Local History Talk: Hudson’s Urban Renewal 50 Years Later

The Hudson Area Library History Room presents a special in-person Local History Talk on the fiftieth anniversary of urban renewal in Hudson on Thursday, September 22, 6pm. Urban renewal transformed Front Street and the blocks between Columbia and State Street, west of Second Street. Franklin Square, Chapel Street, Fleet Street and Market Place were erased from the network of city streets. Approximately 176 buildings in all were demolished, requiring the relocation of about 850 people. Demolition and the subsequent new construction took place between 1970 and 1972. Ted Hilscher, Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia-Greene Community College, will show and discuss approximately fifty photographs of buildings no longer standing and streetscapes no longer existing. This will be followed by a discussion and question & answer session.