk about the massive undertaking that was urban renewal in Hudson, which impacted hundreds of families and changed the city forever.

The presentation is based on historic documents and conversations with project leaders and local residents and will address many of the questions we, living in Hudson almost a half century later, wonder about: How was the urban renewal project funded? What were its original objectives? Did it succeed in meeting its goals? What was lost? Was it worth it? What has the experience taught us about planning, preservation, and economic growth? How did it compare with similar projects in the Hudson Valley and beyond? What lessons, if any, are there for us as Hudson continues to evolve?

The presentation, which is the latest in the Hudson Area Library History Room's Local History Speaker Series, takes place at 6 p.m., on Thursday, October 26, in the Community Room at the library, 51 North Fifth Street. The event is free and open to the public. 
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