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The Galvan Foundation has reversed course on its plans for two historic houses in Hudson, opting to renovate rather than demolish the structures on North Fourth Street.
After both Hudson's Historic Preservation Commission and the New York State Historic Preservation Office determined that demolishing the buildings at 14 and 16 N. 4th St. would have "an adverse impact to historic resources," the foundation decided to preserve the properties, according to Joshua Moon, a project coordinator with the foundation.
"We've decided to move forward with an adaptive reuse of the existing buildings," Moon said. "We are no longer pursuing demolition and instead plan to renovate and restore the structures."
Galvan originally purchased the properties with plans to construct an annex to the hotel it is building at the intersection of Warren and North Fourth Streets. The initial proposal, presented to the Hudson Planning Board in November, would have added 6,100 square feet and 14 rooms to the hotel's already planned 30 rooms.
Under the new approach, the houses will still become part of the hotel project, but through renovation rather than replacement. The revised plan will likely result in fewer guest rooms than originally envisioned.
"We're still going through the plans to see how we can optimize it, but I think we'll end up with about eight rooms," Moon explained.
The change means the historic facades will remain intact, with interior modifications to accommodate hotel guests. This adaptive reuse approach will likely face a streamlined approval process since no new buildings need to be constructed.
In a January 9 letter to the project's architect, Historic Site Preservation Coordinator Weston Davey explained the state's position: "The photos and engineering reports do not indicate substantial structural failures that would necessarily prohibit rehabilitation of these buildings."
The Hudson Historical Preservation Commission had previously expressed skepticism about demolition plans during its December 12 meeting, citing the houses' viability and historic architectural style.
Galvan hopes to present its revised plans to the Hudson Planning Board at its February meeting, though no exact timeline for construction has been established.
The foundation is moving forward with several redevelopment projects in Hudson even as it prepares to transfer most of its extensive real estate portfolio to Bard College, according to reports.
In addition to this hotel project, Galvan has also presented plans to renovate the former Helsinki Hudson nightclub, with architect Walter Chatham noting they hope to "reignite the flame that was Helsinki."