More About the Missing Buildings

Yesterday, Gossips published these pictures, found at PhotobyGibson.com, of the demolition of buildings on the north side of the 600 block of Warren Street in 1955. The location is clear. There's Rogerson's Hardware directly across the street and the Art Deco building that is now CVS right next to it.

PhotobyGibson.com

PhotobyGibson.com

Both photographs were identified, presumably by the photographer, Howard Gibson, in this way: "Razing buildings for new Grand Union Warren St. Hudson 1955." A reader who follows Gossips on Facebook commented that Grand Union was never on Warren Street. It was located on Union Street. Grand Union had in fact been located on Union Street, in the building where the Mental Health Association now is, but what about the identification on these pictures?

The answer came when Paul Barrett tipped me off to another photograph in the PhotobyGibson.com collection, one categorized under "Fires in the 1950s." This picture shows the buildings before they were demolished and bears the caption: "Hudson Fire Sunkist Super Market Dec. 1954."

PhotobyGibson.com

The fire occurred in December 1954; the buildings were demolished sometime in 1955. This news item, found in The Knickerbocker News for January 6, 1955, ties Sunkist Market and Grand Union together.

There is still the question of the "new Grand Union." Was that just an assumption on Howard Gibson's part that a new Grand Union would be built on the site, or were plans announced to build a new supermarket there that were scrapped in favor of the site on Union Street, where there could be offstreet parking? And if the building that is there today was not built to be a supermarket, what was its original purpose?
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