November 6, 2005  (Further Updated  December 8, 2005)

Nelson House, Poughkeepsie, NY

The Dutchess County  Legislature is considering demolition of the Nelson House in downtown Poughkeepsie; County Executive Bill Steinhaus would replace the hotel with a parking lot. The Nelson House opened in 1876 and is the third hotel to operate on the site since the Revolutionary War. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's White House staffers set up their headquarters in the Nelson House when FDR visited his home in neighboring Hyde Park (approximately 200 times during the course of his presidency). The hotel closed in 1969. Dutchess County used the building for offices until about 1986, after which it emptied the building and left it abandoned. The oldest part of the hotel was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the neighboring county office building, but the neo-Classical style, six-story expansion dating from 1925 and part of the nineteenth century hotel remain. 

Source Article: "Dutchess County capital plan totals $45.4 million." By Patricia Doxsey. The Daily Freeman, November 3, 2005.

More Nelson House:
Preservation Online: "Poughkeepsie Outraged by Plan to Raze FDR Hotel." Story by Margaret Foster, November 16, 2005.

Nelson House Update December 8, 2005:
The Nelson House will survive a little longer, as funding for  its demolition has been removed from the 2006 Dutchess County capital improvement plan.

Source Article: "Dutchess Nixes Demolition of Historic hotel." By Anthony Farmer, The Poughkeepsie Journal, December 8, 2005.

October 15, 2005

Farmhouse, Tarrytown, NY

It is my understanding that this farmhouse in the Pennybridge section of Tarrytown is to be torn down for a housing development. The property was once part of a 99-acre estate, known in the 19th century as Graystone. A nearby brick barn complex designed by Robert Henderson Roberston dates to before 1896 and is apparently safe from development for now. Trees have already been cleared along the Old Croton Aqueduct, which borders the property, in advance of construction.

Halcyon Hall, Millbrook, NY

The Poughkeepsie Journal has reported that Village of Millbrook has approved a zoning change to allow for development on 25 acres of the former Bennett School for Girls property. According to the Journal, "a developer could build up to four units of housing per acre if certain conditions are met, including:  Preservation of the stonework of Halycon Hall (and other factors)." Thus, it seems that the majority of the structure of Halcyon Hall is slated for demolition.

Source Article:  "Vote Allows for Homes at Former School." By Michael Woyton. The Poughkeepsie Journal. October 13, 2005.

Grandview School, Catskill, Update:
The Village of Catskill has also approved a zoning change which will pave the way for demolition of another historic building. The Grandview School property has been zoned entirely for commercial use and its sale to Widewaters Property Management for $1 million is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The school building's expected replacement: "a strip retail plaza." For more information, see the Hudson Valley Demolition Alert page, June 1, 2004. 

Source Article:  "Path Clear for School Sale. By Ariel Zangla, The Daily Freeman. October 13, 2005.

September 16, 2005
Forst Meat Packing Company, Kingston, Update:
The long-awaited demolition of the Forst Meat Packing Company plant on the Rondout Creek is expected to begin on Monday, September 19. Financing for the project is now in place - work stopped after overgrowth surrounding the buildings was cleared away in late 2004. The 57-room Noah Hotel, complete with catering hall and restaurant, is expected to be constructed at the site. 

Source Article:  "Long-delayed hotel project clears final hurdle." By Paul Kirby. The Daily Freeman. September 15, 2005.

August 23, 2005

Rockland Drive-In Theatre, Monsey, NY Wal-Mart makes its first appearance on the Hudson Valley Demolition Alert Page, although it is known to have contributed to the loss of regional architecture before. The Journal News announced plans for a 215,000 square-foot Wal-Mart superstore at the former Rockland Drive-In Theatre site, despite the presence of an adjacent shopping center and a nearby existing Wal-Mart. There are at least three Drive-In sites in lower Rockland County, but the Monsey site is the only one with a screen (in great condition) and a roadside sign. Source article: "Super Wal-Mart planned in Monsey." Schepp, David. The Journal News, August 23, 2005.

June 29, 2005
Anaconda Wire and Cable, Hastings-on-Hudson, Update:
The demolition of the remaining buildings of the Anaconda factory has begun. 

Source Article:  "Demolition Begins on Key Hastings Waterfront Site," By Joseph Ax. The Journal News. June 29, 2005

School 6, Yonkers, Update:
The demolition of School #6 to make way for a 24 hour drive-thru pharmacy, and the development of the Longfellow School into market-rate apartments by Milio Management have been derailed for now, as the City Council voted against naming Milio as the selected developer of the Longfellow School.

Source Article: "School Rehab Project Off Table." By Hannan Adely. The Journal News, June 26, 2005. 

Other Hudson Valley Demolition News:
A millhand's house in Pleasant Valley has recently been demolished, and replaced with a patch of grass. A few similar houses remain and are lived in, but one survives in state of abandonment and could be demolished in the future despite its advanced age.

June 8, 2005

Yonkers Power Station, Yonkers, NY

On Wednesday, June 1, the Yonkers Landmarks Preservation Board accepted our application to locally landmark the New York Central Railroad Power Station at Yonkers (aka "Glenwood Power Station") as complete, starting the review process. Next, the Planning Board and Landmarks Board must make recommendations before the City Council votes on designation. At the meeting, Remi Companies of New Jersey announced that they are in contract to buy the building. Remi has stated their intention to demolish the power station, although no definitive plans have been presented to the public.

April 20, 2005

Sedgwick Machine, Poughkeepsie, NY DEMOLISHED ~Early 2005~      One of the last remaining brick buildings on Poughkeepsie's waterfront has been razed. Only the tower section of Sedgwick Machine still stands as the City moves forward with its waterfront redevelopment. The former elevator factory had suffered partial fire damage in July of 2002.  UPDATE: The tower still stands as of late 2006.

 

School 6, Yonkers, NY

School 6 in Yonkers is under consideration for sale by the City of Yonkers to Milio Management, owners of adjacent properties. Milio will work with Walgreen's to redevelop the school site, and other buildings in the neighborhood may be threatened by the proposed widening of Ashburton Avenue. The brick building, designed by C. C. Chipman, was built in the 1890s. 

Kimlin Cider Mill, Poughkeepsie, Update:
The Town of Poughkeepsie Board voted on Wednesday April 20  in favor of landmark status for the Cider Mill. The current owner wants the building razed or moved. "Town of Poughkeepsie Town Board Approved the Designation of the Kimlin Cider Mill as a Town Historic Landmark with a 6 to 1 Vote - Supervisor Davis casting the single Negative Vote! This Vote sends a strong message on the importance of historic preservation and local history. The Town Board did the right thing and stayed focused on the issue." From Ginny's History, Genealogy & Historical Preservation Home Page.

March 25, 2005
Smith-Robinson House, Ossining, Update:
The developer that previously planned to raze the Smith-Robinson House has backed down. The house is built of "Sing Sing Marble," and was slated to be replaced by 84 high-end condominium units. The owner, Elysian Fields Realty, has not announced their new intentions for the site. See Hudson Valley Demolition Alert for March 21, 2004 for the original story.

More Smith-Robinson House
The Journal News: "Condo Plan Withdrawn." Rob Marchant, March 24, 2005.

March 13, 2005
Anaconda Wire and Cable Company Update:
On March 1, the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Board of Trustees voted 5-0 to approve Atlantic Richfield Co.'s application to demolish ten buildings at the Anaconda site. Twelve buildings on the site have already been demolished. At lest three other structures will not be torn down, for now at least. According to the Journal News, ARCO hopes to start asbestos removal in April, followed by demoliiton of the buildings in the middle of the summer.

Source article: "Hastings Board Approves ARCO Demolition Plan," by Hema Easley, The Journal News. March 2, 2005.

February 27, 2005
Kimlin Cider Mill Update: (further updated March 7, 2005)
Please sign the online petition to encourage the Town of Poughkeepsie Supervisor and Town Board to designate the Kimlin Cider Mill, listed on the State & National Registers of Historic Places, a Town of Poughkeepsie Landmark Site. 

More Kimlin Cider Mill
Ginny's History, Genealogy and Historical Preservation Home Page 
Preservation Online - "Cider Mill May Be demolished for 'Cider Mill Estates,'" by Margaret Foster, March 2, 2005. 
Hudson Valley Ruins - Demolition Alert December 1, 2005

February 18, 2005

Vineyard Avenue  Fire Station #2, Yonkers, NY

A community development group has dropped plans to reuse the Vineyard Avenue Firehouse and is is now planning on demolishing the brick structure. The group, Narrow Way was given the property for one dollar by the City of Yonkers in 2002, and once proposed building a tabernacle and six apartments in the building, but now they plan for eight apartments in a completely new building. The firehouse is is included in the list of "Historic Properties in the City of Yonkers" prepared by the Planning Bureau, and also eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The Narrow Way will be getting federal community development funds to build the affordable housing. This means that the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) must review the plan prior to any demolition since the site is National Register Eligible. The plans for the site of the Vineyard Avenue firehouse have been discussed at Yonkers Planning Board and City Council Real Estate meetings, yet the historic nature of the building has not been mentioned, nor has the fact that the use of federal funding automatically takes the demolition decision out of the hands of the group and of the City and places it in the hands of the SHPO. 

-Thanks to Deirdre Hoare for information compiled here.

More Vineyard Avenue Fire Station #2:
Hudson Valley Ruins

February 15, 2005 (Further Updated March 25, 2005)

Tioranda Bridge, Beacon, NY DEMOLISHED ~December 2006~

A historic bridge in Dutchess County is slated to be replaced. Spanning the Fishkill Creek, the Tioranda Bridge has not been maintained and the City Council must decide whether the bridge will be dismantled now, or when construction for the replacement bridge begins, which is expected to be in late 2006. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the bridge was built in 1872-73, and is a rare surviving example of an iron "bowstring" truss bridge. The Bridge was built by the Ohio Bridge Company, formed by the patentees of the bridge design. It was closed "temporarily" in May of 1987. According to the Poughkeepsie Journal, the city and engineering firm Clough, Harbour and Associates have been working for five years on a plan to design a new bridge on the present site. 

Source Article: "Historic Bridge on Verge of Collapse," by Michelle J. Lee. Poughkeepsie Journal, February 14, 2005.

More Tioranda Bridge:
Preservation Online - "133-Year-Old Bridge to be Dismantled." Story by Carolyn Galgano,  March 23, 2005

Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research - follow the story here with updates from Hudson Valley Ruins.

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This page first posted to the internet on February 24, 2004.