This is news Gossips has been waiting a long time to report. The Robert Taylor House now has an owner committed to its preservation, and plans for initial efforts to correct problems and arrest deterioration came before the Historic Preservation Commission on Friday morning.
The Robert Taylor House, constructed around 1790, is generally believed to be the oldest surviving house in Hudson. Up until about 2003, the house was occupied, but in that year it was damaged by fire, and since then it has been abandoned and vacant. Over the years, Gossips has written about the house many times--about its origins and architectural style, about proposals for the house, both appropriate and inappropriate, and about the neglect the house suffered in the years it was owned by Galvan. (Galvan acquired the house in 2011.) Fortunately, for the house and for Hudson's architectural history, the Robert Taylor House got a new owner in September 2023, a new owner who is determined to save it and restore it.
This past Friday, the architect Walter Chatham presented plans to "restore the physical fabric of the building." He explained that the house had been buried over time. According to local lore, there was a landslide in the 1930s that made the incline south of Allen Street steeper and rendered Deer Alley impassable for vehicles from midway between Cross Alley and the Second Street stairs. The earth dislocated by that landslide built up around the Robert Taylor House, making the house sit deeper in the ground than was intended. Similar but less dramatic incidents of erosion over the past ninety years have exacerbated the problem. As Chatham explained, "Brick that was never intended to be below grade is below grade," and water from the soil is wicking up through the bricks, causing serious deterioration. One of the first restoration measures to be undertaken will address this problem.
Chatham also told the Historic Preservation Commission that they wanted to re-create the shed dormers that were once on the back, or east side, of the house. Two dormers can be seen in these historic pictures of the house.
They also appear in this photograph taken by Gossips in 2010.
The shed dormers disappeared in 2014, when Galvan did a major reconstruction of the roof, work that was done without a certificate of appropriateness from Historic Preservation Commission or even a building permit from the Code Enforcement Office.
The picture below, taken minutes ago, shows the roof on the east side of the building as it is today, with the shed dormers missing.
Also on Friday, September 13, at 10:00 a.m., there will be a public hearing on the plans for the adaptive reuse of 601 Union Street, the Terry-Gillette mansion, which for decades was the Hudson Elks Lodge, as a boutique hotel. In February 2024, the HPC, after doing a preliminary review of the project, sent a letter of support for what was being proposed to the Planning Board. The Planning Board granted site plan approval to the project at its June meeting. Now the project is back with the HPC for a certificate of appropriateness.
One appropriate thing to add for the safety of vehicles on speedy Union and those entering and exiting the hotel is a pair of stop signs or a traffic light at 6th & Union. Otherwise, there will be many accidents thanks to the hotel. Even with stop signs or a traffic light, it's still going to be a very awkward turn for cars coming from the hotel turning onto Union, especially those turning left or headed to 6th. To keep the intersection as safe as it is now, exiting hotel guests should have their own light. If it is green, Union traffic has a red. Without a light or signs, bicyclists will also be put in an awkward, dangerous situation when passing the intersection, especially when headed east and especially in the dark.
ReplyDeleteVery good news about the Robert Taylor house! Glad to hear this and in time learn more of owner and intentions.
ReplyDeleteGood ideas about traffic safety, Bill!
Glad to hear about the Robert Taylor House. I had always wondered about that house.
ReplyDeleteExcellent News about the hotel and hopefully everything is approved with it. Hotels bring tax revenue to the city, bring more tourists who spend money in the shops and creates more jobs. The city needs additional tax income to take away some of the burden for NEW homeowners, so may older homeowners are living in properties that the tax assessment is way lower than the property value.
For the oldest house in Hudson to be restored, it would be ideal to hire an architect who specializes in historically accurate restoration and preservation. It is going to require a lot of sensitivity and careful work to bring the building back to an authentic past appearance, not a generic storybook version.
ReplyDeleteGlad it seems to be in the hands of people who want to honor its important role in Hudson history, just hoping they take the right steps in the restoration with the right advisement.