HPC to Hold Two Hearings on Friday

On Friday, October 25, the Historic Preservation Commission is holding two public hearings: one on the proposed rehabilitation of the Public Square; the second on 431 East Allen Street, the location of Catholic Charities.

There are currently cedar shakes on the mansard roof on the building at 431 East Allen Street. A certificate of appropriateness is being sought to repair the roof by replacing the cedar shakes with asphalt shingles. The HPC suggested that faux cedar shakes should be used instead of asphalt shingles, but the applicant maintained the cost of faux cedar shakes was not affordable. Because, according to the preservation ordinance, cost should not be a factor in deciding appropriateness, the HPC, at its September 27 meeting, denied a certificate of appropriateness and asked that a new application be submitted requesting a hardship consideration. The public hearing relates to the hardship application.

Set far back from the street, partially obscured by the garden beside St. Mary's Rectory, created in 2017, the house is easily overlooked, but it is a building of no small significance. Built in the 1860s, the house was designed by J. A. Wood, the architect for the 1877 Gothic expansion of the First Presbyterian Church. 

The house was originally located at the corner of East Court and East Allen streets. It can be seen, in its original location, in this historic photograph of courthouse square.

Photo courtesy Historic Hudson

The house was moved to its current location to make room for St. Mary's Church, the construction of which was completed in 1930.

Surely, this house deserves better treatment than it is getting. The HPC requested that the comparative prices of faux cedar shakes and asphalt shingles be presented at the hearing. Maybe someone of wealth, with a generous spirit and a desire to preserve Hudson's architectural heritage, will step up and provide the difference.

The public hearing on this project takes place at the HPC meeting on Friday, October 25. The meeting, which begins at 10:00 a.m., is a hybrid, taking place in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.

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