What the HPC Should Never Have to Do

Last Friday, the Historic Preservation Commission did something that runs counter to their expressed mission. Persuaded by photographic evidence that the condition of the building's foundation rendered it beyond reasonable efforts to salvage it, the HPC agreed to not to prohibit the demolition of the house that stands at 309-311 Union Street and two outbuildings behind it. 

During the public hearing that preceded the HPC's deliberation and decision, Matt McGhee made this statement, in support of the building's preservation:

The house, from all appearances, could be an early building, at least from the later 18th century. Its saltbox form, the five-bay front, centered doorway, and the second floor windows right up against the roofline, make this a typical building style of New England and, in particular, Nantucket from the early days of English settlement and up into the 19th century.

There are two unusual features, visible from the outside, that are of special interest. The large dormer on the back roof and, even of more interest, the window in the dormer, which has a very unexpected division of 16-over-2 windowpanes. On the interior, a cistern is another feature of note, along with the brick infill to slow the spread of fire and to retain a given temperature, either warmer or cooler. These features could suggest an early date.

This house is most likely an important survivor from Hudson’s past. The house was originally a single-family home, and the 1880 date given is nothing more than a placeholder on the part of the City. The actual records were lost in a fire.

The motion made by HPC chair Phil Forman and approved by the commissioners was that "contingent on the approval of the proposed design [for the replacement buildings], the Commission will not oppose demolition." The renderings below show what was initially proposed--for the two-family house facing Union Street and the carriage house behind it on Partition Street.

The architect for the project is Roger Langer of Greater Living Architecture in Rochester. A little exploration on its website reveals that the company appears to specialize in "stock designs." 

We treasure the Terry-Gillette Mansion, which was built from a design by Richard Upjohn found in A. J. Downing's The Architecture of Country Houses (1850). When waiting for the light to change at Green and Fairview, we admire the house built from a Sears kit that stands across the street. But somehow this feels different.

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