Career Opportunities

Hudson, as we learned last year, has the most self-employed people in New York State. Hudson's self-employment rate is 9.96 percent. Only two major metropolitan areas--San Francisco, with 9.3 percent, and Los Angeles, with 9.0 percent--come close to that percentage of entrepreneurs.

So, if you're thinking about joining the ranks of the self-employed or looking for a new avenue for your entrepreneurial energies, Brian Branigan, co-owner of Tortillaville, has recently published a book that could get you started. Entitled Food Truck 411: The Essential Information to Run a Successful Food Truck, it's a primer--"a trusty and reliable road atlas"--for anyone interested in becoming a food truck entrepreneur. 

If you'd like to skip the development phase and just take over an established business, the shiny food truck that is Tortillaville is for sale for $89,000. For that price you get the food truck, location rights, recipes, and training. (You don't get the name or the website.) If this appeals to you, contact Branigan.

Even though Branigan and Tortillaville co-owner and partner, Allison Culbertson, are ready to move on to the next thing, Tortillaville will be back this spring. The shiny taco wagon is expected to reopen on Saturday, May 24.

Senior Moment

Next Tuesday, it seems, the Common Council will decide which course to take with the senior center: constructing a new building next to the Youth Center or accepting the offer from the Galvan Initiatives Foundation and moving the senior center into the Armory, a.k.a. the Galvan Community Learning Center.

The first alternative seems beset with problems. They haven't rebid the project since the architect and the engineer pared it back, so there is no guarantee that it can be built for the $1,080,000 that the City has to spend on it. Also, as late as Monday, there was still no answer from the Office of Housing and Community Development on whether or not the City can get an extension on the $400,000 grant that constitutes the biggest part of the budget.

The second alternative is to accept the offer from the Galvan Initiatives Foundation and locate the senior center on the second floor of the officers' hall of the Armory. Galvan presented the Council with an MOU (memorandum of understanding) outlining what is proposed. Galvan will lease the space--which turns out to be 3,300 square feet not 2,700 square feet--to the City for $12 a year. Galvan will finance the development, including the build out of the space. (Shelves for balance balls were mentioned.) The City's responsibility as tenant will be utilities (for that portion of the building), maintenance and repair, insurance and liability.

Daniel Kent, executive director of the Galvan Initiatives Foundation, who was present at the informal Common Council meeting on Monday, assured the Council that the project "would proceed on its own timeline." Work would begin in October 2013 to be completed in June 2014. Vincent Benic Architect, the firm Galvan is working with to develop the drill hall for the Hudson Area Library, will also be designing the space for the seniors.

Although Kent declared that development of the senior center would be "completely and unalterably underwritten by Galvan," Alderman Cappy Pierro (Fifth Ward) wanted to know if the $400,000 in CDBG money couldn't be "switched over" to the Armory. (Common Council president Don Moore told him the City "hadn't been told absolutely, but it certainly seemed unlikely.") Mayor William Hallenbeck said that he "would like to think that the HCDPA and HRBT funding [$100,000 and $150,000 respectively] is still available and that could go to the Armory." Nothing has been revealed about the anticipated cost of developing the second floor of the officers' hall as a senior center. 

Parades Then and Now

Once upon a time, parades in Hudson went up Warren Street from Front Street and ended at the Public Square. This picture from the 1950s suggests that units lined up on the first block of Union Street and began the march by turning right on Front Street, marching a block, and then turning right again onto Warren Street.

These days, parades start at the Public Square (a.k.a. Seventh Street Park) and head down Warren Street toward the river. One of the parades that will be going down Warren Street this summer--on Saturday, June 15--is the Hudson Pride Parade.

This year the Pride Parade promises to be bigger and better than ever. Parade organizers report that there are already fifty confirmed entries in the parade, including three marching bands, drummers, pipers, dancers, colorful floats, roller derby stars, vintage cars (one of them carrying The Gossips of Rivertown), unicycles, and the giant rainbow flag. The Wizard of Oz is returning, of course. After all, the theme of this year's parade is "Over the Rainbow . . . there's no place like Hudson!" Leading the parade will be a contingent of tricycles, big wheels, and wagons decorated by kids for kids. 

There is still time to be a part of the festivities. The next parade planning meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m. and will take place at the Hudson Pride Foundation headquarters, 603 Warren Street, Second Floor.

Unintended Consequences

On Sunday, Sam Pratt reported on his blog and commented on Gossips that the Register-Star had reported a story he had posted about more than fourteen hours earlier and that a sentence in the Register-Star article was virtually identical to a sentence from his blog post. His point was to persuade the Register-Star to acknowledge blogs like his and mine when they provide leads to news stories, but the post, he reports today, had a rather surprising outcome: "An unexpected apology from the Register-Star." 

Trouble at the Iron Horse

Nathan Mayberg reports in today's Register-Star that the New York State Workers' Compensation Board has placed a stop-work order on the door of the Iron Horse: "State shuts down Iron Horse Bar." As the article reminds us, the Iron Horse is famous for being a setting for the 1994 movie Nobody's Fool, starring Paul Newman. In this screen capture from a movie trailer, Newman is hanging out at the Iron Horse.

A Surprising Development

At the informal meeting of the Common Council on Monday night, a resolution was introduced that would rescind the resolution passed on February 11, authorizing the mayor "to enter into all documents and contracts necessary to effectuate transfer of the Parcel and related easements to the City of Hudson upon review of said documents by the Corporation Counsel, and to provide documentation for a tax credit to Holcim for transferring the Parcel as a gift to the City." The new resolution was the initiative of Common Council president Don Moore, who stated at the outset of the discussion that he "supported the agreement for the land transfer and still does, but Holcim does not." He elaborated by saying that, since February 11, the City has received nothing but "pleasantly stated excuses [from Holcim] for why they are not signing the contract." The latest word from Holcim, received that morning, was that they might have the contract signed by May 1.

Needless to say, much discussion followed the introduction of the resolution. Mayor William Hallenbeck acknowledged when he, Moore, and city attorney Cheryl Roberts had spoken with Holcim in a conference call earlier that day, the contract had still not been signed, but he warned the Council, "If you rescind the resolution, you will be back getting to the point we are at now." Hallenbeck returned to this theme later in the discussion, saying that Holcim had just that morning agreed to "weekly conference calls, every Monday morning at 10 a.m.," and it was an inappropriate time to halt the ongoing discussions. Moore reminded the mayor that the February 11 resolution authorized him "to sign a letter not negotiate an agreement," hence ongoing discussions weren't really necessary.

Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), prefacing his comments by explaining that the proposed land transfer wasn't an "ideal transaction," but it was OK, and asserting that the City of Hudson was "the best owner of the land," expressed his frustration over the delay: "They drafted the deed, and all they had to do was sign it, and it's been six weeks." 

Alderman Nick Haddad (First Ward) concurred with Friedman. "We anticipated an answer, and we are not getting it." Haddad agreed that "We're the best stewards of this property."

Alderman Cappy Pierro (Fifth Ward) wanted to know, if the resolution were rescinded, "What are we going to do better?" In response, Moore later made the point that by rescinding the February 11 resolution, "We are setting ourselves on a path to new alternatives." The only new alternative actually mentioned was eminent domain.

Alderman David Marston (First Ward), the lone alderman who did not support the February 11 resolution, told his colleagues, "We need to disabuse ourselves of the notion that Holcim is acting in good faith." He urged, "It's time that we as a city drive this conversation." Later in the discussion Marston observed, "We're being played, and we have to figure out why we're being played."

The discussion went on at length, with Hallenbeck having the last word. He stated that he would support Moore in his desire to rescind the February 11 resolution if the City doesn't get an answer from Holcim on May 1. The Council is expected to vote on the resolution to rescind next Tuesday, April 16.

The City of Hudson's Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) repeatedly mentions the possibility and the desirability of Holcim conveying 7.5 acres south of the port--an area traditionally known as "Sandy Beach" and "East Jesus"--to the City, but, as South Bay advocate Timothy O'Connor pointed out during the meeting, acquiring this land did not become a prerequisite for getting state and federal approval for the LWRP until the NYS Department of State issued its findings report. The urgency to take possession of the parcel is driven by the idea that, without an approved LWRP, the City of Hudson cannot move ahead with plans to develop the waterfront, and the necessary state and federal approval of the LWRP is dependent upon acquiring this land.  

In recent months, a second parcel was added to the original 7.5 acres mentioned in the LWRP: 2.4 acres that deed records suggest were once the site of a Standard Oil transfer facility. Hudson residents Cheryl Stuart and Helen Arrott both objected to the City taking ownership of land likely to be contaminated because the City would be liable for cleaning up the site. Although O'Connor had in hand a copy of an 1888 deed that transferred ownership of a waterfront parcel to Standard Oil, city attorney Cheryl Roberts reported that the title searcher hired by the City had not discovered Standard Oil ownership of any land south of the port. Roberts also dismissed concerns that parcel was contaminated. She reported that "The engineers doing the Phase I [environmental study] are saying that the site is clean, and they may not be doing a Phase II." She also dispelled fears that the City would be assuming full responsibility for cleaning up any toxins by explaining that, according to the federal Superfund act, everyone in the chain of title is liable for contamination.

It appears that we have a new mystery on the waterfront: Where was the site of Standard Oil? According to the title searcher, it was not south of the port. According to records discovered by O'Connor and others before him, it was. The juxtaposed pictures below--a historic post card image of the Hudson-Athens lighthouse and a modern picture of the same shoreline that appears in the post card image--provide evidence that some industrial facility was located on the point which is part of the parcel the City seeks to acquire. Was it Standard Oil?

This detail from a 1889 Sanborn Map reveals that it was.

COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Mark Your Calendars, Make Your Reservations

The tenth anniversary of Dining Out for Life takes place on Thursday, April 25. On that day you can eat from morning until night in Hudson and fight AIDS at the same time. When you have a meal--breakfast, lunch, or dinner--at any of the participating restaurants, a portion of your bill is automatically donated to the AIDS Council of Northeastern New York to help those living with HIV/AIDS in our community. 

To help you plan your meals throughout the day, here's the list of restaurants and the ambassadors who will be at each one.

Breakfast
Relish Hudson  Victor Mendolia

Lunch
Ca' Mea  Elaine and Jiro Shimono
Mexican Radio  Wendy Appell-Bopp
Relish Hudson  Victor Mendolia

Dinner
Baba Louie's  Mary DiStefano
Ca' Mea  Paul Barrett
DA|BA  Peter Bevacqua and Stephen King
Helsinki Hudson  Peter Frank
Mexican Radio  Rob Bujan and Jeffrey Perry
Red Dot Restaurant & Bar  Dini Lamot and Windle Davis
Swoon Kitchenbar  Sidney Orlando

And to make the day complete, there's happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m. at Mexican Radio!

Historic Preservation Alert: Help Save the SHPOs

The cause of historic preservation in Hudson has benefited enormously over the years from the support and counsel of the New York State Historic Preservation Office. To acknowledge the continuing importance of our State Historic Preservation Office for protecting our architectural heritage and to help ensure that it can continue, contact our congressman, Chris Gibson, today and ask him to sign a bipartisan letter that is circulating in the House of Representatives. The letter requests effective funding for the Historic Preservation Fund, which underwrites the work of New York's SHPO and the SHPOs in other states. 

You can contact Congressman Gibson using the NYS Preservation League's Take Action link or you can email him directly. If you do the latter, you might mention how important historic architecture is to Hudson's continuing renaissance and its future economic development.

Another Image of the Past

The pictures Gossips published yesterday of Fleet Street inspired Paul Barrett to share this photograph he discovered. It appeared in the Register-Star on July 9, 1971, and shows the area west of Front Street, looking north from the vantage point of Ferry Street. The only thing left standing is the PNA (Polish National Association) Hall at 1 South Front Street/1 West Warren Street.

The caption that accompanied the picture read:

DESOLATE FRONT STREET BEARS ONE HOUSE  Through the wire of the protective cyclone fence, only the remaining structure of the Polish National Hall stands on South Front St. A lone bulldozer roams the cratered area while the solid foundation of Promenade Hill Park looms on the left. This photo was taken from Ferry St. near the bridge. (Register-Star photo by Joe Traver)

The Division for Historic Preservation of the New York State Department of Parks and Recreation tried to save the PNA Hall, which was a very early Hudson structure. It had been built in the late 1780s or early 1790s and used as a store by Marshall Jenkins, one of the original Proprietors. But the Hudson Urban Renewal Agency had its way, and the building was demolished in April 1974.

TEXT COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Plan a Road Trip

Gas up the car and program the GPS for Bucks County. Hudson artist Lee Musselman, known for his quirky sculptural assemblages made primarily from salvaged and usually incongruous materials, is having an exhibition of his work at Sidetracks Art Gallery in New Hope, PA, and the opening reception is Saturday, April 13, from 5 to 8 p.m.

In 2008, Alfred Corn, writing for Art in America, described Musselman's work in this way: "Musselman's sculptural assemblages were nearly all effigies, incorporating the heads and limbs of old commercial dolls or mannequins, to which he attached beadwork, woven telephone wire, buttons, toys, farm implements, antlers and faded memorabilia--with results that are by turns unsettling, surrealistic and camp. Musselman thinks of his figures as 'spirit guides,' assigning a protective role to them, as evidenced by the mallets, shovels and pitchforks that often serve as their legs or arms. The crazy-quilt incongruity of these assemblages . . . aims not at social satire but rather at psychological investigation." 

Remembering Fleet Street

Fleet Street in London used to be where the British national newspapers were located. Fleet Street in Hudson used to be where a second bridge over the railroad tracks was located. 

Hudson's Fleet Street was the continuation of Partition Street west of Front Street, and it disappeared, along with Pennoyer Street which was the continuation of Union Street, during Urban Renewal, when everything on the west side of Front Street was leveled to build Hudson Terrace. 

Not long ago, Gossips published a newspaper article from 1942 reporting that the New York Central Railroad had asked permission of the City of Hudson to abandon the Fleet Street bridge, but the bridge wasn't actually demolished until 1957.

Among the collection of family photos shared with Gossips by a reader recently were these pictures of Fleet Street.

North side of Fleet Street from Franklin Square, circa 1946

Fleet Street bridge pedestrian walkway, circa 1950

Corner of Fleet and South Front streets, looking south to Allen Street, circa 1955

     

Supporting Women's Equality

In January, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his ten-point plan to achieve equality for women in the State of New York. Last Thursday, in six cities across the state--Buffalo, Schenectady, Rochester, Mineola, Newburgh, and Hudson--press conferences were held to show support for the Women's Equality Agenda. In Hudson, the press conference took place in the pocket park next to Mexican Radio. WGXC was there to record some of the speeches, which can be heard online. Photographer B. Docktor was there to create a visual record of the event, and she graciously agreed to allow Gossips to reproduce some of her pictures here. More can be seen on her Facebook page.

From left to right: Blue Carreker, Alana Hauptmann, Virginia Martin, Pooky Amsterdam (obscured), Lee Gould

Judy Grunberg, founder of PS/21 and owner of the Blue Plate in Chatham, addresses the  press conference

Lee Jamison displays a picture of her grandmother while recalling the decades-long struggle of women to get the vote

Pooky Amsterdam, founder of PookyMedia, speaking on the topic of financial inequality

From left to right: Anna Kadish, Warren Collins, Mark Young, Blue Carreker (at lectern), Judy Grunberg, Lee Jamison, Alana Hauptmann, Pooky Amsterdam

In her speech, Blue Carreker of Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood, who is communications coordinator for the Capital District chapter of the Women's Equality Coalition, said: "This movement has declared it is no longer acceptable that women today are still five times more likely than men to be sexually assaulted; that our ability to be promoted or even hired is still placed at risk if we become pregnant; that no matter how hard and long we work, we still will not earn as much as our male counterparts. And we are saying to our legislators, it is time to represent us and make New York a place where the health, safety, and potential of each individual is not based on gender, and where our daughters can look forward to an equal playing field."

On the Short List

Earlier this week, Flavorwire published a list of "15 Amazing Book-Filled Bars Where We'd Like to Drink." They are in cities like London, Los Angeles, Dallas, New York City, Reykjavik, San Francisco, Hollywood, Lhasa, Seattle, Prague . . . and Hudson! Our own Spotty Dog is among the chosen few.

The picture of Spotty Dog's magnificent ceiling was borrowed from the Spotty Dog website.

More Change at the HPD

Yesterday Sam Pratt reported the word on the street: "Another domino falls?" Today the Register-Star has the official story: "Paolino set to retire from city police department." The story is accompanied by a picture of Lieutenant Richard Paolino, which may provide the first opportunity for many Hudsonians to connect the name of an officer who has been on the force since 1990 and seems to be quoted in every news story that involves the HPD with a face.    

MAI Watch

At the Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee meeting last Wednesday, chair David Marston shared a communication he had received from Danica Newell, assistant to Marina Abramovic. From this, we learned two things: (1) the Marina Abramovic Institute in Hudson (MAI-Hudson) now has its own website; and (2) some sort of events are being planned to take place in Hudson in September 2013.  

"With products grown at the doors of the city . . ."

The phrase used as the title of this post comes from the description of Hudson that appeared in the 1921 Industrial Directory and Shippers' Guide that Gossips quoted earlier this week. Now as then, although perhaps in a different way, a great factor in the appeal of Hudson is its proximity to working farms.

This conjunction of our little urban island and the rural landscape that surrounds it is manifest in the new magazine Modern Farmer and ModernFarmer.com, "a multi-platform media brand for people who have the desire to be closer to—and more educated about—the food on their plates." Modern Farmer Media is headquartered right here in Hudson, on the second floor of 403 Warren Street.

The print version of Modern Farmer is to be published quarterly, and the premiere issue will appear on newsstands on April 16. There is also a companion website offering news about a range of contemporary farming topics and an expansive online marketplace. Of interest to all those advocates for backyard chicken raising in Hudson, the first issue includes an article entitled "Which chicken is right to you?" 

Modern Farmer Media was founded by Ann Marie Gardner, former New York Times journalist and Monocle magazine editor, and its publisher is Ellen Carucci, a veteran of thirty years' working for Conde Nast Publications. Gardner, who began formulating the concept for Modern Farmer two years ago, said of the project: "People today genuinely want to talk about where their food is coming from, who grows it, and how that affects their personal health and the environment. We all want to get closer to nature and animals and to learn the skills that come so natural for people who live in the country. Modern Farmer is going to be the first consumer-focused agriculture brand to lead this conversation and lifestyle choice."

The press release announcing the launch explains that "Modern Farmer will also be the first magazine to be available via Community-Supported Agricultural networks (CSAs) and organic home delivery services." Discovering the nature of those "organic home delivery services" may itself be an incentive to subscribe.

TCI vs. Town of Ghent

TCI, which wants to rebuild after a fire that spread toxic smoke across the county and beyond destroyed its facility in Ghent last August, has initiated a lawsuit against the Town of Ghent for allegedly engaging in "arbitrary rulemaking as it reviews the site plan to rebuild out facility."  A statement from TCI says in part: 

The Town's inability to administer a fair and timely review process has resulted in unlawful and costly delays. In addition, the Town Planning Board and the Town Board have failed to exercise institutional control over their official proceedings, allowing increasingly raucous, hostile and uncivil behavior to continue unchecked. Having lost confidence in either board to conduct a fair, impartial and orderly review, we feel we have no choice but to defend our rights in court.

John Mason has the story in today's Register-Star: "TCI lawsuit halts Ghent Planning Board review."

The Return of the Ramp

It may not be feeling quite like spring yet, but the date of Ramp Fest 2013—the third annual—has just been announced: Saturday, May 4. Ramp Fest, of course, is the gastronomic event that takes place each spring at Basilica Hudson to celebrate the ramp—the early spring vegetable, of the genus Allium, known for its strong garlicky fragrance and distinct onion flavor.

This year's Ramp Fest has lined up an impressive list of chefs from the Hudson Valley and New York City: Chef Jeff Gimmel of Swoon Kitchenbar, serving socca crepes filled with braised lamb's tongue and grilled ramp romesco sauce; Chefs Zakary Pelaccio and Jori Jayne Emde of Fish & Game; Chef Jamie Perry of Another Fork in the Road; Chef David Shea of Applewood, serving ramp vichyssoise with ramp oil; Chef Melanie Hunt of Blueberry Hill Market Cafe, serving wild blueberry flapjack sandwiches stuffed with maple ramp sausage; Chef Timothy Storrs of Ca' Mea; Chef Hugh Horner of Helsinki Hudson; Chef Benjamin Freemole of The Crimson Sparrow; Chef Stephen of The Farm on Adderley; Chef Job Yacubian of The Farmer's Wife; Chef Shelley Boris of Fresh Company; Chef R. L. King of Gallow Green, serving charred ramp and Carolina rice custard and ramp pesto; Chef Wilson of Gigi Hudson Valley; Chef Marc Proper of Miss Lucy's Kitchen; Chef Marc Luciano of Red Dot; Chef Kevin Katz of The Red Onion; Chef Jef Deisel of Speedy Romeo.

Jeff Gimmel, Ramp Fest organizer and executive chef at Swoon Kitchenbar, is quoted as saying, "We are excited to bring the Hudson area community together again to celebrate the great ramp. Each year Ramp Fest continues to grow; we more than doubled ticket sales from 2011 to 2012 and are expecting an even greater turnout this year. Further, the culinary world is taking notice, with an increased number of participating restaurants this year, adding new and talented chefs all ready to rage with the ramp."

Ramp Fest begins at noon and continues until 4 p.m. This year tickets are $30 if purchased in advance and $35 at the door; admission for kids 5 to 12 is $10. Tickets can be purchased at the Ramp Fest website.

About the Senior Center

It will be remembered that in early February the Galvan Foundation offered to give the City $300,000--exactly the amount needed to fill the gap between what the City had to spend on the senior center designed by Spacesmith ($780,000) and what the architect and engineer, after making some modifications to the design, estimated it would cost ($1,080,000). But in March, the Galvan Foundation had an even better idea: put the senior center in the Officers' Hall of the Armory, which in the plans for the renovation of that building has been dubbed the Community Wing.

Last night at the meeting of the Common Council Youth & Aging Committee, Doris Moore, commissioner of aging, spoke about locating the senior center in the Armory as if it were a done deal. The commissioner had toured the proposed space last Friday, along with Common Council president Don Moore, aldermen Wanda Pertilla (Second Ward), Ohrine Stewart (Fourth Ward), and Chris Wagoner (Third Ward), Youth Department recreation supervisor George Bednar, and members of the Youth Center staff. Pertilla, who chairs the Youth & Aging Committee, said she was "impressed with the building" and was "planning a day when the seniors [who participate in the senior program now offered at the Youth Center] can go and look at it."

Supervisor Sarah Sterling (First Ward), the only elected official in Hudson who actually participates in the senior program, said, from the audience, that "her nose was a little out of joint" because she had not been invited to join the tour, especially in light of the fact that she had made her interest in seeing the space known at the March 20 Common Council meeting when Daniel Kent, executive director of the Galvan Foundation, presented the proposal. Pertilla told Sterling that the tour on Friday was "only for aldermen" and Sterling could "go with the seniors."

Council president Moore expressed his concern that "the space [in the Armory] that is dedicated to seniors accommodates their needs." The space being offered in the Armory totals 2,700 square feet. The space in the proposed building adjacent to the Youth Center would be 4,200 square feet, and there was a time it was thought that wouldn't be enough.

Meanwhile, it still is not known if the City will get an extension on the $400,000 from the Community Development Block Grant program. At the March 20 Common Council meeting, Mayor William Hallenbeck, declaring that he had not "abandoned the idea of a senior center at the Youth Center," said that he had an appointment in Albany on Monday, March 25, to discuss an extension of the grant. Council president Moore and city attorney Cheryl Roberts were to accompany Hallenbeck on the mission. The Office of Housing and Community Renewal cancelled the meeting, and a conference call took place some days later in lieu of a face-to-face meeting, but it is still not clear if the appeal for more time will be granted. The $400,000 was awarded to the City of Hudson in August 2010.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Of Interest

A year or so ago, rumors abounded about the dire financial state of Local Ocean, the innovative, eco-friendly fish farm just over the border in Greenport. In today's Register-Star, Nathan Mayberg has a report that brings us up-to-date on the fiscal state of things: "Local Ocean makes $19,000 tax payment; loses PILOT." 

Reminder: Grant Applications Due April 15

The Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee has $15,000 to award in small grants to support events that are created by Hudson-based organizations, take place in Hudson, and have a positive impact on the entire city. This year, the committee is asking all groups seeking financial support from the City of Hudson to make a formal written application. Last night, Dave Marston, AET committee chair, reported that no applications have been received so far. The deadline for submitting applications is April 15--the same day tax returns are due. The application guidelines can be downloaded here or on the City of Hudson website.

An Idea Whose Time Has Finally Come

Tonight, at meeting of the Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee of the Common Council, committee chair David Marston proposed pursuing National Register listing for the Hudson City Cemetery--the original part of the cemetery. After some discussion, during which Council president Don Moore wondered if the initiative needed to come from the Historic Preservation Commission, and Supervisor Ellen Thurston (Third Ward) suggested that a letter of support from the HPC would be appropriate, the committee voted unanimously to move forward with the application.

Thirty years ago, in 1983, the Hudson City Cemetery was determined, by the New York State Historic Preservation Office, to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for its "noteworthy collection of funerary art," but the designation was never pursued. In recent years, William Krattinger, preservation specialist with the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, has expressed his opinion that the Hudson City Cemetery is "a virtual treasure trove for historians and enthusiasts of American funerary art, offering as it does a wealth of markers and crypts that illustrate various themes and styles within this genre."

Application for listing in the National Register of Historic Places is made to OPRHP, which makes the recommendation to the National Park Service.

For those readers who have never spent time in the Hudson City Cemetery, last May, Gossips published a photographic sampling of what can be found there.

COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

The Evolution of 13 South Third Street

At the dawn of the 21st century, this is what 13 South Third Street looked like. The building started its long life--it's believed to be one of the oldest surviving buildings in Hudson--as a blacksmith's shop, and at the time this picture was taken it was owned by artists--painters.

Almost a decade ago, Eric Galloway bought the building and, in the process of renovating it, stripped away much of its authenticity. The front wall was rebuilt to introduce three arched windows. The wall along the alley was totally rebuilt as a single-course "veneer" brick wall over a new structural wall. After it was renovated, the building was sold to Kim Bach, who established her very popular tea shop, Verdigris, there.

The building is now undergoing further change to become Zak Pelaccio's new restaurant, Fish & Game. It's been gutted and structurally reinforced, and efforts are being made to re-create in the interior a sense of age and historic luster. Last week, an article by architect Michael Davis in Huffington Post explained the genesis of his concept for the restaurant space and provided a preview of the changes being wrought. Earlier this week, Gossips got more information about how Davis is incorporating details in his design that are handcrafted, using period sensitive techniques, or reclaimed and repurposed. These are some of the elements that will be part of the restaurant design: 

• Tables crafted from black walnut, many sections with the living edge preserved
• Pre-war voided velvet wallpaper
• Reclaimed tin ceiling panels used as decorative elements
• Custom unadorned fireplaces constructed from on-site salvaged foundation stone and brick
• Salvaged cement from New York City sidewalk used in the hearthstone of the fireplace
• Custom Italian dining chairs
• Brick salvaged from demolished walls in the restaurant used to build the brick oven in the kitchen
• A collection of salvaged and contemporary American and Italian light fixtures throughout, including over the exposed kitchen island
• A selection of antique tribal carpets
• Hand-wrought iron fireplace rotisserie, cooking implements, and tools based on 18th-century models
• Authentic copper and glass exterior gas lanterns
• Custom-built leather chesterfield sofas
• A selection of antique vernacular furniture from the surrounding Hudson River Valley
• An 18th-century American handcrafted brass candle chandelier

Davis's goal in his design for Fish & Game is "to create an environment that will look and feel like the food will taste"--to which Gossips suggests some possible adjectives: complex, comforting, inventive, elegant, authentic.

Of Interest

The attention of HCSD watchers has been focused of late on the budget and the resignation of BOE president Peter Merante, but retired HCSD teacher Alice Hoffman continues to ask questions about the allegations of sexual harassment made against former Hudson High School principal Thomas Gavin and the manner in which the situation was handled: "MY VIEW: Questions still go unanswered."

Early Lessons in Healthy Eating

Remembering the Holocaust

Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom Hashoah in Hebrew, begins at sundown on Sunday, April 7. The date of the observance marks the anniversary of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. On this day, a very special theatrical event will take place at the  Hudson Opera House.

My Anne is Anne Frank's story brought to life in a "sensitive, lively, and inspiring solo performance." Anne Frank, of course, was the Jewish girl who lived in hiding with her family for two years in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam during World War II and kept a diary during that time. My Anne, which is taken from those diary entries, is adapted and performed by Sarah Shaeffer and developed and directed by Carol Rusoff.

A reception follows the premiere performance, which begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 7. There will be a second performance on Friday, April 12, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 in advance or $7 at the door.

The photograph of Sarah Shaeffer is by Dan Region.

The Common Council in 1888

Scouring through newspapers from 1888, I discovered this list of Common Council standing committees. 

  
It's interesting to compare these eleven committees with the eight committees that exist today. The Finance, Fire, and Police committees continue to exist 125 years later. The Burying Ground, Lamp, Public Buildings, Street, and Water committees have all been merged into today's Public Works Committee. Of the other 1888 committees, there is no longer a Ferry Committee because the Rip Van Winkle Bridge eliminated the need for a ferry, there is no School Committee because the school district is now consolidated, and there is no Poor Relief Committee although the poor are still with us. Surprisingly, there was no Legal Committee in 1888. The other committees of today that did not exist in 1888 are Youth & Aging, Arts, Entertainment & Tourism, and Economic Development.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Hudson and Standard Oil: A Curiosity

The records in Columbia County Clerk's Office show that Standard Oil made its first purchase of land on Hudson's waterfront sometime in 1888.

Curiously, on January 7 of that year, this little item appeared on the front page of the Hudson Daily Register, reporting financial information about the company using some pretty loaded language. 

Jefferson and Jenkins

Last week, Gossips shared a reader's discovery that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had visited Hudson on their northern tour in the spring of 1791. On that visit, they met with Seth Jenkins, who owned a large distillery in Hudson, and tried to persuade him that cheaper and better rum could be produced using French wine instead of molasses from the British West Indies. Given the amount of rum produced by Jenkins' distillery ("a thousand hogsheads annually"), persuading him to use wine would have the effect of increasing trade relations with France.

In the endnotes of Founding Gardeners, by Andrea Wulf, the book that mentions the visit to Hudson, there is reference to subsequent correspondence between Jefferson and Jenkins, which our scholarly Gossips reader ferreted out in the archives of the University of Virginia Press. 

The first letter--from Jefferson to Jenkins--was written on June 21, 1791, soon after Jefferson and Madison returned to Virginia. Jefferson writes: "According to my promise when I had the pleasure of seeing you at Hudson, I have examined my notes made when I was at Bordeaux and find that the lowest priced white wines of that canton cost 75 livres a ton. . . ." After providing the information about wine prices and referring Jenkins to "Mr. Fenwick, a native of Maryland, consul at Bordeaux for the United States," Jefferson says he has enclosed "one of my reports on the whale and cod fisheries" (Jefferson and Madison also visited New England on their northern tour) and asks Jenkins to critique it: "I . . . will be obliged to you if, in reading it, you will have a pen in your hand, and make notes, ever so roughly, of any errors you may discover in it, and any new facts you can furnish me with, and be so obliging as to send me the notes."

Jenkins responded on July 5, 1791. He acknowledges receiving the information about wine prices and concedes that French wines "might serve a good purpose" were it not for "that heavy Duty," but says that at present they "cannot answer for Distilling in this Country." Of Jefferson's report on the whale and cod fisheries, Jenkins says: "I find your information to be so good that I can bear no light on [it]."

Six months later, on November 7, 1791, Jenkins writes to Jefferson again. This time it is a letter of introduction for Cotton Gelston who has traveled to Washington "to obtain a Patent for Mr. Benjamin Folger, for securing an important discovery he hath made in manufacturing Whale Oil." He goes on to say: "I am fully convinced that the discovery is entirely new, and a very important one, and that it will prove highly beneficial to the United States." 

The List of Patents Granted . . . from April 10, 1790, to December 31, 1836 shows that on January 2, 1792, Benjamin Folger was granted a patent for his method for "Cleansing whale oil."

Discovered While Looking for Something Else

Over the weekend, a reader sent Gossips this detail from a 1889 Sanborn map of the Hudson waterfront. It shows a Standard Oil facility located on the 2.4-acre parcel that is part of the 9.968 acres being conveyed to the City of Hudson.

Wanting to learn more about Standard Oil's operation on our waterfront, I did some online research and discovered the Industrial Directory and Shippers' Guide, published in 1921 by the New York Central Lines. Close to a thousand pages long, this compendium of information, advertising, and self-promotion for the New York Central railroad system provides a fascinating look at industry in the United States at the beginning of the 1920s. Of particular interest is this description of Hudson.

HUDSON, N.Y.

HUDSON, NEW YORK, the head of deep water navigation of the Hudson River, a rapidly growing city of 11,745 population, offers many features of location and enterprise.

Hudson is 114 miles from New York, 33 miles from Albany, 324 miles from Buffalo and 195 miles from Boston.

Hudson has superior transportation advantages with rail, river and road service. The city is on the main line of the New York Central Railroad, giving service to New York City, the south, Export, the west, or Canada. The Boston & Albany Railroad is the outlet to New England.

This city is the real head of navigation of the Hudson River, with a twenty-eight foot channel from New York to Hudson. It is a New England rail and water transfer point.

The Albany Southern, an electric and freight line, runs from Hudson to Albany.

Hudson is a center of the New York State Highway System, with improved highways leading in every direction.

The State Board has recommended the construction of a large canal terminal, fully equipped for loading and unloading barges carrying all kinds of freight, to cost $300,000.

Besides numerous freight and passenger trains each day on the New York Central and the Boston & Albany, there is a 45-minute ferry service across the Hudson and an even hour trolley service to Albany.

Leading Industries

The present industrial activity of the city centers in fifty industries; two of the largest cement plants in the world; large conveyor and ice tool concern; marine life saving equipment plant; railway car wheel company; three large textile mills; beverage-making plants; lumber yards; immense brick plants; furniture, paper box, cut glass, mattress, garment and other factories of varied nature. Annual shipments of products close to one million tons. Recently a large builder of automobile bodies has located there, and other firms are considering the city. The Chamber of Commerce of the city is now developing a tract of 175 acres for industrial purposes.

Labor and Housing

The predominant nationality is American, the majority of residents being descendants of the early Dutch settlers and Nantucket whalers.

The city is open shop, free from labor disturbances.

Houses rent from $14 to $40. A housing project will give a six-room brick house, modern, at approximately $33 per month on rental purchase basis. Building and Loan Association to finance individual home ownership.

With products grown at the doors of the city, living costs are low.

Water supply is from large reservoir, with filter plant furnishing pure mountain water at all times. No residential charge. Industrial rate, 5 cents per thousand gallons, with large discounts.

Located on land sloping to the Hudson River and swept by water breezes, Hudson has an agreeable temperature, is unusually healthful and free from epidemics.

Two national banks, one trust company and a savings bank. Resources over $15,000,000.

Hendrik Hudson landed at this point from his ship, the Half Moon, in 1609, and ascended the river in canoes. Hudson was then and is today, the natural head of navigation. A lighthouse marks the landing point.

This fascinating account of Hudson as a vibrant hub of industry and transportation in 1921 raises some questions. Did the construction of a "large canal terminal" ever happen? Where were the 175 acres the Chamber of Commerce was developing for commercial purposes? Where was the "housing project" consisting of modern six-room brick houses built? And, of course, there remains our original question about Standard Oil and its activities on the waterfront.