Tomorrow's meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was supposed to include a public hearing on the proposed demolition of 14 and 16 North Fourth Street to make way for an annex to the Galvan Foundation's Hudson Public Hotel, at the corner of Fourth and Warren streets. Gossips learned this morning that, at the request of the applicant, the public hearing has been postponed. A new date for the hearing is still to be determined.
Chatham also argued that the surroundings of the two houses were "a harsh urban environment to have a home in," noting, "The houses will be in a very busy place," with Helsinki behind them and Warren Street half a block away. The two houses have been vacant since Galvan took possession of them in 2023. When the houses were part of the Helsinki campus, they were used to house staff and visiting performers.
When the question was asked why the demolition of these houses and the construction of the annex buildings were not part of the original proposal presented to the HPC, it was noted that the original plan was to create additional hotel rooms in the houses, but that plan was abandoned because the challenge of converting a house into hotel rooms proved too great. HPC member Miranda Barry suggested the houses could be used as apartments for hotel staff.
HPC member Hugh Biber observed, "These are two viable historic homes in a historic district. I don't see how we just take them down. Taking them down would go against what we do here." He went on to say, "People come to this town because it represents every architectural movement. This goes against what we are trying to do here."
Chatham maintained they were "the wrong houses in the wrong place" and asserted, "It is an impediment to how our city could develop." He opined that "urban planning should be part of what the HPC does." He tried to discount the historic value of one of the houses by saying its design "has been repeated all over the city." He went on to suggest that, if the HPC denies a certificate of appropriateness for the demolition, the owner (Galvan) "can ignore the buildings until they are deteriorated, so they can argue they are beyond repair."
As stated at the beginning of this post, the public hearing on the demolition of these houses, which was supposed to happen at tomorrow's HPC meeting, has been postponed. When it will be rescheduled is not known. The HPC meeting takes place tomorrow, Friday, January 9, at 10:00 a.m., in person at City Hall and on Microsoft Teams. Click here for the link to join the meeting remotely.
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Finish composing Hudson's epitaph if these two houses are allowed to be demolished, even if ultimately they aren't demolished. Walter Chatham seems to be the enemy of Hudson, just as his employer Galvan has always been.
ReplyDeleteThose houses should remain standing. We should not be tearing down historic structures to please a developer who has left Hudson. ~ PJ
ReplyDeleteReally, Bill- I am the Enemy of Hudson?! How much housing have you built or refurbished in your years here? Get a grip!
ReplyDeleteMr. Architect - You work for a developer who removed three perfectly good houses on 7th Street so we can have a dirt lot instead. Wasn't one of the houses historic and shouldn't have been touched? Did you have anything to do with that effort of Galvan's, Walter? Or did you just stand by and accept it as business as usual by your employer? What's next to tear down, Walter? Two more houses that don't rise to your standards? Got your sights set on any more perfectly good houses that are in your way and that no one should be living in?
DeleteYou work for a developer who knocks down perfectly good houses for no good reason and let's others rot. And you have no problem helping these people and taking their money? Are you proud of Galvan? Unlike anyone who understands what Galvan has done to Hudson, will you hate to see them go?
I worked with Walter Chatham on a project for my home and found him to be both professional and genuinely invested in a positive future for Hudson. He is the opposite of an enemy of Hudson.
DeleteRegarding the two houses currently being considered for demolition: they are attractive properties, and their historic value is understandable. However, preservation should be weighed against the broader financial and economic benefits to the city, particularly when Hudson already has many properties designated as "historic", and the removal of these two structures would minimally—if at all—disturb the city’s historic character and streetscape.
Based on conservative estimates, the proposed hotel would include approximately 14 rooms. Assuming an average of only eight occupied rooms per night, that results in roughly 2,920 guest stays per year. If each guest spends even $75 per day in Hudson—a modest assumption—that translates to approximately $219,000 annually flowing directly into local businesses, not including sales/hotel occupancy taxes.
By comparison, the city currently collects an estimated $24,000 per year in combined property and school taxes from the two homes. The difference is substantial. From a financial perspective, the hotel would generate significantly greater economic value for Hudson while supporting local commerce and future growth.
Walter - How many of the swanky houses that you feature on your website would you consider to be affordable to the average American or Hudsonian? How many of them are actually located in Hudson?
DeleteAnd, yes, Walter, you are correct: I haven't built or refurbished any houses here in Hudson. I also haven't forced tenants out of any perfectly good house so that I can demolish them, possibly leaving a dirt lot in their place or allowing a poorly located business to expand that has nothing to do with locals but everything to do with visitors. The original plans for your employer's hotel at 4th & Warren, a development that you are behind and profiting from as Galvan's architect, expander-in-chief and spokesperson, never would have been approved if the city's on-site parking requirements for developers hadn't been quietly erased a few years ago with the help of your employer Galvan and their toady tenant and joke of a mayor, Kamal Johnson. Are you happy that your employer got rid of those parking requirements so that all developers, including your employer, could run rough shod over the entire city, doing as they please with no regard for parking issues, smart growth, proper planning or the concerns of local residents, even those who have owned houses for decades? What other requirements for developers and their projects would you like to see done away with so that you can keep busy, continue to make money and try to convince the people of Hudson what houses should and shouldn't remain standing? When will your development-at-all-costs end, and who made you Hudson's 21st century architect and planner, shaping our future?
I also have never bought a property in Hudson to then ignore it, allow it to become a dangerous eyesore and let it rot (I'm thinking of 59 Dodge and the two houses at 618 State that I am forced to look at every day. There are several others, of course.). I haven't done any of these things, Walter. But you and your employer have done so and hope to continue to do so.
Did you drink Galvan's Kool Aid?
Who decided that a hotel with no off- street parking taking up half or the entirety of the east side of 4th Street between Warren and Columbia is in the city's best interest and won't make the street a parking and driving nightmare? Is the future of Hudson in expensive hotel rooms and $25 mixed drinks, or is it in lived-in houses not owned by developers and LLC's?
DeleteI think that’s well said Bill. Not one more house raised.
ReplyDeleteOoops razed…..
ReplyDeleteVery sad to see they want to take these houses down. I'm still not over the loss of the cherry trees. When I moved to Hudson, I lived in the grey house for a little while and had my music studio in the yellow house. They were nice places to live. Yeah it'll be great for Galvan but who's thinking of 10 years later, 25 years later, 50... as more buildings get demolished.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Unfortunately history doesn't point that way and once those historical homes are gone they'll be gone forever. Hudson is deserving of leadership that is smart and forward thinking. However, you can usually follow the money and figure out what's gonna happen. Galvan and Chatham will make more money and Hudson will lose more of what makes it so special.
DeleteNo more Galvan demolitions. Too much of our city a subject of their rapaciousness.
ReplyDelete