SHPO Weighs In on 14 & 16 North Fourth Street

On November 20, two days after it was acknowledged that 14 and 16 North Fourth Street were in a locally designated historic district and the proposal to demolish them needed to go before the Historic Preservation Commission, the project was submitted for comment to the State Office of Historic Preservation (SHPO). Yesterday, January 9, the comments from SHPO were received by the Planning Board. The following is quoted from the letter from SHPO:

We recognize that these buildings may not be readily adaptable to the proposed hotel use, although a version of what appears to be a workable conversion of both buildings is provided in the alternatives documentation. In accordance with the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation, new or continued use should be compatible with the historic building and the new use should be deferential to the historic building and its character-defining features. Thus, although the proposed use may not be easily adaptable to the historic building it is the preservation of the building that is paramount when considering impacts to historic resources.

It is our opinion that the proposed demolition of the two State and National Register listed buildings is an adverse impact to historic resources. We recommend that alternatives continue to be considered to avoid adverse impacts resulting from the proposed demolition. . . .

The entire letter can be found here.

The Historic Preservation Commission, which is currently reviewing the proposal for 14 and 16 North Fourth Street, had scheduled a public hearing on the application to take place yesterday, Friday, January 9. At the request of the applicant, the public hearing was postponed, and a new date for the hearing has not been determined. At the HPC meeting yesterday, a member of the public who did not realize the hearing had been postponed spoke in opposition to the demolition.

The picture below, which dates from the end of the 19th century, shows the houses on the east side of North Fourth Street. The two Greek Revival houses in the foreground are being integrated into the Hudson Public Hotel. The two houses in question--14 and 16--appear just beyond the alley. 

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