A Cathouse for 21st-Century Hudson

Yesterday, Animalkind held a grand reopening celebration to show off its "totally renovated, cat-friendly, completely awesome" adoption center. A visit confirmed that all the preliminary hype was true. The new center is stunning--bright and immaculate, with enclosures, called "Catlands," designed by people who definitely know cats and their behavior. Gossips counted eight Catlands--one of them with access to outdoors and all of them filled with steps and perches and scratching posts for exploration and exercise and snuggly places for cuddling and catnapping. But pictures tell the story of the place better than words.

The outside of the building also looks spectacular, but Gossips learned yesterday that the mural is coming back. According to reliable sources, Peter Wurster, code enforcement officer, said that because the mural had been on the building before it can be put back on the building without requiring any further permits. However, 721 Warren Street is part of a locally designated historic district, and a certificate of appropriateness was never granted for the mural.

All of Warren Street was designated a historic district in May 2006. It is not known when the mural was originally placed on the building, but it's very likely that it happened before the historic preservation law was adopted and the Warren Street Historic District was created. The question of whether or not the mural can go back on the building now, without a certificate of appropriateness, just because it was there before, is an interesting one. If Wurster has misinterpreted the law, it's not clear who can or will tell him that.
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Not to Be Missed

Basilica Soundscape is reviewed in today's New York Times: "In an Old Factory Space, Artists Make Festive New Statements." 

Before There Was Any Thought of MAI

It started out, in 1937, as the Community Theatre and remained so for 35 years, until 1972, when the last picture show was screened there.

Two years from now, in 2015, this building is expected to be transformed into the Marina Abramovic Institute, and even the doubting Thomases have to be impressed by the project's ability to raise $661,452 in a month-long Kickstarter campaign.

In the building's eight decades of existence, it has had many lives and uses, but one that doesn't get much attention is its life as a nightclub--known first as Arthur's Court and then as Park VII. 

Recently, Gossips discovered an article, published on January 28, 1985, in The Columbia Request, reporting on the transformation of Arthur's Court into Park VII.

Park VII Is New Area Nightspot

After operating Arthur's Court for seven years, Jerry Porreca felt it was time for a change.

"I was fed up with the aggrevation [sic]," he said, looking over the completely remodeled lounge area that now occupies the site. "We've completely renovated this place and we're going after an entirely different crowd. We've developed a nightclub there, something Hudson has been missing for a long time."

The new facility is called Park VII and one look will tell you this is not the old Arthur's Court.

"It was a complete overhaul," Porreca said. "We went from a 60 seat bar to 150 seats. There's a new loft lounge where the old stairway used to be." Porreca noted the renovations took seven months.

The Park VII is in the eastern half of what once was the Community Theatre, on the corner of Columbia and Seventh Street, Hudson. The building was constructed 47 years ago. . . .

By removing the stairs to the old theatre's balcony, they created the upper lounge which provides patrons with an excellent view of the dance floor. A second group of tables sits under the loft. . . . 

Also as part of the renovations, the old rest room facilities, which had remained virtually unchanged since the building was a theatre, were moved to make room for a large new bandstand. Each weekend the nightspot hosts a band from New York City or Albany, contracted through a professional agency. The bandstand also serves as the base for the lounge's 50 inch TV screen, which is a popular amenity when major sporting events are broadcast. A large dance floor has also been opened up and every Thursday night a local DJ spins disco records through the bar's new sound system.

The entire nightspot has been repanelled with stained wood slabs and equipped with all new furniture, creating a warm and intimate atmosphere. The only thing that hasn't been changed is the large wood bar which was constructed when Porreca originally established the business.

"The biggest change is in our clientele," Porreca noted. "We're going for an older crowd now, mid-20s and up, quiet, with no nonsense. We're requiring proper attire. So we're bringing in a crowd here now that we've never seen before, We're going to keep a tight lid on it. We want people to be able to feel comfortable here, someplace they can bring their wives or girlfriends for a fun, hassle-free evening.". . .

An Opening and an Anniversary Today

Earlier this week, Gossips snapped this picture of the painters putting the finishing touches on Animalkind's headquarters on upper Warren Street, newly rebuilt and renovated after the building was severely damaged by a fire in May 2012. Today--Sunday, September 15--Animalkind celebrates the grand opening of its new adoption center, described as "cat-friendly and totally awesome." The open house is from 2 to 4 p.m. All are invited, but those who plan to attend are asked to let their intentions be known online or by leaving a message at (917) 697-6301.

Today, September 15, also marks a significant milestone for a favorite Hudson restaurant: The Cascades. Twenty years ago today, on September 15, 1993--which was a Wednesday--The Cascades began serving breakfast and lunch at 407 Warren Street and has been doing so ever since. 

I always knew that the name of the restaurant--The Cascades--had do to with the fact that the owner, Bob Lucke, is from Seattle, but I only recently learned the whole story. When Lucke was getting ready to open his restaurant here in Hudson, he went back to Seattle for a visit and discovered a little cafe in his old neighborhood called The Catskills. That was the inspiration for him to name his restaurant--on the other side of the country, just across the river from the Catskills--for a mountain range he loved in the northwest.

That Pesky Preservation Commission

There have been a few complaints about the Historic Preservation Commission in the rocky decade of its existence, which have, in the recent past, inspired Cappy Pierro and Doc Donahue to rail against the HPC at Common Council meetings and former mayor Rick Scalera to declare, whenever he gets the chance, that allowing the preservation law to be adopted was the worst mistake he ever made. Yesterday, an applicant appeared before the Historic Preservation Commission who is an example of someone who thinks the HPC is a thorn in his side.

Back in 2010, the same applicant came before the HPC, in September, wanting to replace all the windows in the Warren Street building that he and his wife had recently purchased. They had already acquired the windows--even brought one of them to City Hall to show the HPC. They were six-over-six vinyl windows with fake divided lights, and the HPC determined that they were inappropriate substitutes for the two-over-two wood windows being replaced. The HPC denied a certificate of appropriateness. 

The applicants argued they had already purchased the windows. They complained that the application for a certificate of appropriateness nowhere states that if you purchase materials or enter into a contract before you receive a certificate of appropriateness, you do so at your own risk. They tried to persuade the HPC that the new windows would look better than the old ones and seemed to reject the notion that the Historic Preservation Commission would care more about historic accuracy than appearance.

So three years later, the same owner of the same building was back before the HPC, wanting to replace only the three windows on the top floor of the building, and he seemed no less frustrated by his experience. The problem this time was that the application for a certificate of appropriateness clearly states, in boldface and underlined, that photographs must accompany an application:

Photos of the property must accompany the application. You must provide current photos of the property and historic photos if available. Drawings, including elevation drawings must be submitted of the proposed changes to the property. . . . Your application will be deemed incomplete if the requested photos and drawings are not included.

The only photograph that the applicant had was a single copy of this historic photograph, showing the stretch of Warren Street where his building is located in the aftermath of the Blizzard of 1888.

The windows, he said, were going to be handmade to replicate the windows that appear in the historic picture, but although he apparently had an estimate from the person who was going to make the windows, he had neither shop drawings of the proposed windows nor an image of the building with the new windows Photoshopped into place. As a consequence, as the application guidelines clearly warned would happen, the application was deemed incomplete, and the applicant was asked to return in October.

The applicant, who accused HPC architect member Jack Alvarez of yelling at him when Alvarez tried to explain why drawings of the windows indicating dimensions, configuration, and materials were required, left in a huff. His parting words: "I'll come back maybe. Maybe I'm just going to put the windows in."

Since someone may try to use this incident as evidence that the Historic Preservation Commission impedes home improvement efforts, Gossips decided to get the story out before that happens.
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Saturday and the River

Tomorrow promises to be a glorious early autumn day--mostly sunny, the high temperature reaching only around 70 degrees, little if any chance of rain--the ideal day to be on or near the river, and two events offer compelling reasons to head down to the waterfront.

From 2 to 6 p.m., the Hudson Sloop Club invites everyone to come down to Rick's Point for Sloops + Scoops. There will be boats on display on land and in the water, two or three of which will be boats that the Hudson Sloop Club is building or restoring. There may even be a demonstration of knot tying or raft making or both by some of the younger members of the club. The event is an opportunity to learn about the Hudson Sloop Club, talk about waterfront issues, connect with the river, and eat ice cream! Food for the event, which is free, is being generously provided by LICK, Hudson Gelato, Bruno's, and the newly opened Kite's Nest Kitchen. 

At the same time Sloops + Scoops is happening in Henry Hudson Riverfront Park, the Columbia Land Conservancy, as part of the annual Hudson River Valley Ramble, is hosting the North Bay Paddle. Paddlers, in their own kayaks or canoes, will be guided on a three-mile journey to explore North Bay and view the Greenport Conservation Area from the river. In the intertidal wetlands, paddlers can see two rare plant species, numerous kinds of waterfowl, and maybe even a bald eagle. The paddle begins at 2:30 at the Hudson Boat Launch and returns there as well. 

Unfortunately, it is now too late to register for the North Bay Paddle, and besides the event is full, but Gossips recommends that you go to the boat launch at 2:30 to see the paddlers off and then head on over to Rick's Point for Sloops + Scoops.

The Party's Over . . .

but the movie continues. The Register-Star reports today on the party at Fairview Wines & Spirits that preceded the premiere screening of Fighting for Freedom and on Bruce Mitchinson's struggle to keep Fairview Cinema 3 open and profitable: "Fundraiser fuels theater's fight to live."

The movie continues its run at Fairview Cinema 3 throughout the week, with screenings at 7:05 and 9:35 every night and matinee screenings at 1:05 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. By special arrangement with Chris and Kristanna Loken, half the proceeds from the screenings, after last night's premiere, benefit Fairview Cinema 3's projector fund.

Armory Project Before the Planning Commission

Last night, the Planning Commission received the parking study they had requested for the Armory project and determined that the application for site plan approval was now complete. The vote was unanimous among the four members who were present and able to vote on the issue: Don Tillson, Cappy Pierro, Gail Grandinetti, and Claudia DeStefano. Cleveland Samuels recused himself because he works for Galvan; Laura Margolis recused herself because her theater company, Stageworks, received a $5,000 grant from the Galvan Foundation; Glenn Martin was absent.

The Planning Commission tentatively scheduled a public hearing on the project for Wednesday, October 9, at 6:30 p.m. In advance of the public hearing, Galvan and the Planning Commission have agreed, at the request of Gossips, to make the parking study available on the City of Hudson website so residents who are concerned about parking can review the findings reported in the document prior to the public hearing. The Planning Commission will hold its regular October meeting immediately after the public hearing, and it is expected that they will make a decision at that time on whether or not to approve the site plan.

The Bridge: A Different Perspective

There has not been much word lately, on this side of the river, about "The Bridge"--the alternative learning program that was supposed to open last week at the corner of Warren and Fourth streets--not since September 3, when Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the enabling legislation, but today, from the other side of the river, the Catskill Daily Mail has an update: "'Bridge' project on life support." 

In this article, some interesting information is revealed by Kathleen Farrell, the superintendent of the Catskill Central School District, which was to be a partner in the Columbia-Greene Partnership Academy. The teachers for "The Bridge" were to come from Berkshire Union Free School, but according to Farrell, because of the late signing of the bill by Cuomo, Berkshire "redeployed their staff." Although HCSD superintendent Maria Suttmeier last predicted the school would open in January 2014, Farrell says "they're looking at possibly January or next (school) year." 

There's more. According to Farrell, the bill that was approved by the state legislature and signed by Cuomo only addressed creating a school at 364 Warren Street for special education students and did not include alternative education students. So, according to Farrell, the bill has to be amended. What is not addressed in the article is the question of whether or not a public referendum is required for voters in the Catskill Central School District to approve busing students out of the district to attend an alternative learning program.

Thanks to a Gossips reader for bringing this article to my attention.

Save the Theater!

Tonight, Fairview Cinema 3 hosts the world premiere of Fighting for Freedom, the film written by Chris Loken, produced by Kristanna Loken, and starring Kristanna Loken and Bruce Dern. The screening of the movie at 8 p.m. is preceded, at 7 p.m., by a tequila and Mexican wine tasting at Fairview Wines & Spirits. The price is $30 for individuals and $50 for couples--to benefit Fairview Cinema 3's digital projector fund.

In today's Register-Star, there is a letter to the editor from local theater historian John Craig, which contains some delicious information about movie theaters and movie premieres in Hudson in the past and articulates the reasons to support Fairview Cinema 3 in its struggle to go digital and not go dark: "Save the theater."

The Word from Daniel Kent on 900 Columbia Street

The move of the 200-year-old house from 900 Columbia Street to 215 Union Street seems to have begun. Yesterday Gossips noticed a pile of bricks, which hadn't been there before, at the back of the lot where the house is to be "rebuilt as it was."

Meanwhile, in today's Register-Star, John Mason reports what Galvan Foundation executive director Daniel Kent told him about the plans for the bricks that were once a historic house: "Galvan defends 900 Columbia Street plans."

Late Night Skulduggery

When I was walking William on Wednesday morning, on Partition Street in the 200 block, I encountered police officers who were going around the neighborhood questioning residents to find out if anyone had seen or heard anything late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. During the night, someone had opened a fire hydrant on Partition Street near Second, causing thousands of gallons of water to gush out onto the street. Another fire hydrant had been opened on Paddock Place earlier in the week. Any suspicious activity observed in the vicinity of a fire hydrant late at night, especially if a wrench is involved, should be reported to the police at (518) 828-3388. 

Another Familiar Place in Fighting for Freedom

Tomorrow--Thursday, September 12--is, as it turns out, not the East Coast premiere but the world premiere of Fighting for Freedom, starring Kristanna Loken and Bruce Dern. The gala premiere, which takes place at Fairview Cinema 3 at 8 p.m. is preceded at 7 p.m. by a Mexican wine and tequila tasting at neighboring Fairview Wines & Spirits. The event benefits the Fairview Cinema 3 digital projector fund and supports our local independent first-run movie house. 

The last time Gossips published a reminder about this worthy event, we pointed out that not only was Fighting for Freedom filmed at Love Apple Farm in Ghent and at the Columbia County Courthouse, but there was also a scene filmed in the White Room at the Inn at Hudson. Today, we add to the list of Hudson settings. Parts of Fighting for Freedom were also shot at Ca' Mea. 

Celebrate!

At the informal Common Council meeting on Monday, Council president Don Moore shared an email from John Demler, a production supervisor at Flanders. The email was an invitation, sent to the mayor and copied to all the members of the Common Council, to a barbecue to celebrate Flanders' two-year anniversary in Hudson (Greenport, actually). In his invitation, Demler boasts that "Flanders is alive and well in Hudson with over 250 employees and we are continuing to hire and grow."

Reading this statement, one is reminded of the story of one of Flanders' 250 employees, which appeared in the news recently. On June 2, the Register-Star reported that Mohammed Rahman, who shared a three-room apartment at 405 Warren Street, which had been seized by the City for nonpayment of taxes, was one of the tenants facing imminent eviction. Rahman was having a hard time finding a new apartment, it was explained, "as he works at Flanders from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m."

On August 23, the Register-Star reported on the eviction of the last two tenants at 405 Warren Street. Rahman, or one of his coworkers at Flanders, was one of them:

Eventually, a short, thin man of about 40 appeared with a two-wheeled wire cart and two laundry baskets, filled with his belongings, as well as two pots containing rice and stew. The man appealed to Ellsworth for another day in his apartment, but the officer told him that was not in his power.

The distraught tenant, who is from Bangladesh, said he does not speak English, but had enough language to communicate that he works at Flanders, that he had tried to find other housing but available apartments were too expensive for his budget and that he didn't know where he was going to live.

He said he had been paying $250 a month at 405 Warren up until a month ago.

Disassembling or Demolishing?

At the Common Council meeting on Monday night, Mayor William Hallenbeck defended what has been happening at 900 Columbia Street by saying it was being "taken down methodically" instead of bulldozed. He seemed to think the fact that what was happening was "methodical" made the destruction of the historic building something other than demolition.

Recently, another building was taken down in Hudson: 124 Union Street. In the case of this building, in spite of the fact that its demolition entailed destroying the surviving wall of a Dutch house that predated the arrival of the Proprietors in 1783, there was no pretense made of "disassembling" it so it could be "reassembled" someplace else. It was demolition pure and simple. Yet the dismantling of the house and the wall was as "methodical" as anything going on at 900 Columbia Street.

 
The bricks from 124 Union Street were salvaged for reuse. There was no intention, stated or implied, that the bricks would be used to rebuild the ancient wall exactly as it had been.

The bricks from 900 Columbia Street are being treated similarly, but in this case, the people and elected officials of Hudson are expected to believe that bricks will not simply be reused but will be "reassembled" to reconstruct 900 Columbia Street as it originally was on the 200 block of Union Street. 

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900 Columbia Street Discussed in City Hall

For the first time since the "disassembling" of the historic house began on August 21, the subject of 900 Columbia Street came up at a public meeting in City Hall.

At the end of the informal Common Council meeting on Monday night, Alderman Nick Haddad (First Ward) brought up 900 Columbia Street, pointing out that the building was allegedly being "dismantled to be reconstructed elsewhere" but observed that "the bricks aren't being marked," and, as a consequence, "the bricks aren't going back the way they were." Haddad said that he wanted to go on record as objecting to what is happening with the building.

Mayor William Hallenbeck declared that it was his observation that "the building is being taken down methodically." He said that the City cannot revoke permits without any clear facts and commented, "It could have been bulldozed in a lot less time."

Common Council president Don Moore said, "It would be nice to know if the house is going to be preserved." (One wonders how Moore is defining preserved.)  

Alderman Cappy Pierro (Fifth Ward) shared his hope that "it turns out as well as the General Worth house."

Back to the 1970s

In May 1973, it was discovered that someone had stolen St. Winifred's sword. (Back then, the Register-Star spelled her name Winifride.) The sword was reported missing on May 2, but, on investigation, the police found that it had been gone for some time--perhaps for almost a year. (Not surprising since at that time the area surrounding Promenade Hill was the site of massive demolition and extensive construction.)

The article about the missing sword that appeared in the Register-Star for May 6, 1973, quotes extensively from a book entitled The Hudson Valley Sketchbook, which the article describes as "a fragmented history of the area by Mrs. Marion C. Smith of Hudson." Further research discovered that the book was self-published in about 1964. Smith provides some interesting information that isn't always part of the accounts of how the statue of St. Winifred found its way to Promenade Hill, and for this reason, Gossips, as the Register-Star did forty years ago, quotes what Mrs. Marion C. Smith had to say on the subject:

In 1795 when the city was young and a source of pride to its citizens, this section, then called the Parade, was granted to the Common Council, forever, as a public walk or mall, and for no other purpose whatever. About 100 years later, still recognizing it as a spectacularly attractive park, Hudsonians decided it should be beautified. By July 1896, eight flower beds had been laid out in the form of stars, crosses, crescents and four leaf clovers. Coleus and bright, blossoming flowers painted the hill with patches of gorgeous color. Still one thing was lacking. Such a charming garden was not complete without a fountain.

Consequently, C. H. Van Deusen was named to take subscriptions to provide something suitable. Although the response was good, those accountable for the welfare of the city's population were uneasy with the idea. The "Register" worried editorially because "engines at the pumping house are working night and day, seven days in the week" trying to supply barely enough of that important commodity, water. Planning to use it in such a frivolous manner was disconcerting. But a solution seemed imminent for "it is proposed," continued this article, "to put meters into public houses and manufactories and to charge for the water allowed to escape needlessly."

So the fountain project progressed unimpeded. A local architect, Michael O'Connor, was a personal friend of General John Watts de Peyster, a renowned philanthropist living in Tivoli. Knowing of his penchant for donating fine sculpture, Mr. O'Connor made known the yearning of the local people for a fountain. By a lucky coincidence, the general just happened to have one on hand. It had been intended for the Watts de Peyster Hospital and Invalid Children's Home, operated by the Women's Board of Domestic Missions of the Methodist Church near Verhank [sic], N.Y. Those good ladies, faced with the same problem that was plaguing the Hudsonians, refused to provide the water supply.

General de Peyster was more than glad to come to Hudson with his friend and inspect the possible site for his fountain. He found it most desirable, but wanted the approval of the sculptor, George E. Bissell of Poughkeepsie, before making his decision. Bissell, who also executed the statue of Abraham de Peyster, first mayor of New York City, which stands in Bowling Green, was "enraptured with the location," declaring that it overlooked some of the finest scenery he had ever witnessed. The general is said to have remarked facetiously that although Hudson had many saints, he thought they would use one more.

The Register-Star article from 1973 provides this additional information: "The St. Winifride statue is cast in bronze and stands 12 feet high. The fountain issued from the pedestal, which was constructed from a mass of natural moss-grown rocks taken from Becraft Mountain. The pedestal and basin were built by John Fitzgerald for the sum of $280." 

Woodstock Was Never Like This

This coming weekend--September 13 and 14--Basilica Hudson launches Basilica SoundScape 2013. In collaboration with music organizers and connoisseurs Brandon Stosuy, of Pitchfork, and Brian Deran, of Gleam House and Leg Up!, Basilica creative directors Melissa Auf der Maur and Tony Stone have assembled a carefully curated weekend program that features a wide range of music, visual art, and literature. The full lineup of artists and the schedule of performances can be viewed here.

What may distinguish Basilica SoundScape from other such festivals is not only its concern for connections and overlaps in the performances and work presented but also its attention to creature comforts. Overnight guests to the event--those who are not staying at one of Hudson's B&Bs--can pitch a tent at Meadowgreens Campgrounds in Ghent, where there are lots of big trees creating plenty of shade, there are restrooms, showers, and electricity, and there are shuttle buses traveling to and from Basilica Hudson at regularly scheduled intervals.

And at the Basilica, there will be food! Five food trucks will be stationed around the perimeter--two Hudson favorites, Truck Pizza and Hudson Gelato, and three new to Hudson, Pippy's Hot Dog Truck, Arkansas Tom's Razorback BBQ, and Yum Yum on Wheels, serving "all things noodle."

There will also be a pop-up shop called BunnyBrains Fire Sale, a collaboration of John Doe Records and Likeminded Objects, offering such services as hair braiding, toe tattoos, and therapy for "Jimi Hendrix problems in a John Mayer world," as well as making objects to sell on the spot.

Weekend passes are $60; day passes are $35. To learn more about the event and purchase your pass to be part of it all, visit the Basilica Hudson website.

For more about what to expect at Basilica Hudson this weekend, see The New York Times and Rural Intelligence.

A Little Known Fact About Fighting for Freedom

Thursday, September 12, is the gala East Coast premiere of Kristanna Loken's latest film, Fighting for Freedom, at Fairview Cinema 3. The event begins at 7 p.m. with a Mexican wine and tequila tasting at neighboring Fairview Wines & Spirits and continues at 8 p.m. with a screening of the film. The event, which costs $30 for individuals and $50 for couples, benefits Fairview Cinema 3, to help our hometown first run movie house go digital instead of going dark. 

Gossips has already mentioned that Fighting for Freedom was filmed in familiar places--Love Apple Farm in Ghent and the Columbia County Courthouse here in Hudson--but there's one place that hasn't been mentioned: The Inn at Hudson. In the movie, Bruce Dern is seen in a hotel room, and that room is the Inn's White Room.

An Idea Whose Time Seems Not to Have Come

The 1970s must have been an interesting time in Hudson. It was the decade that saw the demolition of the General Worth Hotel, the wholesale bulldozing of the historic buildings around Promenade Hill and much of the Second Ward, the construction of an abundance of subsidized housing, the facade easement program intended to preserve all that was then thought worthy of preservation (the first two blocks of Warren Street, but only the north side of the first block), and Rick Scalera's debut in city politics as a Republican candidate for Fourth Ward alderman.

The trove of old newspaper clippings given to Gossips by Susan Lynn Troy yields another glimpse of Hudson in the 1970s: the plan by a market in Hudson's officially recognized one and a half block historic district to recapture the spirit of Hudson's quaint past by making deliveries with a horse-drawn wagon. This article appeared in the Register-Star on December 1, 1977:

Horse for delivery of groceries

HUDSON--The return of a forgotten mode of delivering groceries is connected with the reported siting [sic] Wednesday of a horse behind the city's 32 Warren St. urban renewal offices.

John Moore of "Whale of a Place" grocery store at First and Warren Sts., confirmed today that he hoped to bring back horse-and-carriage delivery to the streets of the nation's first chartered city next spring.

A white Arabian pony is being kept in a barn behind the urban renewal offices, which are across First St. from the store. Care of the horse, which will pull a 100-year-old restored wagon, is a 4-H project for Moore's daughter, Nici Webber.

There is nothing in the city code that prohibits the keeping of horses in the city.

"Whale of a Place" is the former Liepshutz Market.

Three months later, in March 13, 1978, the Register-Star published this picture of the "white Arabian pony" and two other horses, whose names were Shiek, Timmy, and Polly, in the yard behind 102 Warren Street, now Fred E. Trout & Co.

The plan, as explained in the picture's caption, was to use the horses to pull a delivery cart "as soon as the weather permits," but no evidence could be found about how the plan worked out. Interestingly, there is still nothing in the city code that prohibits the keeping of horses in Hudson.

Of Interest

The Register-Star reports this morning that TCI has gotten site plan approval to build a new plant . . . in Coeymans: "TCI project clears first hurdle with site plan approval."

Death Watch

The "disassembling" of 900 Columbia Street continues, and although there is no evidence that the people who are taking it apart are documenting the house so they can put it back together again (which may be difficult since there are regular reports of dumpsters full of historic building materials heading for the transfer station on Newman Road), Gossips feels compelled to document its demise--driven by respect for its antiquity and continuing disbelief that the determination to destroy it could so easily trump any effort to save it.

The picture above was taken on Friday, September 6, in the late afternoon, when most of the workers had left for the day. Behind what remains of the historic house, the new facility is rising. And the flag is back, so we can all feel proud that it is the American way to embrace the new while destroying our architectural heritage. 

Sadly, not much has changed in Hudson in the past forty years. The techniques may be different, but the outcomes are the same.

This picture shows the building that once stood at the corner of South Front and West Warren streets, a late 18th-century structure where Proprietor Marshall Jenkins ran a store, being bulldozed in 1974.
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Dog Tales: William Goes to the Vet

Here's a little comic relief to counterbalance all the sad and distressing stories about dogs in the news lately.

Last Thursday, William made his first visit to the vet since the alarming visit in June, when I was convinced (mistakenly, thank God) that he had had a stroke. This time, we went for his annual checkup, and before I go any further, let me assure all the readers who are concerned about the health and well being of the aged William that he was pronounced in very good health for a dog his age. We should all be in such good shape at 105!

The trip to the vet was also the first time William rode in the SMART car that is currently the Gossipsmobile. When I acquired the car, I was worried that William might be injured should the little car's nine airbags deploy, but I was assured that the SMART car had a smart passenger seat. It knew when the occupant didn't weigh enough to withstand the force of an airbag. What I didn't consider was William's propensity to lounge in the car instead of sitting up straight or the close proximity of the passenger seat to the driver's seat.

In spite of William's aversion to cars, getting him into the little car turned out not to be a problem. He wasn't going in voluntarily, but, in his old age, he has lost a lot of muscle mass and consequently a lot of weight, so I was able to scoop him up--with some effort--and place him in the car--something I was never able to do in the past. 

Things seemed to be going very well as we headed out Route 9, bound for Mountainview Animal Hospital, but just as we reached the "End 45 mph" mark, William released my seat belt. Fortunately, the seat belt did not pop up with a force great enough to strangle me, and I might have ignored it had it not been for the car flashing and beeping at me. Without taking my eyes off the road, I managed to refasten my seat belt, and we made it safely to our destination. 

Leaving the vet's office, I was wary of taking any risks with my unpredictable dog beside me, so I turned right onto Route 9, intending to turn around and head back toward Hudson at the snow plow turnout just this side of the traffic light. When I had executed the reversal and was ready to pull back onto the road, the car stopped dead. I was stupefied! Flummoxed! How could this happen? The car was only six months old!

Then I realized what had occurred. The ignition key for a SMART car has a big round end that houses the electronic lock and unlock buttons and the panic button, and the portal for the ignition key is between the seats, just behind the gear shift. William had pushed the key with his paw and turned off the car.

I restarted the car and got back on the road, but I drove home steering with my left hand and shielding the ignition key with my right, lest William turn off the car again when there was another vehicle traveling behind us. I don't think the brake lights go on when the ignition key is suddenly turned off.

Hudson Kids and Food

At the Common Council Youth & Aging Committee meeting on Wednesday, Youth Department recreation supervisor George Bednar reported that Katchkie Farm would be doing a program this fall at the Youth Center.

Katchkie Farm is the organic farm in Kinderhook that supplies Great Performances, Liz Neumark's empire of catering and cafes in New York City. It conducts farm programs for New York City kids, through the Sylvia Center, a not-for-profit whose mission is to inspire kids to make healthy food choices by exposing them to a wide variety of seasonal produce and teaching them essential cooking skills. Approximately 90 percent of the children the Sylvia Center works with in New York City qualify for free or reduced lunch at school. 

That Katchkie Farm will be bringing its program to encourage eating well to the Youth Center is certainly good news, but for some it recalls the bitter days of yesteryear when a similar program that existed briefly at the Hudson Youth Center, Kids in the Kitchen, the brainchild of local restaurateur and farm-to-table pioneer Carole Clark, was cancelled and its raised-bed garden "disassembled" to make room for a senior center which was never built.

Hudson Issues in the New York Times

There is an article in today's New York Times about the controversy over the communications tower proposed for Blue Hill, which was approved by the Livingston Planning Board but is now being challenged in court by The Olana Partnership and Scenic Hudson: "Fight Over Communications Tower Unsettles the Hudson Valley." The writer, Lisa W. Foderaro, reveals an enviable naiveté about life here in the our rural environs when she reports that "a fight . . . has roiled through the usually serene landscape of Columbia County, where sharp elbows are reserved for vying over the ripest peaches at local farm stands."

Photo credit: Jonathan Simons

Another Special Screening

Next Thursday night, September 12, is the gala East Coast premiere of Fighting for Freedom to benefit Fairview Cinema 3, which is fighting to stay in business. Tomorrow night, September 7, there is another special benefit screening.

For the past nine years, Hudson filmmaker Isabel Barton has been working with Hortensia Berti, an indigenous woman in the Venezuelan Amazon, to help rescue her tribe's disappearing culture and language. In the film that developed from this collaboration, The Making of a Chief, Berti unravels the history of her tribe by piecing together stories of her great grandfather, a legendary chief whose teachings form the canon by which the Kamarakoto people live. Berti seeks out the elders in their mud huts at the edge of the Amazon forest, and their stories illustrate not only their indigenous traditions but also their serendipitous interaction with the American explorers who discovered and studied Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall on Earth, in the mid-20th century. The film is the first time these histories have been woven together.

The Making of a Chief is now in post-production, and Barton is raising money to complete the editing of the film. At Saturday's special fundraising screening, a finished segment of the film will be shown. Michael Royce, executive director of the New York Foundation for the Arts, will speak about the importance of such events by artists in the present economy, and Barton will answer questions about the film and the project.

The event takes place in Columbiaville, at 105 Footbridge Road Extension, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 7. The suggested donation is $50 a person. Email Barton to make a reservation.

A Frog Grows in Hudson

Click here to see and hear the sweet story of a tadpole who grew into a frog beneath a cellar in Hudson and was released into the world yesterday to pursue a normal frog's life.

Thanks for Windle Davis and Dini Lamot for sharing the story with Gossips.