Not to Be Missed

Jamie Larson has an article in Rural Intelligence about Lou Blasingame and Don Friday of Ad Lib Antiques and the very not antique chandeliers, sconces, and lamps that Blasingame, as Lou Blass, is now creating: "Lou Blass and Don Friday of Ad Lib Antiques Take Off into the Future." 

The Fate of the Garden

Last night, it was standing room only at City Hall as Hudson Urban Gardens (HUG) and Habitat for Humanity presented their proposals to the Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency, represented by executive director Sheena Salvino and three of its five board members (Cappy Pierro, Ohrine Stewart, and Don Tillson; Mayor William Hallenbeck and Lyle Shook were absent). John Mason reports on the meeting in today's Register-Star: "Compromise sought in garden dust-up."

Gossips took Salvino at her word when she said, after the presentations and the brief public comment period, that the meeting would move on to other agenda items. Mason didn't and was there to hear Salvino refer to the people in the community who came out to support the garden as an "excited mob," to hear Tillson (chair of the Planning Commission) use the term "mob mentality" at least twice, and to hear Pierro characterize citizens' desire to be involved in the decisions that affect them as "They love to battle." They must have not realized the press was still in the room.

Late in the brief period set aside for public comment, Victor Mendolia questioned how exhaustive the search for alternative building sites had been and mentioned the lot at the corner of Fourth and State streets, which the City has owned since 1994 and which a year ago the Common Council agreed to sell in order to close a gap in the much touted zero increase 2013 budget. Amazingly, as Mason reports, the HCDPA board seems to have glommed on to that as an alternative site for Habitat's single family passive houses--no matter that the site could more appropriately be used for a more substantial building that would provide affordable housing for more than just three or four families.

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History Threatened

The Historic Preservation Commission meets in the morning--Friday, November 8--at 10 a.m. One of the matters before them will be an application for a certificate of appropriateness to demolish 708 State Street--the former train station now owned by Van Kleeck's Tire.

This surely is a building that must not be lost. It was the passenger station for the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad, which opened for travel from Hudson to West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in September 1838. This ad for the line appeared in the Albany Argus for August 12, 1841.

An article that appeared in the Chatham Courier for December 23, 1891, contained this recollection of watching the train leave the station at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.

It was an interesting sight to see a train start out of the Hudson upper station to go to West Stockbridge at 3 o'clock. The writer can remember when a small child in 1845 being taken by his father to "see the cars." The locomotive looked rather too formidable and a good distance was maintained as the idea was uppermost that there might be a discharge of steam or something of the kind that might prove fatal. But when the bell began to ring and old Capt. James Bagley, the conductor, mounted to his place on the foot board then it was interesting. One of the things that the writer can perfectly remember was than Benjamin Gates, the prominent New Lebanon Shaker, was one of the passengers.

The Hudson and Berkshire Railroad evolved first into the Hudson and Boston line and then became the Hudson Branch of the Albany & Boston Railroad. In 1959, after more than a century of operation, permission was granted to close the line. The removal of the tracks began in 1960. The tracks that remain today extend only as far as the ADM plant in Greenport. On August 20, 1959, an article in the Chatham Courier, commemorating the first railroad in Hudson, contained this reminiscence from the early years of the 20th century.

In the fall, when leaves turned scarlet there was always "The Vassar Special" bringing carloads of pretty girls en route to their New England homes for the holidays, leaving many a palpitating heart among the young swains who viewed this gay, feminine trainload on its way through the countryside.

By 1910 there were four passenger trains a day running between Chatham and Hudson. Trains moved daily between Hudson Station, Hudson Upper Station on State Street, Claverack, a flag stop at Country Club, Mellenville, Pulver's Station, Ghent and Chatham.

A wooden-legged Civil War veteran, "Font" Osborne of Hudson, bellowed out the stations from his conductor's post, while up front, Jim Armstrong of Hudson, the engineer, knew every lane and cow crossing and sounded a warning blast or tooted at a farmer friend doing his spring plowing at Old Ghent.

"Hudson Station," now the Amtrak Station, was built in 1874 and meticulously restored in 1992. "Hudson Upper Station" is older, possibly dating from the late 1830s, and deserves to be similarly respected and restored. It cannot be allowed to suffer the fate visited upon a building from the same era or earlier in recent months. Fortunately, the train station is in a historic district, and, unlike 900 Columbia Street, its destruction can be prevented.

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What's in Store for the Greenport School

Arthur Cusano reports today in the Register-Star on the plan to turn the former Greenport School into an apartment complex: "Greenport School housing project set for some changes." It seems the developer was told by the Greenport Planning Board that pursuing the original plan would require oversight by the Department of Environmental Conservation. To avoid that, the developer decided to alter the plan.

The developer is JMS Collective, which according to Greenport building inspecter, John Florio, is based in Athens but "owns a number of properties in Hudson." A visit to the JMS Collective website reveals that "a number of properties in Hudson" is actually two: 77 North Fifth Street and 816 Warren Street. From this information, it can be concluded that JMS Collective is also known as JMS Construction Services, Inc.  

77 North Fifth Street

816 Warren Street

A year ago, 816 Warren Street was the subject of several posts on The Gossips of Rivertown. It was the building, in a locally designated historic district, on which work commenced without a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic Preservation Commission or a building permit from the Code Enforcement Office and continued even after a stop work order had been issued by then code enforcement officer Peter Wurster, and for which a certificate of appropriateness was sought after all the work was completed. Rick Rector, chair of the HPC described this flouting of the law "cowboy action." Wurster called for punitive action, expressing this opinion that the project should be fined. City attorney Cheryl Roberts, then counsel to the HPC, said that the decision to pursue and prosecute those who ignore the laws of the City was the purview of the mayor, and apparently William Hallenbeck decided to give 816 Warren Street a pass.
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Important Meeting Tonight

Today--Thursday, November 7--at 6 p.m., there is a meeting of the Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency (HCDPA) at City Hall. At issue is the Hudson Community Garden's desire to remain on land it has tended and developed over the course of twenty years and Habitat for Humanity's plan to acquire the land and build houses on it--a plan that reportedly has been in the works for four years. Gossips reported the issue on Monday; the Register-Star published an article about it on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, garden directors Vanessa Baehr and Sarah Falkner issued an open letter to the people of Hudson, outlining the events of the past few months and calling for public participation and transparency in the decision about this property--a decision that impacts a vital neighborhood and community resource: "The garden feels that while Habitat for Humanity may have an overall very benevolent mission, when planning for 4 years to develop on the land the community garden has occupied for 20 years, they did not show due diligence in contacting the garden leadership to discuss the potential impact of their plans, nor assess how many people would be affected."

In a letter to the community issued late on Wednesday, Sheena Salvino, executive director for HCDPA, responds to the letter from Baehr and Falkner, offering her account of what has transpired in recent months. Salvino's letter concludes: "It is my belief, sincere hope and goal to come to a solution that satisfies, if not exceeds, the expectations of both organizations and the community we serve. I have little doubt that we have the capacity to do this together." (Elsewhere in the letter, Salvino describes herself as "an unflappable optimist.")

Read both letters--the one from Baehr and Falkner, and the one from Salvino--and plan to attend the HDCPA meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

In Case You Missed It

Food writer and cookbook author Susan Simon, in her weekly column Food for Thought, wrote most recently about food and film: "Good food and a good movie." The column features Susan Schultz, the chef and caterer whose offerings were the culinary stars of two recent movie-related fundraising events to benefit Fairview Cinema 3: the premiere of Fighting for Freedom and the screening at Basilica Hudson of the film noir classic Odds Against Tomorrow. Simon's column appears in the Register-Star on Fridays.

Photo credit: Helen Arrott  

The Morning After

Right now, on WGXC, Victor Mendolia, who was unsuccessful yesterday in his bid to win the mayor's race in Hudson, is back on his show @Issue, with the show's stand-in host Tom DePietro, interviewing three candidates who did win: Alexis Keith, newly elected Fourth Ward alderman; Heather Campbell, newly elected city treasurer; Tiffany Garriga, newly elected Second Ward alderman. DePietro will also be talking with Mendolia about the campaign now behind him. Listen on 90.7 FM or online at wgxc.org.

Another Opportunity to Help Fairview Cinema 3

In the past two months, Gossips has promoted two events to benefit Fairview Cinema 3: in September, the premiere of Fighting for Freedom, and in October, a screening of the 1959 film noir classic Odds Against Tomorrow. In both cases, the response was amazing, and the events were wonderfully successful. So far more than $10,000 has been raised to buy the digital equipment needed to keep Fairview Cinema 3 from going dark. But this equipment is staggeringly expensive, and there's still a long way to go.


Now there's a way to help save our local hometown movie theater (across the border in Greenport) without leaving your home or even getting up from your computer. Last month, Kristen Decker launched a gofundme campaign with the goal of raising $15,000 to help buy digital projectors for Fairview Cinema 3. Decker says in her appeal statement: "This movie theater has been a part of the community for as long as I can remember. . . . I am not begging anyone or asking for large amounts but even if I gave everything that I had, it wouldn't be enough. So I figured that I would just put it out there for anyone else to donate a little. I am sure everyone in the community has some type of memory here!" That's the essence of crowd sourcing and quintessence of community.

To help the campaign reach its goal and help Fairview Cinema 3 survive, click here.

Getting Ready for Tomorrow--Election Day

Can you explain each of the six proposals that will be on the ballot tomorrow? Have you decided on which proposals you will vote yes and on which you'll vote no? If not, you may want to review last week's "Election Prep." You may also want to take a look at the sample ballot for your ward (or your town, if you're not a Hudsonian). They are all posted on the Columbia County Board of Elections website and can be accessed by clicking here.

Tension in the Garden

The Hudson Community Garden, at the corner of Columbia and Second streets, has been around for twenty years. The land used for the garden belongs to Hudson Community Development & Planning Agency (HCDPA), and over the two decades of the garden's existence, there have been a few times when its future seemed less than secure. Now there's a new threat to the garden's continued existence from an unexpected quarter: Habitat for Humanity.

Despite its name, which suggests a broader scope, Columbia County Habitat for Humanity has for the past decade focused on building new houses in Hudson—five on Mill Street and six so far on Columbia Street, two in the 400 block and four in the 200 block. Now it seems that Habitat wants to build four or five more of their passive solar houses on the land that is now the community garden.

Awkward as it may seem to oppose the altruistic efforts of Habitat, the members of the Hudson Community Garden have launched an urgent campaign to save the garden. In an informational letter received by Gossips yesterday, garden directors Vanessa Baehr and Sarah Faulkner make the case for the garden:

For 20 years, the Hudson Community Garden has provided its members, the general public and the city of Hudson with a modest but meaningful place to practice and achieve both food justice and urban environmental sustainability. Each year, up to 40 families and individuals depend on the garden for serious food production--often for a significant portion of their diet. Many of the Bangladeshi community grow vegetables they cannot even purchase in a store in the area.

In the past two years, with a new small but focused and energetic volunteer Board that was consistently active through the 2011-12 & 2012-13 seasons, the Garden has seen many rapid improvements, including newly designed and better maintained common spaces and communal beds, overall improved infrastructure, as well as new programs such as public composting and both youth and adult educational, arts and culture programs for the public. In 2013, the Board crafted a new mission and vision statement for the future that further expands all these programs to serve an even broader audience. The Garden consistently has a waiting list for plots beyond its 40-family capacity, and the community feels it would benefit from expanding to include other green spaces as satellite gardens.

But amidst all this progress, we now have learned that Habitat for Humanity would like to purchase the city lots the Garden occupies, which the city has leased to us on an annual basis for 20 years.

While we feel Habitat's overall mission is also very worthy, we feel that destroying the existing Garden to make way for Habitat's new development would be a total waste of resources as well as a shameful punishment of all the people who have contributed 20 years of sweat equity, hard-earned resources and community spirit in order to build this amazing resource.

. . . An organic garden is a delicate ecosystem that cannot be easily replaced or moved, and to replicate it elsewhere--even if a suitable site could be found--would require a great amount of money and labor.

Garden supporters have created a petition, appealing to HCDPA to preserve the garden. If you agree that the Hudson Community garden is "vitally important and . . . should stay exactly where it is," click here to show your support and sign the petition.

More About the Bygone House

Yesterday I returned to the Hudson Area Library to see if I could locate the house that was 217 Union Street on the 1881 aerial drawing of the city found in the History Room, and I did. Unfortunately, although the drawing is extraordinary in that it includes every building in Hudson in 1881, it doesn't represent the buildings in very accurate detail and it shows the house at 217 Union from the back. 

The above detail from that aerial drawing shows the western end of the 200 blocks of Allen, Partition, and Union streets, viewed from the south. In the foreground are the backs of the houses on the south side of Allen Street. The house that appears at almost the center of the image is 221 Union Street, and 217 Union is to the left. The detail below hones in on 217 Union Street.

Gail Grandinetti, who lived on the 200 block of Union Street for most of her life, told Gossips that when she was growing up, 217 Union Street was divided into four apartments occupied by four families. The building at the back of the lot, facing Partition Street, was also a residence. She recalled that the side and back yards of the house were filled with lilac bushes.

Tom D'Onofrio, who grew up in the 200 block of Warren Street, recalled that the front of 217 Union Street was covered with asphalt brick siding, popular in the 1950s. Both he and Grandinetti thought that it might have been Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church that bought the houses in the 1960s and demolished them, possibly to create a parking lot for the church. 

Related to these recollections, an anonymous commenter on Gossips a while back provided the information that the barns where the horses of guests at the General Worth House were stabled, which were across the street from 217 Union, evolved into or were replaced by garages. According that source, those garages were purchased by the church and demolished to create a parking lot. That source couldn't recall how the lot on the south side of the street had come to be vacant.

At some point, Mt. Carmel Church also purchased an early Federal house that stood next to the church and demolished it to build a rectory. The church building itself, constructed in 1928, replaced a house that in 1867 belonged to Sherman Van Ness. It was one of the houses mentioned in an article that appeared in the Evening Register entitled "Private Residences":  "This house is considered very desirable, as it has the appearance of a very stylish and aristocratic mansion."   
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Dark Afternoons Ahead

Tonight is the night we "fall back." In exchange for an extra hour's sleep tonight, we must endure weeks of darkness falling while it's still afternoon. Why, oh why can't Daylight Saving Time last all year long?

The State of Historic Preservation

Ward Hamilton, principal of Olde Mohawk, historic preservation contractor and consultant whose projects in Hudson include the C. H. Evans Mansion (416 Warren Street) and "Apartments of Distinction" (501 Union Street), has a new post on his blog, Preservation in Action, that deals with adaptive reuse, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, and historic preservation tax credits: "Putting Preservation Back in Historic Preservation Tax Credits." It's a very interesting if somewhat troubling read.

Work Begins on the Linear Park

In recent days, Gossips has noticed that work has begun on the linear park being developed as a gift to the city by the PARC Foundation. 

From State Street, looking south

From Columbia Street, looking north

When completed, the linear park will be a swath of green connecting the PARC Park on Warren Street, across from the Hudson Opera House, which was created by the PARC Foundation in 2007, with State Street.

The plan for the linear park between Columbia and State streets

Pursuing the Past

Gossips' search to discover what once stood on the vacant lot that is to be the site of the "reassembled" 900 Columbia Street began on Wednesday with the Beers Atlas maps in the History Room at the Hudson Area Library. It continued yesterday with the remarkable collection of historic New York State newspapers archived at FultonHistory.com.

The atlas maps for 1873 and 1888 show a house facing Union Street and a second building at the back of the lot, facing Partition Street. Both belonged to Thomas Tilley, partner in the clothing store Tilley & Aldcrofft.

In the summer of 1917, the property was for sale, and this ad, which appeared in Hudson Register for August 17, provides some details about the house.

According to census records, by 1900, Thomas Tilley no longer lived at 217 Union Street. In 1900, Tilley, who was then 76, lived at 541 Union Street, with his wife, Hannah, their daughter and son-in-law, Mary and George W. Harris, their son Carleton, a boarder named Sylvia McCord, and a servant named Florence White. 

It seems, however, from the evidence at hand, that up until it was offered for sale in 1917, 217 Union Street was still owned by Tilley or his heirs. In March 1916, the house was offered to let, and interested parties were asked to "inquire at Tilley & Aldcrofft's Store."

References to 217 Union Street appeared in the Hudson Register fairly often, most often in the classified ad section when various parts of the house were rented out. In August 1910, an ad appeared that read: "TO RENT--Furnished front room, with use of bath for gentleman 217 Union street." The following notice appeared in December 1915 and a similar one in March 1917: "Two rooms, heated and lighted, bath adjoining, suitable for light housekeeping or rooming. Inquire 217 Union street."

But 217 Union Street is mentioned in the newspaper in other contexts as well. On October 19, 1902, it was reported that "Mrs. Edwin Kelly, of 217 Union street, fell off her front porch and broke her wrist." On February 11, 1914, the death notice for Sally Ann Proper appeared in the Hudson Register, with this information: "Funeral from the residence of her son-in-law, John Klemmer, 217 Union street, on Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock." On October 20, 1916, the Hudson Register published this account of a reception for a new bride that took place at 217 Union Street.

In the 1940s, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Coons lived at 217 Union Street. From the Hudson Evening Register we learn that they had a son, Charles William, who was born on February 6, 1940, at 217 Union Street, and a daughter, born in February 1944 at Hudson City Hospital.

In 1940, there was also a mason named Hester who lived at 217 Union Street and advertised his services in the Evening Register.

The newspaper provides evidence that the house was still there in 1965. In July 1965, there was a report that Raymond Smith, 22, of 217 Union Street, had been injured in a car crash. 

The search isn't over. Gossips still wants to find out what happened to 217 Union Street and is curious to know what the house looked like. 
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Of Interest

The Register-Star reports today that Flag Day 2014 will not be the extravaganza we have come to expect--at least not the parade: "Flag Day Parade to be scaled way back." Because of lack of funds, there will be no Caballeros, no Clydesdales, no military flyovers, no fireworks, but we can probably still count on the Rock Solid Church to have a major presence.

Highlights from Girlgantua's Drag Race

Despite the gloom and drizzling rain, the first ever Girlgantua's Drag Race, to benefit the Hudson Moose Lodge, took place as scheduled on Halloween night. Only in Hudson.

The winner, being crowned in this picture, circled the square in 1 minute and 5 seconds . . . or was it 1 minute and 9 seconds?

For details of the event, see Arthur Cusano's report in the Register-Star: "Drag race sprints for good cause."

In Case You Missed It

Tom DePietro's interview with incumbent mayor William Hallenbeck on WGXC, which took place on October 31, has been archived and can be heard here.

DePietro's interview with Democratic mayoral candidate Victor Mendolia, which took place on September 18, 2013, can be heard here.

Another Media Outlet Heard From

The story of Hudson's controversial mayoral race was today the subject of an article in Metroland: "Positive and Negative."

A Macabre Story for Halloween

This is a true story. The events took place in the past year, and the mystery was solved only in recent weeks. This curious tale was told to Gossips by the proprietor of a Hudson B&B, who is the author of the account that follows.

The Secret in the Crypt

For More Than Seventy Years a Mausoleum in the Hudson City Cemetery Held a Secret. Unsuspecting Family Descendants Would Make the Shocking Discovery.  

In 1910, Dr. George W. Rossman of Ancram had a mausoleum constructed in the Hudson City Cemetery. Dr. Rossman was a prominent physician in the area, highly respected and civic minded. He began the practice of medicine and surgery in 1867, and he continued successfully for thirty years. He was one of the early members of the Columbia County Medical Society, served for a time as its president, and was often a delegate to the New York State Medical Society, of which he became a member. His final resting place would be a magnificent mausoleum. Constructed of Quincy granite, from Quincy, Massachusetts, it was designed by J. L. Miller, a foremost designer of elegant burial monuments and crypts befitting his wealthy clientele.

According to the Hudson Register, on August 31, 1910, the Rossman mausoleum was nearing completion.

While simple in design, it presents a very artistic exterior, being of Quincy granite, partially polished, the rest hammered. The interior walls are of white polished marble, with a ceiling of Quincy granite. It contains four crypts. The front contains pilasters and in the pediment there appears the name Rossman in polished black lettering in a panel. Between the pilasters there are polished panels. Surmounting the gable roof is a granite sphere weighing about 600 pounds. The roof is one piece of stone, and weighs in the neighborhood of seven tons. The door is of bronze.

At the time of construction, Dr. Rossman's mausoleum cost $7,500.

Dr. Rossman had married Frances N. Green, daughter of John Green and Elizabeth Northrop Green, in 1870. Their only child, Clark, would, like his father, become a renowned and respected physician with a practice in Hudson.

Frances Rossman died in August 1931, and Dr. George Rossman died six months later, at the age of 91. They were interred in their palatial crypt built twenty years earlier. For reasons unknown, their son, Dr. Clark Rossman, and his wife, Florence Hoysradt Rossman, would be buried in the Hoysradt family plot, leaving two vaults in the grand mausoleum unoccupied.

It appears that once the mausoleum was closed up in 1932, after Dr. George's interment, it was never opened again.

In April 2013, Rossman descendants from Colorado came to Hudson to pursue genealogical research. With the assistance of a member of the Hudson chapter of the D.A.R., they were taken to a Philmont cemetery to visit Rossman graves there. They then continued to the Hudson City Cemetery on their own.

The cemetery attendant that day handed them the key to the Rossman mausoleum. Excited that they would be able to access the mausoleum, they hurried over. By their account, they could tell when putting the key in the lock that it had not been entered for many decades. The interior was of white marble, with four vaults straight ahead. Two vaults contained Dr. George and his wife, Frances; the other two were empty.

Much to their horror, on the floor in front of them, was a decrepit and collapsed wooden trunk with skeletal remains spilling out!

Shocked, confused, and downright befuddled by what they had found, the descendants told no one of their discovery and went back home to Colorado. After giving it very careful thought, they decided something was amiss and alerted the Hudson police. The police investigation proved inconclusive. Official cemetery records indicated that two individuals are interred in the crypt. However, it could not readily be determined if the remains were one of the two bodies that were supposed to be there.

The Rossman descendants came back to Hudson in September. During this visit they shared the story of their discovery with the innkeeper at the bed & breakfast where they were staying. Feeling defeated and brushed off by the authorities, they told their host to do with the information as he pleased, and they headed home once again to Colorado.

Who was the unidentified person in the trunk? How did the person die? Why was he or she left in that particular mausoleum? Who placed the body there and when? Was this a chilling find that could lead to closing the file on a decades-old Hudson cold case?

   
It turns out that the trunk is in fact full of human skeletal remains, but it appears that this was a skeleton that Dr. Rossman used in his practice as a reference source.

The innkeeper was given access to the mausoleum with authorized cemetery supervision. Looking closely, he was able to determine that the bones had tiny drill holes and some were still held together by wire and chord, conjuring up the image a full skeleton displayed in a doctor's office or laboratory. The bones were probably placed in the trunk after Dr. Rossman, or perhaps his son, retired from practice. The bones could have found their way into the Rossman mausoleum with good intention. Perhaps it was an earlier Rossman descendant who, faced with the dilemma of what to do with them when the Rossman estates were dissolved, decided that putting them with the good doctor in the mausoleum was best.    

The decision to keep them with the doctor appears to have been done with care and with dignity for all concerned. The donors of such specimens were usually indigents, paupers, or John Does, so to have such an elegant mausoleum as a final resting place seems deserved after making a positive contribution to medicine.

Now Dr. Rossman, his specimen bones, and all the curious who have been involved with this story as it unfolded can rest in peace.

Not a Debate, But Something

In his interview with Tom DePietro on WGXC this morning, Mayor William Hallenbeck made reference to "another campaign video" he had done. The video of which he spoke is one of a pair of videos--one done with each of the Hudson mayoral candidates--in which each candidate responds to the same ten questions posed by Greg Mosley.

These are the ten questions that were asked: 

1. What are your priorities if elected mayor of the City of Hudson?
2. How would you solve the small city challenges?
3. What would your plans be for the waterfront?
4. How would you address the issue of gentrification and diversity in Hudson?
5. What's your take on the number of elected officials?
6. How would you address the issue of housing and the lack of affordable housing?
7. What would you do about the budget? What would you do to increase the budget?
8. What would you do to improve the police department, if it needs improving?
9. The youth are the future of our city. What are your plans to service the youth?
10. What makes you the better candidate to be mayor of the City of Hudson?

Hear the candidates' answers to these questions at HudsonVotes.com.

What Was There

The hole has been dug at 215 Union Street for the foundation of what will be the "reassembled" historic house that, until about ten weeks ago, stood at 900 Columbia Street.

The excavation has revealed what appears to be the foundation of a previous building. That piqued my curiosity and sent me to the History Room at the Hudson Area Library to consult the Beers Atlas maps and find out what had been on the site before.

The 1888 map shows the Worth House barns, where the horses of hotel guests were stabled, directly across Union Street from the lot in question, and on the easternmost part of the lot is the home of Thomas Tilley. Tilley's house also appears on this site in the 1873 atlas. Thomas Tilley was a partner in the clothing store Tilley & Aldcrofft, which was located at the southeast corner of Warren and Fourth streets, where Face Stockholm is now.