The title of this post expresses the attitude that T. Eric Galloway and everyone associated with him have consistently shown toward the Historic Preservation Commission. Among the most egregious examples is coating the historic marble piers and lintels at 260 Warren Street with some unknown white substance which, it was explained after the fact, was meant to "protect" the ancient marble.
Far from protecting the marble, the white coating, whether it was paint or something else, gave future tenants license to slap more paint on the marble colonnade.
Learning from the experience of 260 Warren Street, the HPC was careful, when granting a certificate of appropriateness to 501 Union Street, another Galvan project, to specify: "The original patina of the brick shall be maintained." Nevertheless, the building was sprayed with limewash, to "even out the appearance of the brick" because Galloway "thought it looked terrible." Because the limewash cannot be removed without harming the brick, we are now just waiting for the weather and time to wear away the limewash. How many decades that will take is not known.
Despite the fact that the Galvan Foundation has given most of its real estate holdings in Hudson to Bard College, Galloway/Galvan continues to do irreparable damage to Hudson's historic buildings.
At this morning's meeting of the HPC, Phil Forman, who chairs the HPC, said there were "issues with the property regarding the previous C of A and the facade." He went on to say the awnings would violate the previous certificate of appropriateness. Code enforcement officer Nick Fox then explained that the cornice above the windows was missing and "now they want to put awnings there."
Further discussion revealed that it was the marble lintels over the windows and doors that were missing. The status of the original marble pillars was also in question. Many of the pillars on the Warren Street facade were lost during the abuse suffered by the building over the years, but two survived, and the conditions set forth in the certificate of appropriateness specified that the surviving pillars and lintel were to be preserved--at least that's what we thought.
During the discussion, Forman wanted to know if the original marble was gone, or if it was now buried under other material. Walter Chatham, who is the architect for the project, did not answer that question. When public comment was permitted, Matt McGhee did have the answer. The original marble columns were removed. McGhee provided Gossips with these pictures, taken in June 2025. The first shows one of the columns still in place. (It has since been covered up.) The second shows the other marble column and a fragment of the lintel removed and on the ground.
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| Photo: Matt McGhee |
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| Photo: Matt McGhee |
McGhee also pointed out that the height of the doorway had been lowered, and the columns on the infill building to the right, which were supposed to be the same width as the columns on the main building, were not the same width.
McGhee reported that the brickwork had been sanded, and the mortar used for repointing was "extremely white" and did not match the original mortar--all in violation of the specifications in the certificate of appropriateness.
It was decided that, because the Galvan Foundation ignored many of the stipulations of the original certificate of appropriateness granted in March 2023, and some of the deviations from that C of A are irreparable, the Galvan people would submit a new application for a certificate of appropriateness based on what they actually did, not what the original certificate of appropriateness required them to do.
Don't ask permission. Ask forgiveness.
COPYRIGHT 2026 CAROLE OSTERINK
If the HPC doesn’t hold this serial asshole’s feet to the fire then the commission should be disbanded. What’s it good for otherwise? Let Eric Galloway pay the freight or declare bankruptcy trying — or no C of O. Absent such action the HPC will be just a collection of old people jabbering about architecture in the abstract. Either begin enforcing the law or go home.
ReplyDeleteCan we also talk about how this building has become a major obstruction on the Warren Street sidewalk? The sidewalk is done but they’ve left that massive fence up. Also, they’re taking up several metered parking spaces that I bet they’re not paying for, as many worksites have to do.
ReplyDeleteWhat John said !
ReplyDeleteIf they're going to break the rules, I wish they'd at least hurry up and finish construction. Seems to be taking forever.
ReplyDeleteI need another place to buy $20 espresso martinis and nothing beats a hotel lobby bar at the corner of 4th and Warren.
I agree with John Friedman’s larger point. If the Historic Preservation Commission is unwilling or unable to enforce the Certificates of Appropriateness it issues, then we need to have a serious conversation about what purpose the Commission serves.
ReplyDeleteThis isn’t really about awnings, or even one building. A Certificate of Appropriateness is supposed to mean something. Property owners in Hudson’s historic districts are required to submit plans, appear before the HPC, respond to its concerns, and ultimately build what has been approved. If an applicant can instead disregard those conditions, make irreversible alterations, and then simply return for a new certificate based on what was actually built, the entire process is undermined.
That is particularly troubling when historic material that was expressly intended to be preserved has apparently already been removed. Once it is gone, no subsequent approval can bring it back. A Certificate of Appropriateness cannot become a Certificate of Forgiveness after the work has already been done.
And setting preservation law aside for a moment, there is also the matter of taste. This is a prominent building at one of Warren Street’s major intersections, being redeveloped as a hotel. Restoring its original architectural character should have been an opportunity, not an obligation to work around. Preserving the marble, properly restoring the masonry, and respecting the building’s original proportions would not only have honored its history — it would have resulted in a far better building. What a lost opportunity.
The HPC either has the authority and willingness to enforce its decisions or it does not. If it does, this seems precisely the circumstance in which that authority should be exercised. If it does not, then John’s question is a fair one: what exactly is the point of having a Historic Preservation Commission?
Taste?! Shit. You clearly don’t know who ETG is, aesthetically. Take a walk around the city. See a building with ill-considered, ill-fitting, non-weightbearing, poorly-constructed columns? Meet Mr. Galloway’s taste. Or lack thereof. It’s been sprayed all over downtown.
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