Hudson in 1905: Part 28

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

DAVID KLINE--Dealer in Boots, Shoes, and all kinds of Footwear. 522 Warren street. The establishment of Mr. Kline is well known for the high quality of goods which he carries, and he is one of Hudson's leading shoe dealers, carrying in stock a fine line of the leading and most popular shoes on the market. Some of the leaders he makes a specialty of are the Orofax, Majestic and Dauphin Shoes for Men, and The Julia Marlowe, La France and Orofax for Women. Since 1887 the proprietor of this business has always maintained the position he has attained in the business life of the city. His store is large and commodious in every respect, and the large stock carried is well displayed in such a manner as to give the customer the benefit of selecting to his advantage. Through his earnest endeavors and thorough business methods Mr. Kline has acquired a patronage that many of his older competitors have been unable to attain.

522 Warren Street today--Ad Lib Antiques

  

The Time Has Come . . .

to start squirreling away treats for the winter. The Great Pint Sale is already underway at LICK, with the price of a pint of ice cream reduced from $6.75 to $6 or $5.50 if you buy three or more. It's always fun to stock up and see how far into the winter your ice cream stash will carry you. LICK's last day is October 8, but it may come sooner if the ice cream runs out. 

Starting October 1, Tortillaville will be taking orders for their winter burrito stash. All their burritos--shrimp, fish, chicken, beef, pork, tofu, veggie, and bean--are available frozen to bring back the taste of summer at Tortillaville and the slap of the screen door all winter long.

"All Good Things Must End Someday . . ."

The weekend suspension of alternate side of the street parking will be over at the end of September. Next weekend--September 28 and 29--is the last weekend you can park on either side of the street from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday without risking a ticket. Until summer comes again, the only times the overnight parking rules are suspended are the night before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Eve.  

Four Years Later

This morning, Gossips published the excerpt from Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., about Mrs. McManus's millinery shop, The Bouquet, located at 513 Warren Street. This afternoon, a reader sent this picture of the shop, taken during the Henry Hudson Tricentennial Celebration in 1909. The women posed in front of the shop are (from left to right) Anne Martin, Kathryn Martin, Mrs. Curran, and Mrs. McManus, the proprietor.

Hudson in 1905: Part 27

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

THE BOUQUET--Conducted by Mrs. N. E. McManus at No. 513 Warren street. The Bouquet has been established for the last ten years, and now enjoys one of the finest and most exclusive millinery trades in the city. Mrs. McManus is an expert milliner, guaranteeing exquisite work in all lines of the millinery art. Her shop is well stocked with an excellent display of hats and a full line of ladies' goods, veilings, etc. Ever since the day she started in the business she has given satisfaction to all those who have seen fit to trade at her place. The store is large and equipped in the most excellent style, showing fine taste in the arrangement and assortment of the goods on sale. Five experienced clerks are always in attendance. The prices that obtain throughout are sure to please the most economical of persons. All work turned out under the superintendence of Mrs. McManus is guaranteed to give the highest satisfaction in all particulars. 

513 Warren Street today--Eustace & Zamus Antiques

Standing for Peace

Yesterday marked the the eleventh anniversary of Martin Baumgold's regular Saturday afternoon peace vigil in Seventh Street Park, which began on Saturday, September 22, 2001, just days after the attack of the World Trade Center. To mark the anniversary, David Seth Michaels published this report about Baumgold and his steadfast vigil in the Daily Kos: "This Vigil Needs Your Support."  

Hudson in 1905: Part 26

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

HENRY ANABLE--Dealer in Wool, Leather, and Findings. No. 741 Columbia street. First door above the St. Charles Hotel. A successful career of over fifty years' standing has made the name of Henry Anable well known and highly respected in the business circles of Hudson. For that number of long years he has labored in the service of the people of this city, dealing fairly and honestly with one and all, and in return enjoying the patronage of a large portion of the population. Mr. Anable handles wools, leather, and findings, and will pay cash for wool, hides, tallow, raw furs, calf and sheep skins. His business is with such materials, and in that business no one is more skilled or experienced than Mr. Anable, for he understands it in its every detail, having been connected with it for so many years. The trade of the house is such as to necessitate the employment of four assistants, all of whom are under the person [sic] supervision of the proprietor himself. Satisfaction guaranteed in every respect, and the finest treatment along with the fairest profits.

741 Columbia Street today--Vasilow's Confectionery

Happy Birthday, Clifford!

Clifford the Big Red Dog is celebrating his 50th birthday. Norman Bridwell's first book about the giant canine was published in 1962. Clifford is now featured in more than 40 books (of which there are 44 million copies in print), stars in a PBS TV series, and appears as a balloon in the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade. 

We've Arrived!

There's an apartment available in the historic Dubois mansion, which was renovated into some very nice apartments in the late 1990s. The house is located on Joslen Boulevard in Greenport, but one of the features stressed in the Register-Star ad for the rental is that it has a Hudson address.

Sip n' Suds n' U-Hauls

On Wednesday night, the Zoning Board of Appeals once again took  up the request from Selha Graham-Cora for a use variance to rent U-Haul trucks from 453 State Street. On August 18, the ZBA held a public hearing on the application, but their legal counsel was not present at the hearing. City attorney Cheryl Roberts had to recuse herself because she had served as the lawyer to the building's owners--Gwendolyn Sherman and the estate of Rosemarie Sherman. On Wednesday, Daniel Tuczinski was at the ZBA meeting in Roberts' place.

In his advice to the ZBA, Tuczinski made the point that use variances are given to properties, and this property already has a use variance, which was granted in 2004 to enable the owners to open a laundromat and Internet cafe in the building. He also advised that it was the owner and not the tenant who must apply for a use variance, and it is the owner who needs to prove that the current zoning causes unnecessary hardship. Graham-Cora rents and operates the laundromat. 

According to New York State municipal law, there are four tests that must be met by a property's owner before a use variance is issued:

1. the applicant cannot realize a reasonable return, provided that lack of return is substantial as demonstrated by competent financial evidence;
2. the alleged hardship relating to the property in question is unqiue, and does not apply to a substantial portion of the district or neighborhood;
3. that the requested use variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the neighborhood;
4. that the alleged hardship has not been self-created.

The ZBA will take up this matter again and perhaps make a decision at its next meeting, which is scheduled for October 17.

Hudson in 1905: Part 25

The following is an excerpt from Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

HENRY SHELDON & CO.--Wholesale Dealers in Provisions, Tobacco, and Cigars. No. 606 Warren street. Telephones: H. R. 140-F; Columbia 70. This is one of the largest, oldest and most important enterprises in the city. It  has been established for over fifty-five years, and has all that time enjoyed the finest success. The business has steadily increased, until at the present time it gives employment to eleven men in the home store, besides two traveling on the road and two in the city. The company deal in wholesale provisions, tobacco, cigars, crackers, fancy biscuit, confectionery, eggs, butter, and cheese. They are manufacturers of the finest candies to be obtained in this section. The building of the company stands three stories high, and is always stocked with a large and well assorted supply of goods, properly kept and treated. All goods are bought at the lowest market quotations, and consequently the trade is supplied at prices the most fair. Out of town trade is especially solicited, and goods are shipped with the greatest promptness.

606 Warren Street today--Red Chair on Warren

Armory Destined for National Register

In May, Ward Hamilton, on behalf of his employer, the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, submitted an application to nominate the Hudson Armory for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Yesterday, Hamilton announced that the nomination has been accepted by the New York State Historic Preservation Office and forwarded to the National Park Service for final review. 

Something New in the Park

To the Public Square (a.k.a. Seventh Street Park), which many would like to see edited back to its original simplicity, something new has been added: a peace pole, a gift from the Hudson Rotary Club. Its presence designates Hudson as an International City of Peace and symbolizes "the city's commitment to promoting peace and understanding, locally and globally." Tom Casey has the story in today's Register-Star: "Friendly city gets peace pole."

HTTP Begins Its Ninth Season

Anyone who has experienced the unqualified delight of a HTTP production appreciates the enormous talent that Carol Rusoff, HTTP's founder and director, brings to helping teens create theater. Starting on Monday, September 24, the Hudson Teen Theatre Project, sponsored by the Hudson Opera House, begins its ninth season, offering two ten-week workshops--one on Monday and one on Tuesday--from now until early December.

Theater Improvisation is the focus of the Monday workshop. Both veteran and new participants will train in building technique and developing improvisational skills. This workshop culminates with a demonstration on December 10.

Scene Work and Production are the subjects of the in-depth workshop that takes place on Tuesdays. Student actors/directors will select, study, and prepare scenes and monologues from contemporary American and English drama and film as well as original and adapted work. This workshop culminates on December 11 with a presentation of students' works in progress.

Both workshops are free and take place from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hudson Opera House. They are intended to "nurture skills, refine technique, and inspire creativity in an ensemble atmosphere" in preparation for HTTP's spring production. For more information, contact Joe  Herwick at the Hudson Opera House or Carol Rusoff. 

Hudson in 1905: Part 24

The following is an excerpt from Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

THE WORTH--Hudson's Popular Hotel. H. C. Miller, Manager. Identified with the history of Hudson for the past half a century and more has been the hotel above mentioned. It was first established in 1837 as the Hudson House, and adopted the above title 45 years ago. During this time the house has undergone many new improvements until today it is the best first-class house in the city, with rates of $2.50 and $3.00--American plan. The house is commodious in every respect, having one hundred large and airy sleeping rooms, furnished in the most inviting manner, while every appointment connected with a modern first-class hotel can be had here. The dining room is of ample proportions, with the best facilities for the quick serving of meals to those who are in a hurry. The cuisine is of the best that the markets afford. In the many years in which Mr. Miller has been manager of the house his traveling patrons have always found him the same, and come or go the patrons of this house have already been accorded the most courteous treatment, and on this motto the reputation of the house has been established. 

Worth House--from Illustrated Hudson, N.Y.

Site of the Worth House today

The Conversation Continues

Two months ago, the Columbia County Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee approved a resolution authorizing Paul Mossman, commissioner for social services, to enter into a lease agreement with the Galvan Initiatives Foundation for a 37-unit facility at the corner of State and Seventh streets. A month later, that resolution was tabled by the Finance Committee at a meeting attended by about 40 Hudson residents and city officials. Now, with the number of homeless singles in Columbia County down to only 14, the committee that was ready to commit to spending $610,000 to $649,493 a year for "Galvan Quarters," is rethinking its plans. Nathan Mayberg has a summary of the situation in today's Register-Star: "Homeless population drops sharply."

Gossips has a few things to add to Mayberg's account of Wednesday's meeting of the Human Services Committee. 

Supervisor Bill Hughes (Hudson Fourth Ward), who remains tenaciously committed to working with the Galvan Initiatives Foundation to solve the homeless problem, reported that he and committee chair Betty Young (Taghkanic) had met with Galvan, "while Mossman was on vacation," to discuss downsizing the proposal. He intimated that there was a new proposal that "dramatically reduced" the size of the facility but declined to reveal how many units were involved or any other specifics. 

Several suggestions were made for ways to avoid ending up with, as Supervisor Art Bassin (Ancram) described it, "a fixed cost facility where only part of it is being used." (At $610,000 a year, the cost of housing only 14 people there would be $43,571 per person--more than the median household income in Columbia County.) Some of the possibilities mentioned were charging back for unused rooms, renting out units as affordable apartments, using the proposed Tier 1 units as "hotel style" housing. Supervisor Ellen Thurston (Hudson Third Ward) suggested that instead of one large facility, two or three smaller 10-unit facilities might provide the kind of flexibility needed to respond to homeless numbers that keep changing. In response to this idea, Hughes pointed out that, since Hudson zoning limits the area where such facilities can be located, it was unlikely that three sites could be found. It seems strange that a Hudson supervisor would automatically assume that all the facilities had to be located in Hudson until it is recalled that the Galvan Foundation has made it known that they will only work in Hudson. Another apparent drawback for spreading people out is the Mental Health Association's estimate that it would cost $25,000 per person per year to provide the kinds of "wrap-around" services the County is hoping to provide if the recipients of those services are not all in one place.

The conclusion reached by the committee's discussion seemed to be that Mossman would "look if there is another smaller scale approach." Presumably this means more discussion with Galvan. There was no mention of scheduling a public meeting for Hudson residents to share their ideas about how the problem should be addressed in our community.

Last Night at City Hall

Many resolutions were passed at Tuesday night's regular meeting of the Common Council, only two of which had been introduced at the informal meeting on September 10. The following are what Gossips considers the highlights of the meeting.

The Holcim Seven Acres  The Common Council passed, without discussion and unanimously, the resolution to appropriate $6,200 for a title search and a preliminary environmental study of the seven acres south of the port that the City of Hudson hopes to acquire from Holcim. At the end of the meeting, Timothy O'Connor asked if a preliminary environmental study would not be redundant, since in July 2010, Cheryl Roberts, then attorney for the LWRP, had indicated that Holcim had already done an environmental study. Roberts explained that in 2010 the City had been told by Holcim that an environmental study had been done, but when Roberts asked to see the study, Holcim told her that no such study had in fact been done.

The Meters Are Coming  A resolution was passed unanimously authorizing the mayor to seek bids on the purchase and installation of parking meters for the 300 block of Warren Street. Alderman Cappy Pierro (Fifth Ward) commented that this decision is "being driven by the business people." "They're comin' up to me," Pierro said, "asking for meters."

Discount for the County  The Common Council also passed a resolution to reduce the building permit fee for the courthouse expansion and renovation from $38,728 to $12,000. Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward) expressed the opinion that the discount was a lot deeper than what he had in mind when he suggested a reduced amount but said he hoped "it will create good will on both sides." Friedman's sentiments were echoed by Alderman Nick Haddad (First Ward), who said he hoped "the county rewards our good faith."

Last Obstacle Removed for Hotel  The Common Council amended local law to allow annual parking permits to be transferable from one vehicle to another. This change in the law will allow the proprietors of The Croff House, who are planning to convert 542 Warren Street into a sixteen-room boutique hotel, to provide off-street overnight parking for their guests.

Prisoners Lost and Found  Council president Don Moore revealed last night that the net loss of population, as a consequence of 2010 legislation requiring prisoners to be counted, for legislative districting purposes,  in the communities where they lived before they were incarcerated rather than the communities where they reside as prisoners, is 300. The 350 prisoners currently in the Hudson Correctional Facility will be subtracted from the population of the Third Ward, for purposes of the weighted vote, but it is not yet known which wards will gain the 50 prisoners incarcerated elsewhere who lived in Hudson before being imprisoned.  

Hudson in 1905: Part 23

The following is an excerpt from the booklet Illustrated Hudson, N.Y., published in 1905.

W. A. & J. C. CRAWFORD--Painters and Decorators. 440 Partition street. The members of this well-known firm are contractors of exceptionable [sic] ability and have been established in business here for twenty-five years. They are the largest contractors of their kind in the city, and give employment to a force of twelve skilled workmen. This firm has handled some of the largest contracts of their kind undertaken in the city, and the character of their work has always met with well-merited approval. Besides being actively engaged in work in the city, they have a great many contracts to perform in the surrounding country. Their warehouse at the above location is of large dimension, being two stories 50x100 feet. Messrs. Crawford undertake contracts of any dimensions, and in connection with their general work make a specialty of paper hanging.

440 Partition Street today--the garage/carriage house behind 441 Union Street

A Return to "Galvan Quarters"?

The Board of Supervisors Human Services Committee meets today at 5 p.m., and one of the items on the agenda for the meeting is reported to be "Homeless Initiatives--Next Steps." 

A resolution authorizing Paul Mossman, commissioner of social services, to enter into a lease agreement with the Galvan Initiatives Foundation was passed by this committee on July 18, with only Hudson Third Ward supervisor Ellen Thurston voting against it, but the resolution was tabled by the Finance Committee on August 7. At that time, it was agreed that the County would hold a public hearing to learn the opinions of the community about this proposal. Such a meeting has not yet taken place.

Frank L. Smith's Legacy

The work of Mr. Frank L. Smith, Electrical Contractor and Supplies Dealer, lives on. In 1905, the residence of Mr. M. A. Jones was named as one of Smith's "best contracts." Amazingly, the original electrical box installed by Smith at 317 Allen Street more than a century ago is still in the house, although the house has been rewired and the electrical system upgraded. The current owners of the house provided Gossips with these pictures.