Ear to the Ground

The word is that a new clothing store is getting ready to open at the corner of Warren and South Front streets. It is rumored that the creator and owner of the store is Layla Kalin, wife of Etsy founder Rob Kalin. The store is expected to sell high-end apparel for men, women, and children and to open in the middle of next month. 

East Side, West Side

First it was billboards along Route 9G, entering and exiting Hudson, meant to lure people across the bridge to Catskill. Now it seems Catskill, the village, is trying to lure a chef to its Main Street with the promise of a restaurant rent-free for a year: "Small Town Desperate for Chef, Offers Rent-Free Restaurant."  Nina Sklansky, the author of the billboard copy, is quoted in the article, speaking of the goals of Catskill's "rebranding," as saying, "God forbid if the place turns into something like Hudson."

The Hard Life of a Street Tree

This morning, a truck backed into the tree in front of 612 Warren Street, ripping off a significant branch. Then DPW came along and took the branch away and trimmed up the tree.

The question is: Can the tree survive in this condition?

Thanks to Gossips readers for supplying these pictures.

A Cathouse for 21st-Century Hudson

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

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

All of Warren Street was designated a historic district in May 2006. It is not known when the mural was originally placed on the building, but it's very likely that it happened before the historic preservation law was adopted and the Warren Street Historic District was created. The question of whether or not the mural can go back on the building now, without a certificate of appropriateness, just because it was there before, is an interesting one. If Wurster has misinterpreted the law, it's not clear who can or will tell him that.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Not to Be Missed

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

Before There Was Any Thought of MAI

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

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

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

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

Park VII Is New Area Nightspot

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

An Opening and an Anniversary Today

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

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

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

That Pesky Preservation Commission

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since someone may try to use this incident as evidence that the Historic Preservation Commission impedes home improvement efforts, Gossips decided to get the story out before that happens.
COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

Saturday and the River

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

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

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

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

The Party's Over . . .

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

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

Armory Project Before the Planning Commission

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

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

The Bridge: A Different Perspective

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

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

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

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

Save the Theater!

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

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

The Word from Daniel Kent on 900 Columbia Street

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

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

Late Night Skulduggery

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

Another Familiar Place in Fighting for Freedom

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

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

Celebrate!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disassembling or Demolishing?

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

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

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

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

COPYRIGHT 2013 CAROLE OSTERINK

900 Columbia Street Discussed in City Hall

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

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

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

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

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

Back to the 1970s

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

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

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

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

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

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

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