December 24, 2010

Public Bath Number 4, Yonkers, NY DEMOLISHED ~JUNE 2011~

Yonkers' Public Bath Number 4, one of three surviving bath houses in Yonkers, is due to be demolished in January 2011. Built as part of  the urban movement to provide sanitary facilities for working class city dwellers, the building later served as a public pool. Public Bath Number 4 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places along with bath houses 2 and 3. Public Bath Number 1 was demolished in the 1960s.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Bath4

John Green House, Nyack, NY

The Village of Nyack is considering condemning and demolishing the John Green House. Believed to have been built about 1815-1820, the house is thought to be Nyack's oldest surviving structure. The home is privately owned and in foreclosure. The Village Administrator was quoted in the Journal News stating that the house should be "taken to the ground." Several interested parties have inquired to the village about buying the land and razing the house.

Source Article: "Nyack may raze historic home." By Khurram Saeed, The Journal News, December 21, 2010.

UPDATE JULY 16, 2016:
The John Green House is no longer at risk of demolition, and has been aquired by the The John Green Preservation Coalition, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescuing and rehabilitation of at-risk historical structures. More information can be found in this Fios1 article, and at the Preservation Coalition's facebook page.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#nyack


COLONIAL HOUSE, WEST NYACK, NY
United Water has applied for a permit to demolish a circa-1774 house in West Nyack. The utility company has neglected maintenance at the two-story colonial house, known as "Teaberry Port,"  and the company wants to demolish the house in order to sell the property.

Source Article: "Future of historic West Nyack home uncertain." By Hema Easley, the Journal news, December 21, 2010.


ST. PETER'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, KINGSTON, NY
The former St. Peter's Elementary School in the Rondout section of Kingston, NY, burned on Tuesday December 21, 2010. The 1911 school building had been vacant for some years, but had been undergoing renovations since March of this year. A two million dollar state grant was being applied towards reopening the school as a day care center for children of migrant farm workers. The Kingston Freeman reported that the fire might have totally destroyed the building, and that the fire is believed to have been caused by arson.

Source Article: "Fire destroys former school building." By Freeman staff, The Daily Freeman, December 22, 2010.


UPDATE: NORTH ASTOR STREET, IRVINGTON, NY 
Demolition has begun at the 1860s commercial building at Astor Street in Irvington.

December 13, 2010
UPDATES:
* Tarrytown's Historic Village Hall was demolished Saturday December 4, 2010.
* The 19th-century building at North Astor Street in Irvington (see entry http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Astor) will be demolished next week.

December 3, 2010

Freeman House, Port Ewen, NY DEMOLISHED ~2010~

The Freeman House, a good example of a early residential stone building typical of the Hudson Valley, was demolished in October 2010. The house stood on Route 9W in Port Ewen, near Kingston, and a Mid-Hudson Valley Federal Credit Union will be constructed on its site.

Source Articles: "A Look Back." Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture newsletter, October-December 2010. Vol. 13, No.10-12. Photograph courtesy of Robert Sweeney.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Freeman 

HISTORIC VILLAGE HALL, TARRYTOWN, NY: UPDATE
Demolition has begun at the historic Village Hall in Tarrytown. The rear addition an detached apartment /  garage have been demolished.

November 4, 2010

Halcyon Hall, Millbrook, NY

Public officials in Millbrook are pushing for the demolition of Halcyon Hall and the nearby buildings of the Bennett School for Girls. In January 2010, the village of Millbrook Building Inspector Ken McLaughlin posted a Notice of Unsafe Buildings for the property. On August 30, Hearing Officer Richard Golden sustained the notice in a report to Millbrook village Mayor Laura Hurley. The zoning officer was to establish by the end of September 2010 a timetable for demolition.

Source Articles: "Bennett College to be torn down." By Christine Bates, the Millerton news. September 9, 2010.
"Wrecker's ball for Bennett College buildings?" By Mike Hagerty, the Millerton News. February 11, 2010.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#halcyon

October 15, 2010

Malloy's Pharmacy, Stony Point, NY DEMOLISHED ~2011~

The New York State Department of Transportation is moving ahead with plans to demolish three buildings in Stony Point. The  D.O.T. recently completed the replacement of the Farley Memorial Bridge over Cedar Pond Brook. As part of the bridge replacement project, the D.O.T. plans to redesign this busy intersection to better accommodate the turning radius of large trucks that frequent the area. However these plans are disastrous to the neighboring character of the village. A total of 3 buildings, including Malloy's Pharmacy, will be demolished in order to accommodate the new intersection. Malloy's probably dates to the late 1860's and is a good example of Italianate storefront architecture. All three buildings have been marked with the works "DEMO."

Text and photograph courtesy of Matthew Zeihnert.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#malloy

Dutton Lumberyard, Poughkeepsie, NY DEMOLISHED ~2010~

Several buildings were demolished this summer at the A.C. Dutton Lumber Yard Poughkeepsie. The buildings, some recently burned, include two office buildings, a warehouse and a garage/repair shop. 

Source Article: "Building demolition to begin at Poughkeepsie Brownfield site." Mid-Hudson News, June 29, 2010.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#dutton

June 25, 2010

Historic Village Hall, Tarrytown, NY DEMOLISHED ~DECEMBER 4, 2010~

Plans are underway to raze the building that was the long-time home of Tarrytown's Village Hall. Originally, the building was a mansion that was moved from its former location when the Warner Library was built in the 1920s. The Reverend Edward C. Bull was one local notable who lived in the house when it was located on Broadway. The house is an exceptionally handsome example of the French Second Empire style, which was popular from the late 1850s through the 1890s. Other similar mansions in this style in Westchester County are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, suggesting that this house is also eligible to be listed on the Register. It is one of several mansions that still survive along the Broadway corridor, once lined with many fine homes. The house retains many interior and exterior architectural details.

The Village of Tarrytown sold the building to the development company National RE/sources with the understanding that moderate-income housing will be developed on the site.  National RE/sources is the developer that has constructed condominiums along the Hudson River in Tarrytown; unfortunately it seems that affordable units weren't included at the more-desirable waterfront site, but will be sited at a separate location. It is unfortunate is the former village hall would be demolished, rather than be preserved and renovated into apartments. The property also includes a detached garage and apartment in addition to the former village hall.

Source Article: "Old Village Hall to be Demolished for Housing." By Robert Kimmel, the Hudson Independent, June 1, 2010.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Tarrytown

April 28, 2010

Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY

Two fires April 23 and April 24 damaged buildings at the Hudson River State Hospital in Poughkeepsie. The building shown above, possible designed in collaboration between Frederick Withers and Calvert Vaux, served as staff housing and sat close to Route 9, and its interior appears to have been completely destroyed. In 2007, parts of the main hospital building also were destroyed by fire.

Source Article: "2 separate fires at former psych center suspicious; probe continues." By Sarah Bradshaw, the Poughkeepsie Journal, April 25, 2010.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#HRSH

Newton Hook,  Stuyvesant, NY

The entire remnant of the Hudson River village of Newton Hook is threatened with demolition. The New York State Department of Transportation is determined to use federal stimulus funds to eliminate the at-grade railroad crossing at Route 9J and Ferry Road, which leads to six historic homes and public access to the Hudson. The DOT proposed building a new connector road from another crossing further north, but the State Department of Environmental Conservation opposes any new road that might infringe on wetlands, however small the impact may be. Thus, without vehicular access, the homes would be condemned and demolished, and public access to the Hudson River would be restricted. Despite concerns about safety at this crossing, State officials have admitted that only one accident is on record, and local residents insist that a traffic light may be all that is needed to alleviate any concerns over traffic accidents at the crossing. Newton Hook located north of Hudson, NY, in Columbia County, was once a typical vibrant river landing, with brickyards and ice harvesting companies working the river year-round, supported by numerous homes, hotels and small businesses. Today, small ruins of the Cary Brickyard and the preserved-ruin of the R & W Scott Ice Company powerhouse stand beside these threatened historic homes, including one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source Article: "Hudson River link may be cut."  By Brian Nearing, the Albany Times Union, April 20, 2010.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#newtonhook

Pyngyp Schoolhouse, Stony Point, NY
We have also received unofficial word that the Pyngyp School in Stony Point, NY (Rockland County) is threatened with demolition. Visit Richard Cunningham's flickr page for a photo of the Pyngyp School.

January 29, 2010

Hudson River Knitting Mill, Hudson, NY DEMOLISHED ~2009-2010~

Following a small structural failure in 2009, a large portion of the former Hudson River Knitting Mill was recently demolished. The mill consisted of several buildings, one of which still stands and may be preserved. Insurance maps from the 1880s show Edwin Groat as the proprietor of the Hudson River Knitting Mill. In the early 1900s, the buildings were home to the Beaver Knitting Mills, the Swans Down Knitting Company, and Thermo Mills. With your mouse, scroll over the image above, recorded on March 12, 2005, to see a photograph of the site post-demolition, taken by Fred Rieck on January 28, 2010.


Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#hudson

January 26, 2010

Anaconda Wire and Cable factory, Hastings-on-Hudson NY DEMOLISHED ~2010~

Demolition has resumed at the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company factory in Hastings-on-Hudson. About half of the factory complex was demolished in 2004, and the remainder of the buildings are slated to be razed soon. The wire testing laboratory, shown above, is currently being demolished. Other structures still standing at this moment include two brick buildings and the water tower.

More Anaconda Wire and Cable:
Hudson Valley Ruins - Tom Rinaldi
Hudson Valley Ruins - Rob Yasinsac

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#anaconda

BANNERMAN'S ISLAND ARSENAL UPDATE:
Another significant portion of " Bannerman's Castle" collapsed this weekend, leaving only the west wall and part of the south wall of the Tower standing above the ruins of other, smaller, structures that comprise the private military surplus warehouse known as Bannerman's Island Arsenal. Click here for an updated photograph of the castle ruins.

January 2, 2010

Bannerman's Island Arsenal, Pollepel Island, Fishkill, NY Photograph courtesy of Thom Johnson (c) 2009.

A major portion of Bannerman's Castle collapsed this weekend. On Saturday December 26 or Sunday December 27, the southeast corner of the Tower collapsed. The Tower is the tallest portion of the castle, built by Francis Bannerman VI as Bannerman's Island Arsenal, a private military surplus warehouse. Approximately one-third of the south wall of the tower collapsed, and approximately two-thirds of the east wall of the tower collapsed.

Although the integrity of the tower has been compromised, it is hoped that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation will work strategically and financially with the Bannerman Castle Trust to save the remaining ruins. According to the Trust, "the unprecedented damage, caused by aging mortar and unprotected brick damaged by the elements, underscores the need for immediate action to save this endangered historic and scenic treasure in the Hudson River." To learn how to help preserve Bannerman's Castle, visit the official Bannerman Castle Trust website, www.bannermancastle.org, and read the official press release.

More Bannerman's Castle collapse:
Hudson Valley Ruins - Rob Yasinsac

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#banner

12-14 North Astor Street, Irvington, NY DEMOLISHED ~DECEMBER 30, 2010~

A developer announced plans at a recent Village of Irvington board meeting to demolish an 1860s commercial building on North Astor Street. The plan to demolish the three-story building, shown at right in the photograph above, has drawn opposition from many in the village. It stands opposite the Irvington train station, immediately north of Main Street.

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Astor

Tuxedo Electric Light Company power station, Tuxedo, NY DEMOLISHED ~2009~

This handsome power station along the Ramapo River, situated just north of the Tuxedo train station, has been demolished. A small portion of the building has been awkwardly preserved to form what appears to be a bandstand (scroll over the image with mouse to see current rendition of the power station). This hydro-electric power station may have been built for the Tuxedo Electric Light Company, and was later owned by the Orange and Rockland Electric Company. The building was out of commission and abandoned when photographed, above, by Tom Rinaldi in 2004.

More Tuxedo power station:
Hudson Valley Ruins - Tom Rinaldi

Link to this entry: http://www.hudsonvalleyruins.org/alert/2010.html#Tuxedo