The Wick Is the Topic, Morning and Evening

Two meetings happened on Thursday of which The Wick, the hotel proposed for 41 Cross Street, was the subject.

In the morning, the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) met to discuss a request for a PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) from Redburn Development, the group seeking to turn an old industrial building, now owned by a not-for-profit and off the tax rolls, into a 55-room hotel. Tom Rossi, one of the partners in Redburn Development, told the members of the IDA, "We are not looking not to pay taxes; we are looking to know what our taxes will be."

There was concern among several at the meeting that this was the first anyone had heard about the PILOT for the project. The moribund state of Hudson's IDA, which seems not to have done anything since granting a PILOT to Evergreen Partners in 2009 for the redevelopment of Hudson Terrace, may be part of the reason why. Last year, the NYS Authorities Budget Office recommended that, because of its lack of activity, the Hudson IDA be absorbed by the Columbia County IDA. This has not happened, and Mike Tucker, the new president and CEO of the Columbia Economic Development Corporation (CEDC), advised against it, telling the members of the Hudson IDA that it is "important from a public policy standpoint that the city IDA stay in business, and the city and county IDAs work together." He cited the new development anticipated for the area adjacent to the proposed hotel and the possibility for further development on the waterfront as reasons why the Hudson IDA should "get back in the business of financing projects on their own."

There was considerable discussion during the meeting, which went on for almost two hours, and much of it is reported by John Mason in the Register-Star: "Hotel developer seeks tax break." Something that was not reported, however, is a comment made by Alderman Rick Rector (First Ward), who chairs the Common Council Economic Development Committee. He told the group, "We have to look at this project a bit differently. It's a hotel going into an area of future development. It's a catalyst for future development." He noted that the Sustainable Community Associates' project was attracted by the Redburn project. Tom DePietro, IDA member and Planning Board chair, commented, "What Rick said is basically our mission statement."

Another IDA meeting to discuss a PILOT for the project has been scheduled for Thursday, June 2, at 10 a.m.

Later on Thursday, the Planning Board held a public hearing on the hotel project. Five people made comments. Steve Dunn, who serves on the Zoning Board of Appeals and was the only member of the ZBA to vote to deny the project a needed use variance, expressed his continuing concern about parking. Beth Kanaga, who lives on Tanners Lane, praised Redburn Development for their proactive approach, working with the neighborhood and addressing their concerns, and expressed her support. Bob Rasner, who operates a B&B on Union Street, voiced his concern that the whole waterfront was being put on the line "with an untested hotel operator." Mike Tucker, president and CEO of CEDC, noted that the Regional Economic Development Council has made this project a priority and encouraged the Planning Board to approve it. Myron Polenberg, who also serves on the ZBA, observed, "I understand that there is going to be tax relief for the hotel."

Soon after the public hearing was closed, the Planning Board began its deliberation. Members of the board asked the applicants to explain their plans for potential flooding, for accommodating tour buses, and for parking. The code requires one parking space for each room with 300 feet of the hotel, and Rossi explained that they had 6 spaces behind the building, 26 in a large lot behind the building on Front Street where Relish is located, and 15 on the parcel next door to 41 Cross Street--all within 300 feet of the building--which put them only 8 spaces short of the required 55. He explained that there were 47 backup spots, in the Amtrak lot, where they would purchase permits from the City, and the parking lot at Basilica Hudson.

When it was observed that the hotel proposal was consistent with the larger vision for the waterfront outlined in the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP), Rasner interjected, "I didn't say it wasn't consistent. I was saying it's gotta be good, it's gotta be really good."

After Planning Board chair Tom DePietro led the board through the SEQR short form, and a negative declaration was made, the four members of the board present and able to vote--Rob Bujan, Gene Shetsky, Cleveland Samuels, and DePietro--voted unanimously to approve the site plan for the hotel.
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LICK Is Coming Back

Since last September, when LICK scooped up its last ice cream at 253 Warren Street, we have lived with the promise that LICK would reopen somewhere on Warren Street, but it wasn't known where. 

The shocking pink paper that appeared in the past few days, on the door to the space recently vacated by McDaris Fine Art, might have been a clue, but this morning all was revealed when Rachel Sanzone appeared before the Historic Preservation Commission seeking a certificate of appropriateness to hang the LICK sign at 623 Warren Street.

Ice cream is returning to Warren Street, but it's not known exactly when the new LICK will open.
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The Fate of the Rest of the Community Garden

At the end of 2013, there was much contention about Habitat for Humanity's expectation, based on a promise allegedly made some years before that by longtime former mayor Rick Scalera, that they could have the land on the northeast corner of Columbia and Second streets to build their single family passive houses. The problem was the land in question was a community garden where forty families had plots and grew a significant amount of their food.

The compromise reached at the time, vaguely reminiscent of the Judgment of Solomon, was to divide the plot in half. Habitat for Humanity could have the two larger lots at the eastern half of the garden; Hudson Urban Garden could continue to cultivate the three smaller lots at the western end.

The decision had the same effect as the Judgment of Solomon, if what Solomon proposed had been carried out. The garden ceased to be. The families who had plots in the garden found other places to grow their vegetables--in the raised beds on the lawn beside the First Presbyterian Church or in the new River City Community Garden on North Front Street, and Habitat for Humanity built their two passive houses.

Last week, it was announced that "Hudson Community Development and Planning Agency (HCDPA) is accepting sealed bids for the sale of real property located at 202, 204, 206 Columbia Street for the purpose of construction of low to moderate income housing and/or uses compatible with the Urban Renewal Plan"--a plan incidentally that is now more than thirty years old. The bids are due by 1:30 p.m. on June 9, 2016, at which time the HCDPA board, made up of four ex officio members--the mayor (Tiffany Martin Hamilton), the Common Council majority and minority leaders (Tiffany Garriga and Abdus Miah), the chair of the Planning Board (Tom DePietro)--and one community member (Barbara Hall), will open the sealed bids and decide who gets to purchase what's left of the garden. The announcement and the invitation to bid can be viewed on the City of Hudson website.
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Awards Decided

The Common Council Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee held a special meeting last night to finalize their decisions about awarding $20,000 to various events and festivals seeking the City's support. Although there was some discussion of the three applications that were set aside at the first meeting--Hudson River Exchange, Historic Hudson, and Perfect Ten--the decisions not to fund the three proposed events held.

Katherine Moore, director of operations for Hudson River Exchange, argued persistently that it was unfair to eliminate their event from consideration on the basis that Hudson River Exchange is an LLC and not a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), who sits on the committee, steadfastly maintained that with only $20,000 to award and grant requests totally $40,500, it was appropriate to eliminate applications from for-profit entities.

Friedman suggested, however, that the committee reconsider its decision to eliminate Historic Hudson and its request for support to exhibit The Warren Street Project for the month of October. "The Warren Street Project is very important," said Friedman. "Historic Hudson played an important part in saving Hudson architecture. It's a one-off, and it will bring people to the city." Committee chair Rick Rector (First Ward), while acknowledging that "Historic Hudson has done valuable things for the City of Hudson," maintained his position that the City could not support "sending people into one location where there are other things to buy" and expressed his fear that "other people will put art in their stores and want money from the City to advertise." The Warren Street Project, comprising photographs of every building on Warren Street taken in 1994 and 1995 by international photographer Lynn Davis, will be exhibited during the month of October, to celebrate Historic Hudson's 20th anniversary, at Vincent Mulford Antiques, 419 Warren Street. 

Perfect Ten was eliminated from consideration because the event being planned was described as being only for women and girls, and it was thought to be inappropriate for the City to provide financial support to an event that was gender exclusive.

After much discussion and several alternative proposals for divvying up the $20,000, the following awards were agreed upon:

• ArtsWalk--$1,000
• Bangladeshi Festival--$2,000
• Black Arts Festival--$3,000
• Promise Neighborhood Community Block Party--$1,000
• Flag Day Parade--$3,000
• Halloween Parade--$500
• Bindlestiff Summer Cirkus--$500
• Winter Walk (Hudson Opera House)--$4,000
• Hudson Bed Races--$1,000
• OutHudson LGBTQ Parade--$2,000
• Hudson Sloop Club Fish Fry--$750
• Summer Fest--$1,250

Let the parades and festivals begin!

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HCSD Election Less Than a Week Away

On Tuesday, May 17, voters in the Hudson City School District will go to their polling places--Hudson residents to John L. Edwards Primary School, 360 State Street; Greenport, Stockport, and Ghent residents to Greenport Pumper Company No. 1, 216 Green Street; and Claverack, Livingston, and Taghkanic residents to A. B. Shaw Firehouse, 67 NY-23 in Claverack--to approve the proposed 2016-2017 budget and to elect members of the Board of Education. 

There has been a fair amount of information available about the budget. Last week, a flier on the subject, with particulars about opportunities for students and student achievement, arrived in the mail. On Monday, HCSD superintendent Maria Suttmeier devoted her regular column in the Register-Star to explaining the budget: "Helping voters understand the district budget." 

Considerably less attention has been given to the candidates for the school board. There are three available seats on the board this election, and only two candidates--a situation that pretty much ensures both will be elected--but many voters may not know who those two candidates are. They are Sumayyah Shabazz, who currently serves on the school board after being appointed in August 2015 to fill the vacancy created when Peter Rice resigned, and Linda Hopkins. Information about the two candidates can be found on the HCSD website. Voters will have the opportunity to write in a third candidate of their choice. If you're interested in serving on the school board, there is still be time to mount a write-in campaign. You just need to get more votes than anyone else whose name is being written in.
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News from Tonight's WASC Meeting

At the Waterfront Advisory Steering Committee meeting on Tuesday, it was revealed that Hudson's LWRP (Local Waterfront Revitalization Program) was never officially submitted to the NYS Department of State for review. The implication of this is that, since the review of the document has not begun, revisions can be made before the document is formally submitted to the Department of State.

The work on the current LWRP (Hudson's second try; the first was rejected) began in 2006 and, after five years of moving in and out of public purview, it was adopted by the Common Council in 2011. Since then, the people of Hudson have been waiting for the LWRP to be approved at the state and federal levels. As it turns out, we could have waited forever. 

Many have been dissatisfied with the LWRP as it was adopted in 2011 because they believed it did not accurately reflect what the people of Hudson wanted for their waterfront. The WASC now has the opportunity to go back to the people, ten years later, to learn their vision for the waterfront and to suggest revisions to make the LWRP better reflect the community vision.
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Full Disclosure: The author of The Gossips of Rivertown is also the chair of the Waterfront Advisory Steering Committee.

It's Always Something

Work has begun on the new Hudson Police and Court Center at 701 Union Street, but the wrangling about it continues.

At the informal Common Council meeting last night, two resolutions were introduced having to do with the police and court project. The first "ratified and authorized" a change order amounting to $11,500; the second authorized the mayor, in future, to execute change orders. Both drew objections from Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward).

In the discussion of these two resolutions, it was revealed that the change order in question was the second needed by the project. The first was required when it was discovered that part of the building's foundation was crumbling and needed to be rebuilt. The second change order was necessitated by a discrepancy between the drawings for the addition to the building and the reality. The incline was greater than represented in the drawings and therefore the foundation wall needed to be higher and the interior stairs needed to be increased.

"Why did we pay the architect?" Friedman asked. "Let's split the difference. We're taking a haircut for somebody else's error." Friedman asserted that the change order was "directly related to [the architect's] shoddy work." "I can't believe I'm the only one who says these things," Friedman declared. "I'm the liberal Democrat in the room." A bit later in the discussion, First Ward aldermen Rick Rector and Michael O'Hara echoed Friedman's concern.

A contingency of $200,500 is built into the project budget, but Friedman contended, "The contingency is not for professionals making mistakes."

City attorney Ken Dow explained that "terrain and site-related stuff was not something they [the architects] were to do." Later, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton explained, "There had never been a proper survey of the topography, and that's how we ended up where we are." 

Dow acknowledged, "If you want to get some recourse against the architect, that can be done. The question here is do they pour the concrete and build the wall?" To which Friedman replied, "We can't make that decision tonight." When Friedman suggested that the City initiate a suit in small claims court, the mayor advised that it is not known "if the problem originated with the City, with Joe Rapp, or the architect."

Friedman also objected to the resolution that would allow the mayor to execute change orders, "using the contingency money cavalierly and outside of this Council." Dow argued, "There needs to be something in place. These things come up, and everything cannot stop for weeks at a time while the Council meets." Friedman countered, "Then we have emergency meetings."

The Council is expected to vote on the two resolutions at their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, May 17.
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A Meeting of Interest Tomorrow

The Waterfront Advisory Steering Committee holds its second meeting tomorrow night--Tuesday, May 10--at 6 p.m. at City Hall. Members of the public are invited to attend.
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Yes Farms! Yes Food!

Didi Barrett at the Hudson Farmers' Market

Gossips just received the following press release from the office of our representative to the New York State Assembly, explaining a new initiative: 

Assemblymember Didi Barrett (D-Columbia, Dutchess) announced she has sent a letter to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio in support of an initiative spearheaded by fourteen City Council Members seeking to secure a long term food source for all city residents by investing in Hudson Valley farms and farmland. The proposal urges New York City to put $5 million in the city budget to protect regional farms that deliver food to underserved neighborhoods throughout NYC.

“The Hudson Valley is home to many small and mid-size family farms that regularly supply many of New York City’s farmers markets and community supported agriculture initiatives,” said Assemblymember Barrett. “The fact is many of these same farms are at risk to development and this--literally groundbreaking--initiative would ensure a source of local nutritious food to city families while supporting our local agricultural economy and preserving our world class farmland.”

Since women often are the ones making food decisions for families, Assemblymember Barrett reached out to her women colleagues from New York City to sign on in support. They all share the belief that ensuring safe, healthy and nutritious food is vital and that investing in a local food system is beneficial to New York City and the Hudson Valley.

"Conserving farmland in the Hudson Valley is critical to ensuring that New York City has a sustainable regional food system," said Council Member Dan Garodnick. "We have an innovative plan in place to protect our access to fresh, local food, and the investment we make today will pave the way for New York to be a stronger, more resilient city. I thank Assemblymember Barrett for her advocacy on this important issue."

Steve Rosenberg, Executive Vice President of Scenic Hudson, Executive Director of the Scenic Hudson Land Trust, and author of Scenic Hudson’s groundbreaking Foodshed Conservation Plan said, “Securing New York City’s Foodshed by conserving working farms in the Hudson Valley will ensure access to fresh and nutritious food for New York City residents who need it most and enhance the viability of the farms on which the city depends. The initiative will be the first of its kind in the nation to formally link urban communities in need with the farmers who provide the food through a strategic conservation plan. The program will also leverage federal, state and philanthropic funding and strengthen relationships between the city and the surrounding region.”

“We are not upstate and downstate, but one state of New York," said Barrett, "and this pioneering initiative underscores that fact."

Mark Your Calendars

Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton "and her team" will hold a City of Hudson Town Hall Meeting, described as "the first open State of the City discussion," on Monday, May 16, at 6 p.m., at the Hudson Area Library, 51 North Fifth Street. Members of the Hudson community are invited to bring to the meeting their questions, comments, and suggestions, with this caveat: "We respectfully request that any issues raised be presented along with at least one proposed solution--this will both provide an opportunity for positive dialogue and offer the city fresh perspectives on some long-standing issues."

The following Sunday, May 22, the mayor will hold another public discussion, this one with the focus on North Bay. The outdoor event, which was originally to take place on May 1, was rescheduled for May 22 because of rain. As before, the event is planned to take place at the Furgary Boat Club, at the corner of North Front and Dock streets, at 1 p.m.

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What Used to Be

Once upon a time, on the site of what is now Crosswinds, there was a Gothic Revival house. Twenty years ago, it was abandoned and apparently had been for a while. The word was there had been a fire. Although many remember the house, no pictures seemed to exist to document it. Then a few days ago, Thomas S. Murphy posted this picture of the house on the Facebook page You're Probably from Hudson, NY.

The house may have been built following a pattern from one of the architecture books of Andrew Jackson Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis, Oliver P. Smith, or Samuel Sloan, or its design may have been made up by a local builder inspired by those designs, but, either way, it certainly possessed all the characteristics of pointed Gothic cottage architecture--characteristics shared by a house that survives nearby on Fairview Avenue, next door to the McDonald's.

Photo: Paul Barrett

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About Promenade Hill

Recently, while perusing Common Council minutes from 1964 for an entirely different purpose, I discovered the following in the minutes for August 27, 1964.

This excerpt provides evidence that more the fifty years ago, when urban renewal was demolishing everything surrounding it, the people of Hudson were concerned about the survival and well-being of Promenade Hill, Hudson's oldest public park, which had been established in 1795.

People continue to be concerned about Promenade Hill and the integrity of its historic design, now approached by way of a hard surface "mall" of 1970s design. The current cause for concern is the ramp that has been proposed to enable people with disabilities and mothers with strollers to access Promenade Hill. While no one is opposed to the end, many are worried about the means: a ramp, constructed of wood and dubbed by Gossips "the ramp of least resistance," for which the Common Council has allocated $20,000.

Last month, based on a tip from a reader who avowed the information came from a DPW employee, Gossips reported in an "Ear to the Ground," that the materials for the ramp had been ordered. This turns out not to be true. No materials have been acquired. Gossips has this on the authority of Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton and Rob Perry, the superintendent of Public Works. This does not mean, however, that there has been no movement toward providing access to Promenade Hill for those unable to climb stairs. There is a plan afoot to design and build a ramp that will not only give universal access to Promenade Hill but will also be an enhancement to the park entrance. Gossips will provide more information as this plan moves forward.
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Shocking and Sad News

Warren P. Reiss died on Thursday at the age of 61. Several of us in Hudson remember him best from the St. Lawrence Cement battle and the days of the Hudson Valley Preservation Coalition, when he was general counsel for Scenic Hudson. His obituary appears today in the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Photo: Taylor Reiss Gouge, Facebook

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The Doling Out Continues

When the meeting was adjourned at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, the Common Council Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee had not finished their work of awarding $20,000 from the City budget to events and festivals planned in Hudson. The process will continue, with the goal of finalizing the award recipients and amounts, next Wednesday, May 11, at 6 p.m. in City Hall.
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A Puzzling Development

Nine months ago, in August 2015, John Mason reported in the Register-Star that the New York State Authorities Budget Office was recommending that the Hudson Industrial Development Agency (IDA) be dissolved: "State to Hudson: Drop IDA." Sam Pratt commented on his blog about the recommendation: "Eliminate Hudson agency, State recommends." In spite of the advice from the Authorities Budget Office, the IDA lives on, made up, it seems, of nothing but ex officio members: the mayor (Tiffany Martin Hamilton), the city treasurer (Heather Campbell), the Common Council majority leader (Tiffany Garriga) and minority leader (Abdus Miah), the chair of the Planning Board (Tom DePietro), and the city assessor (Cheryl Kaszluga). 

It was brought to Gossips' attention earlier today that a meeting of the IDA has been posted on the city calendar for next Thursday, May 12, at 10 a.m. at City Hall. The subject of the meeting: "Potential PILOT for Redburn." The acronym PILOT, of course, stands for "payment in lieu of taxes," which, except in rare occurrences, means tax abatement. Redburn can only be Redburn Development, the group proposing to redevelop the Stageworks building at 41 Cross Street as a hotel to be known as The Wick.

Can it be that the developers who in February reported that their economic impact study indicated that the hotel's indirect impact on local business would be $2 million annually and the hotel would collect $50,000 in lodging taxes are now seeking a break on their property taxes? It doesn't seem to be quite what anyone expected.
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Stressing About Money

Last night, the Common Council Arts, Entertainment & Tourism Committee met to dole out the $20,000 budgeted by the City for events and festivals. Although a month or so ago, Alderman Rick Rector (First Ward), who chairs the committee, was lamenting that no applications had come in and reportedly made phone calls to past recipients to solicit applications, the problem last night was not too few requests but too many. With $20,000 available to give away, the requests totaled $40,700--more than twice what was available.

To winnow down the requests, Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), who sits on the committee, suggested they immediately eliminate any request that was not from a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, because "taxpayers should not be supporting private enterprise." This seemed to impact only applicant: Hudson River Exchange, which is an LLC. Since 2013, Hudson River Exchange has been organizing the very popular weekend-long summer market in Henry Hudson Riverfront Park. Last year, the committee awarded $1,100 to the event; this year, $2,000 was requested.

Also eliminated from consideration was Historic Hudson, for a different though related reason. Historic Hudson is a 501(c)3 and has been for twenty years. To celebrate its twentieth anniversary and the renaissance that has occurred in Hudson over that time, Historic Hudson is planning to exhibit The Warren Street Project--individual portraits of all the buildings on Warren Street taken by international photographer Lynn Davis in 1994 and 1995--for the month of October. Historic Hudson was seeking $1,500 to help mount the exhibition, which requires 200 linear feet of display surface. The choice of venue--a business on Warren Street with the space and willingness to host the exhibition on the ground floor--is what eliminated Historic Hudson from consideration, because, as Rector explained it, "This is putting people in a private business."

During the discussion of for-profit versus not-for-profit, it was noted that city attorney Ken Dow had questioned the City's ability to give money to anyone. Rector explained that the entities being awarded the money were entering into a contract for services with the City, although he admitted that most of the past grant recipients breached their contract by failing to report how the money had been spent. In spite of this, the City has continued to award money to these same entities.

Perfect Ten also had their application set aside because the event they are planning for April 2017 is for women and girls. Friedman asserted that the City "cannot support anything that excludes by gender." It was decided that the committee needed legal advice to determine if the proposed event could be supported with City money.

The committee also agonized over the application submitted by Dan Udell for an event called "Summer Meet and Greet." The event is the occasion for distributing Hudson Is a Summer Festival, a guidebook Udell and his wife create to help connect kids with the various summer programs offered in Hudson. The money requested would be used to pay the cost of printing the booklet. Rector contended that the money being distributed by the committee was for events and could not be used to print a booklet, but the committee came up with a different solution. Although Udell had raised almost enough money through crowdsourcing to print the booklet in one color and was only a few hundred dollars short, the committee decided to present a resolution to the full Council to give Udell $1,500 from the general fund so that the booklet could be printed in full color.

The committee succeeded in making some tentative awards, including $5,000 to the Hudson Opera House for Winter Walk, which Friedman declared was "precisely what we should be investing in," but the total came to more than $20,000. The committee plans to hold a special meeting at which they will review their tentative allocations and make final decisions.
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Now Available on the City Website

The 1996 Hudson Vision Plan is the stuff of legend. Funded by a grant from New York State's Urban Development Corporation secured by the Hudson Opera House back when it was a nascent not-for-profit that owned a historic building but had yet to occupy it any way and informed by more than a year of monthly community meetings, the document focused on Warren Street, Fourth Street (from the courthouse to what was then the library), and the waterfront to formulate a "vision that would take the city into the next century."

Before the grassroots community process was complete, the document was hijacked by City Hall, and for this reason, it is probably not the document it might have been. Still it has been influential and a force for good, even though it was never officially adopted by the City. The illustration above, which is from the 1996 Hudson Vision Plan, appears in the Department of State's LWRP guidebook, Making the Most of Your Waterfront: Enhancing Waterfronts to Revitalize Communities. The Vision Plan was referenced extensively in the April 2005 decision handed down by then NYS Secretary of State Randy Daniels that brought an end to the plan for a giant coal-fired cement plant to be built in Greenport, with access to the Hudson waterfront through South Bay. 

For all its importance and influence, very few people have ever read the Vision Plan, mostly because very few copies existed. But now it can be read by everyone. Thanks to Sheena Salvino, HDC executive director, who had the document scanned, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton, and City Clerk Tracy Delaney, the 1996 Hudson Vision Plan is now on the City of Hudson website, with its own tab on the homepage: Vision Plan - 1996.
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The Evolution of a Building

Prompted by yesterday's post about the buildings at Warren and Fourth streets that were supposed to become a hotel, local historian Paul Barrett sent Gossips this picture, which appeared in the Register-Star on July 29, 1971.

The caption explains that this is the new headquarters of the Hudson Credit Bureau and describes the newly refurbished building: "Brick facing, a roof-shingle overhang, and gleaming white paint make an attractive facade."  

This facade at 404 Warren Street, reconfigured forty-five years ago in a decade often considered an era of bad taste, is pretty much the same today, except the "roof-shingle overhang" is gone, the eight-over-eight window sash has been replaced by one-over-one windows, the nine light door has been replaced with a door that has just two lights, and all the brick face has been painted gleaming white. 

What a sad difference from the building's appearance in the 19th century, when there were divided light windows that extended from the height of the door almost to the ground along the entire facade of 402-404 Warren Street.

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Another Distinction Comes to Hudson

Last night, on May 2, the 2016 James Beard Awards--the Oscars of the culinary world--were presented at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago. The award for Best Chef: Northeast went to Zak Pelaccio, Fish & Game, Hudson, NY.

Ear to the Ground

Ten years ago, in March 2006, Richard Cohen presented a plan to the Historic Preservation Commission to convert the building on the northeast corner of Warren and Fourth streets and the adjacent three town houses along North Fourth Street into a hotel.

No one seems to know for sure if the design for the hotel ever received a certificate of appropriateness from the HPC (it is Gossips' memory that it didn't), but in grim pursuit of his plan for a hotel, Cohen demolished first a building at 406 Warren Street, believed to date from the late 18th century, and then an early 19th-century Greek Revival town house on North Fourth Street.

In the past ten years, while plans for other hotels in Hudson--The Barlow and Rivertown Lodge--were conceptualized and realized, the hotel project at Warren and Fourth remained a worrisome eyesore that seemed to be more about the destruction of historic architecture than its restoration and reuse.

Now the word is that Cohen has given up on the hotel project and intends to lease out the building at 402-404 Warren Street as office and commercial space. In recent days, the cornice of the building has been getting a coat of trendy dark gray paint . . . 

and there are "For Rent" signs in the windows of the two ground floor spaces, where the brick was recently painted white.

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Not to Be Missed

This month's issue of Chronogram contains a feature article about Carrie Haddad and her gallery, "Carrie On," and a poem by Branda Maholtz, "Pointing Towards the Sun."

Money for Conservation and the Waterfront

Today $1.76 million in Hudson River Estuary grants were awarded to thirty-six projects. Two of those projects are in Hudson, and together they have been awarded more than $100,000.

In the category of "Natural Resources Inventories," Hudson's Conservation Advisory Council was awarded $20,000 to produce a natural resources inventory and conservation plan that will be used "to revise the existing zoning ordinance to help conserve green space, reduce stormwater, promote green (nature-based) infrastructure strategies, protect open space and historic resources, and to develop vacant lots and brownfield areas."

In the category of "River Education," $91,780 was awarded to build and equip the Everett Nack Estuary Education Center on Hudson's waterfront.

The riverfront information center, constructed from a recycled shipping container, will be developed and operated by the Hudson Sloop Club. Click here to learn more about the Hudson Sloop Club's vision for the center.

An additional $1.25 million in Hudson River Estuary grant funding is now available to organizations and municipalities for local stewardship planning and river access and education. The deadline for submitting requests for applications (RFAs) is June 30. Click here for more information.
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Breaking News on the State Political Scene

WAMC Photo by Dave Lucas

Late this afternoon, Gossips learned from WAMC that Congressman Chris Gibson, who will retire from the House of Representatives at the end of this term and who was contemplating a run for governor of New York in 2018, has decided not to run to governor after all. Early this afternoon, Gibson released this statement:    

Over the past 35 years, I’ve had the great honor and privilege of serving our country--first, for 29 years in the military and now six in Congress. In recent months, my family and I have had the opportunity to travel New York State, meeting new friends in 48 counties. I appreciate greatly the warm welcomes and support I have received, and the time so many have dedicated to our mission to change the state. For that, I can only say thank you.

The last year has also brought into greater clarity what our next steps should be as a family. Mary Jo and I have three teenagers who are in their last years at home. In addition, I was just offered and accepted a position with Williams College as a Visiting Lecturer on Leadership beginning in February 2017, and anticipate accepting other academic positions shortly. Ultimately, for our family, the opportunity to spend increased time together balanced with a return to academia was one we could not pass up.

Therefore, I will not be running for Governor in 2018. At the conclusion of my term in the U.S. House of Representatives, I will be leaving politics and starting this new direction with my family. In the near-term, I will be closing my exploratory committee. For our donors to that committee, we’ll be refunding contributions we’ve received.

I will be working hard to finish strong and transition well to whomever voters choose as the next Representative for the 19th District. I truly believe that this is an exceptional country and our best days are still in front of us.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve. 

A Tale of Preservation: 412-416 Warren Street

Yesterday, on the first day of Preservation Month, it was explained that Gossips would not be observing Preservation Month, as it has for the past three years, with a Historic Detail Hunt. Instead, taking a cue from the National Trust's theme for this year's Preservation Month, "This Place Matters," Gossips will periodically throughout the month of May, as inspiration strikes, feature houses and places in Hudson that have survived various threats, often in an "against all odds" kind of way. The first house to be considered is the Second Empire mansion at 412-416 Warren Street, a building now owned by the Galvan Foundation.

Photo: Walter Ritchie|Galvan Foundation

The idea of featuring this house first in our observance of Preservation Month came about in a rather serendipitous way. Last week, in preparation for the public conversation about North Bay that was supposed to take place yesterday, there was a meeting at the Furgary Boat Club. (I was there in my capacity as the chair of the Waterfront Advisory Steering Committee.) During a casual walkabout, it was learned that the "siding" on the facade of one of the shacks (the one pictured below) was made up of pieces of a tin ceiling "from the Jewish Community Center."

This is of interest because, from 1941 to 1970, the Jewish Community Center was located at 412-416 Warren Street, in the Second Empire mansion built in 1870 for Cornelius H. Evans, the owner of what was then Hudson's largest and most successful brewery.

Because the house is now one of the many properties owned by the Galvan Foundation, Walter Ritchie was commissioned to do a history of the house, which was published on the Galvan website. (That history is, as all Ritchie's work, recommended reading.) The period in the house's history when the tin ceiling went into the dumpster and was salvaged to adorn a Furgary shack is summed up in this sentence from Ritchie's account: "The interior was substantially altered in the second half of the twentieth century, resulting in the loss of most of the original architectural decoration." 

Ritchie's history of the house glosses over a few decades--from the 1970s after it ceased being the Jewish Community Center until 2006 when Galvan Partners acquired it--and this is when the house's "against all odds" survival happens. Gossips has learned that in the 1970s not only was most of the interior detail stripped from the building but there was also a bad fire that destroyed even more. At some point in the mid-1970s--the era of Urban Renewal--the City of Hudson ended up owning the house, and, predictably for the era, there was serious talk of demolishing it to create a parking lot.

Photo courtesy Mary Ann Gazzola

The picture above shows the house in 1980, around the time it was acquired by the Hudson Restoration Group and rescued from a state of ruin and threatened demolition. The picture below shows the house in 1982, when the rehab was complete.

Photo courtesy Mary Ann Gazzola

In 2006, the house was purchased by Galvan Partners, and by 2008, when the picture below was taken for LivingPlaces, the paint on the brick had been removed.

The colorized post card image below, which dates from around 1900, provides evidence that the brick was painted at that time, when the house was the residence either of its original owner (Cornelius H. Evans died in 1901) or of his son Cornelius H. Evans, Jr., who inherited the house and lived there until 1941.

COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK

If It's May, It's Preservation Month

Today is the first day of May and the first day of Preservation Month, as designated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For the past three years, Gossips has observed Preservation Month with the Historic Detail Hunt, challenging readers to search out architectural details on the buildings of Hudson. The tradition will not continue this year--not for want of details worthy attention but for want of readers interested in going out and looking for them. Last year all the prizes--and there four of them--went to the only team who entered the contest. But Gossips isn't letting readers off the hook when it comes to challenges--at least not for today. 

After last week's post about G. B. Croff and Hudson, Gossips learned that an elevation drawing for 5 Willard Place, now known as The Croff House, also appears in Gilbert Bostwick Croff's book, Progressive American Architecture. The house lost its third floor is a disastrous fire that occurred on May 29, 1941. The drawing shows that, unlike the house next door at at 4 Willard Place, also designed by Croff, and the houses that once stood at 1 and 2 Willard Place, this house had neither a mansard roof nor a tower.

Browsing further in Croff's book online, Gossips discovered three more elevation drawings for buildings he designed for Hudson. One of them is for a banking house, which we know was constructed as Farmers' National Bank in the 500 block of Warren Street.

This extraordinary building, which stood at 544 Warren Street, was destroyed by fire in 1926. 

So, here comes the challenge. Croff's book includes one more elevation drawing for a building associated with Hudson. The notation describes it as a "Residence Prepared for Erection at Hudson, N.Y."

It is entirely possible that the house was never actually built, but it may have been. Are there any Gossips readers who recognize the house and know its fate?

COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK

Thanks to Duncan Calhoun for providing the information that inspired this post