Returning to the Public Square

It's been about three years since Cathryn Dwyre's re-imagining of the Public Square, also known as Seventh Street Park, met with what was at best misgiving and at worst outrage.

Dwyre dissed the original 1878 design of the park, calling it a Roman concept that was already out of fashion when it was inappropriately imposed on the Public Square--inappropriate because it pretended that the railroad tracks did not slice through the space. Despite that criticism, Hudsonians were ready defend their anachronistic park. The general consensus at the time seemed to be that the park should be restored to its 19th-century simplicity, with the original Venus fountain at its center.

Although there was much attention paid to the Public Square back in 2014, no plan to restore or alter the park was ever pursued, because the City didn't get the $250,000 grant it was seeking to finance the project.

The Public Square came up again last night at the Common Council Public Works Committee meeting. Peter Bujanow, public works commissioner, had earlier noted that the paving of the walks in the park was in such bad shape that it presented a public safety issue. In his report to the committee, DPW superintendent Rob Perry explained that in 2013 he had gotten a quote from T. D. Smith Stonemasonry to replace the asphalt surface with pavers. The cost, then estimated to be just shy of $40,000, was put in the proposed budget for 2014 but was removed by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment. Perry said he would again ask that money to replace the asphalt walks with pavers be included in the budget for 2018.

Image: Google

The pictures that follow, showing a city park in Chesterton, Maryland, provided to Gossips back in 2014 by Joe Connelly, give evidence that replacing the nasty asphalt with brick pavers would go a long a way toward improving the appearance and the experience of our Public Square.

 
 

With new brick paths, all that would remain to make the Public Square the source of civic pride, as it was in the 19th century, would be to get rid of the pachyderm fence around the fountain and re-create the fountain in its original 19th-century design.

Evelyn & Robert Monthie Slide Collection, Columbia County Historical Society

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Mark Your Calendars

It's official. The public hearing to be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals about the Order to Remedy for work done by Colarusso on the dock, without approval from the Planning Board, has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 9, at 6 p.m. in City Hall. The notice of the public hearing appeared today in the Register-Star.

Image: South Bay Coalition

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Preservation and Conservation

The Register-Star reports today about the Doodletown Wildlife Management Area--700 acres of long abandoned farmland now grown into a forest, recently purchased by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for public use: "700 acres in Columbia County now open to the public."

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Support Your Local Confectionery

Hudson's own Vasilow's Confectionery is a semifinalist in two categories in Hudson Valley Magazine's "Best of the Hudson Valley 2017" competition. The two categories are "Candy Store" and "Chocolate Shop." The voting began yesterday and continues through the end of the month, Sunday, April 30. Click here to access the page where you can vote for Vasilow's . . . twice! 
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Finding a Place to Park

Last week, the Common Council passed a resolution to make a formal home rule request of the state legislature to establish a residential parking permit system for the area of Hudson surrounding Columbia Memorial Hospital. It is hoped this will solve the parking problems for residents whose parking spaces on the street are regularly taken up by hospital workers. But what about the hospital workers? Where are they supposed to park? 

In the past, the hospital rented the parking lot at the American Legion for its workers. Recently the property was sold, and that lot is no longer available. 

As an alternative to the American Legion lot, the hospital is now renting parking spaces for it workers in the lot behind the First Reformed Church on Green Street. While providing offsite parking, the hospital prohibits workers from parking in the existing parking garage during the daytime in order to keep those spaces free for people visiting doctors' offices and patients in the hospital. 

Even though the hospital is providing parking only a block away, it seems that hospital workers prefer driving around the neighborhood looking for a space on the street to parking in the lot. For whatever reason workers would rather park on the street than in the lot, things will become a lot more difficult for them when parking on the street will likely result in a $25 parking ticket.
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Protecting What's Unique About Hudson

The historic preservation ordinance, Chapter 169 of the City of Hudson code, which was adopted by the Common Council in 2003, was the most significant legislation for protecting the unique character of Hudson. Despite Rick Scalera, who was mayor at the time, later mourning, in the media, that signing the legislation into law instead of vetoing it was the biggest mistake he ever made as mayor, and his former aide, Carmine Pierro, launching regular assaults on the Historic Preservation Commission, when he was on the Common Council, for allegedly interfering with development in Hudson, the historic preservation ordinance and the commission that it created have succeeded in protecting the very things that make Hudson a sought-after destination: its historic architecture and its unique and quirky character.

Now, fourteen years later, the Common Council Economic Development Committee is working on legislation that would take a further step in preserving not only community character but also community wealth. The proposed legislation is a law that would ban formula businesses--chains and big box stores--from locating in Hudson.

The aesthetic benefit of such a ban is obvious. Hudson would not have to deal with businesses wanting to impose their iconic store appearance and signage on our main street. Such a law would also preserve Hudson's character by encouraging the kinds of unique, independent businesses that have developed here and ensuring that they would not have to compete with regional and national chains. The law would also ensure that Hudson continues to provide an experience that cannot be found anywhere else--certainly not in a shopping mall. And there are additional economic benefits. The law would ensure that wealth stays in the community. More than once in the discussion of this legislation, Alderman John Friedman (Third Ward), who is researching and drafting the legislation, has pointed out that money spent at a chain store leaves the community the next day, but money spent at businesses with local owners stays in the community longer. Another benefit anticipated is that a ban on formula stores would have the effect of capping the rents being charged for commercial space on Warren Street. Landlords might be more reasonable in their expectations if they knew that renting to a chain, capable of paying more than an independent proprietor, is not a possibility.

At the Economic Development Committee meeting last Thursday, the committee reviewed a draft of the legislation banning formula businesses from Hudson. Based on the discussion that evening, Friedman will be revising the draft. Committee chair Rick Rector told Gossips that the committee will hold a public hearing to help them refine the legislation before passing it along to the full Council for consideration.
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Meeting Canceled

News for anyone planning to attend the Hudson Development Corporation meeting today: It was just announced that the Board of Directors meeting, which was to take place at noon, will not be held. The next meeting of the HDC Board will take place on May 23.

Election Day Is Just Six Months Away

Local elections happen this November. In Hudson, local elections can be pretty exciting, and this year, with the restructuring of the five wards into voting districts of equal population, the election promises to be even more dramatic than usual.

The first to make public his intention to run for office this time around is Rob Bujan, who is seeking to represent the greatly expanded geographically First Ward as an alderman. Bujan, a Democrat who lives in the original First Ward and currently serves on the Planning Board, announced his candidacy with this statement:

I am looking forward to running for 1st Ward Alderman. I believe transparency and collaboration to be an essential part of any government. We don't have to always agree but we should really agree that each person's passion has a reason behind it and that that passion is important to them. Treating others with respect, regardless of one's view is so important when working with a team, in this case, the Common Council.  

Now is the time for the City of Hudson and its government to continue to work to push for progress, equality, responsibility and respect.   

You can hear Bujan, who writes the blog Pulling the Plug on Healthcare, talking about healthcare and related issues today at 2 p.m. on WGXC. Bujan's campaign website is bujanforfirst.com.
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Consideration of Haul Road Postponed

Gossips has received word that Ed Stiffler, chair of the Greenport Planning Board, announced this morning the board will not be considering the Colarusso haul road proposal at its next meeting, which takes place tomorrow, April 25. The reason given is that the public comments received, at the special informational meeting last week and in written form, provide more information than the board is able to review prior to the meeting.

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Reminder of an Important Meeting

This Wednesday, April 26, the Conservation Advisory Council is holding a public meeting to gather knowledge and ideas to inform its Open Space and Natural Resources Inventory. 

Hudson residents are invited to share their thoughts about what would make Hudson a more livable, sustainable, and enjoyable place. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, in the Hudson Senior Center on the second floor of the Galvan Armory at 51 North Fifth Street, also the location of the Hudson Area Library. For more information, contact CAC@cityofhudson.org. 
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The Beginnings of 327 Warren Street

"A City Hall should be erected, one that Hudson city would be proud of. It is certainly needed, and by a little exertion on the part of our citizens it could be obtained." 

With those words, from a letter to the editor that appeared in the Hudson Daily Star on May 22, 1851, Mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton cut the ribbon, and the guests assembled last night for the Proprietors Ball climbed the stairs to the newly restored Hudson Hall, the final phase of the restoration of a building constructed a hundred and sixty-one years ago as Hudson's City Hall.

In the thirty-six hours before the ball, Gossips spent some time trying to help identify something historic and appropriate for the mayor to say on this occasion. My research, though it yielded no eloquent statements from the mayor at the time, Peter S. Wynkoop, uncovered a timeline of the construction of the building in 1854, which for us in the 21st century seems truly amazing. Today, as a tribute to the monumental community achievement celebrated last night, Gossips shares a summary of the story of the building's construction, drawn from items that appeared in the Daily Star. 

As the quote from the letter to the editor suggests, Hudson's need for a proper city hall was recognized for many years before it was met. Prior to the construction of 327 Warren Street, the Common Council met in rented spaces. There seem to have been a couple of different ones over time, and the legend that the Henry Ary painting of George Washington has to be present whenever the Common Council meets may be associated with this lack of a city hall and an official, permanent Council chamber. The presence of the painting rendered whatever room the Council was meeting in the official Council chamber.

Our story today begins in April 1854, when, on April 4, the Daily Star reported that the legislation enabling the City of Hudson to borrow $15,000 for the purpose of building a city hall had passed in the State Assembly and Senate.

The next step was to find a site for the building, and two days later, on April 6, 1854, the Daily Star reported that a committee of the Common Council had been appointed to do just that.

On April 11, the Daily Star reported that the committee "have not yet fixed upon any definite site," but three days later, on April 14, eight days after the committee was appointed, the Daily Star reported that a site had been chosen.

The following day, on April 15, the Daily Star provides more information about the site.

 

 

The next steps were to get rid of the "small wooden buildings of little value" and select an architect. On May 4, it was reported that the buildings had been sold at auction, and on May 30, it was reported that last of the old buildings had been moved from the site.

This building in the 300 block of Allen Street is one of the buildings that was moved.

Where on Diamond Street (now Columbia Street) and State Street the other buildings were relocated is not known nor it is known if they still exist.

On April 21, 1854, the Daily Star reported, "The City Hall plans are in the hands of two or three architects of this city to make drafts." Although the report specified "architects of this city," the first draft to be submitted, on May 8, 1854, came from an Albany architect, Mr. B. S. De Forest. This raised the ire of at least one Hudsonian, who, identifying himself as "An Old Tax Payer," declared in a letter to the editor of the Daily Star: "We have among us men of genius and talent, capable of designing and constructing any work, either useful or ornamental, in as good style and taste as any that can be procured from abroad, and those who are entrusted with the management of our city affairs, would not be justified in giving the funds raised by city taxation to foreign mechanics; and the writer for one, although decidedly in favor of the new City Hall, would have opposed the measure with all the influence under his control, could he for a moment have supposed that our city authorities would adopt such an unjust and impolitic course." The next day, the Daily Star assured "An Old Tax Payer" that "the draft submitted by Mr. De Forest of Albany was volunteered and received with the understanding that it was not to be paid for unless adopted." 

A few days later, on May 13, 1854, it appeared that De Forest would be the architect of Hudson's city hall because our local Hudson architects were too busy with other projects to submit their drafts in time.

On May 19, 1854, however, the Daily Star reported that Peter H. Avery had submitted a draft "which is in several respects thought to be better adapted to the purpose and the place than that submitted by Mr. De Forest, of Albany." As we know, Avery, who was both young and local though apparently not a Hudson native, got the job. The account in the Daily Star provides a fairly detailed description of Avery's proposed design. Reading it, one can imagine the building as we know it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The bids for constructing the building were received on June 28, 1854, and on July 1, 1854, the project was awarded to Mr. A. Calkins, who submitted the lowest bid: $12,975. The ground breaking took place the very next day, on July 2, 1854, and six months later, on January 2, 1855, Hudson's new City Hall opened with its very first event: a Franklin Library Association lecture given by George William Curtiss [sic], entitled "The Secret of Success."

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Another Chance Today

The neon "HOT POPCORN" sign is gone, to live on at the Crandell Theater in Chatham, but the popcorn popper and some other objects--both practical and sentimental--are still available in the lobby of Fairview Cinema 3. Bruce Mitchinson says he'll be there today, probably starting at noon, so stop by and take a look. Gossips shopped the lobby sale yesterday and snagged the marquee letters to spell out the name of Fairview Cinema's biggest canine fan: JOEY.
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A Thought at the Close of Earth Day

Regular readers know that day by day I am searching the newspapers from 1917 for items that provide insight into life on the home front--specifically Hudson--during the U.S. involvement in the Great War, World War I. Sometimes, though, I stumble upon fascinating things that are not related to the war but to the influenza pandemic that no one in the spring of 1917 could have known would happen in the late fall of 1918. This is an example--an image that appeared in the Hudson Evening Register for April 18, 1917.

It was not an advertisement for a painter, a paint store, or a particular brand of paint. It was a public service announcement. Ironically, the paint believed in 1917 to kill all germs is today a major public health hazard because it contained lead.
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Happy Earth Day

Photo: NASA/NOAA/Goes Project

This image of the Americas was captured on Earth Day, 2014, by the NASA/NOAA Goes Project at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

What It Says

For anyone curious about the amicus brief submitted to the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday by the South Bay Coalition regarding the appeal of the Order to Remedy, that document is now available on the City of Hudson website. Click here to access it. The following illustrations are from the document.

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Today at the Youth Center

Right now, the Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood is having a fundraising dinner at the Hudson Youth Center. It started at noon and will go on until 6 p.m., or until they run out of food, so get yourself to the Youth Center for a fried chicken dinner for just $10. You can dine there or take your food home. They are even offering home delivery if you call 518 828-0017.

Also happening at the Youth Center today, at 2:30, the kids of Kite's Nest will march from their headquarters on South Front Street to the Youth Center for the official unveiling of the mural they created on the side of the building. Those who show up at Kite's Nest shortly before 2:30 can view the hand-built snake museum before the parade to the Youth Center steps off.

Photo: Kite's Nest

Join the fun, get some good food, and support a worthy community cause.
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A Hundred Years Ago in Hudson

While combing through old newspapers looking for items that reveal life in Hudson during the Great War, I came upon the following report in the Evening Register for Wednesday, April 18, 1917, and I could not resist sharing it. It has no particular relevance to the declaration of war that happened two weeks before, but it does involve Officer Miller, a Gossips obsession in 2015.

The story teaches two lessons that are still relevant to us in the 21st century: don't make phone calls when you've had too much to drink; and don't use indecent language when you are phoning the police.
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