The Hudson Residence of Charles C. Alger

The History Room Committee of the Hudson Area Library as part of its Local History Speaker Series, is pleased to present The Hudson Residence of Charles C. Alger and His Patronage of Architect Alexander Jackson Davis, by Walter G. Ritchie, Jr. This presentation will be held on Thursday, November 3 at 6:00pm. in the Community Room. In 1848, Charles Coffey Alger (1809-1874), a Massachusetts iron manufacturer, organized in conjunction with a number of Hudson’s leading businessmen the Hudson Iron Company. Designed by Alger, the new iron works went into operation in 1851, the same year that he built at the corner of Allen and Second Streets in Hudson a picturesque Gothic Revival brick house embellished with bargeboards, finials, and eared drip moldings. The residence, described by a local newspaper in 1867 as “a correct specimen of gothic architecture,” was a well-known landmark for many years, situated on a large property that extended down a slope to Cross Street. This lecture will discuss Alger’s house at 59 Allen Street and also address his patronage of the noted 19th-century New York architect Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892), who designed or remodeled at least three other residences for Alger. Walter G. Ritchie, Jr. is a decorative arts consultant and independent scholar specializing in 19th-century American architecture, interiors, and furniture. He writes, lectures, and teaches courses on a variety of decorative arts subjects in addition to organizing decorative arts exhibitions for museums and researching and cataloging furniture and other decorative arts for auction houses. He is currently researching and writing a book on the 19th-century New York City cabinetmaking and interior decorating firm of Pottier & Stymus. This presentation will be held in the Community Room on the first floor of the Hudson Area Library. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The History Room Committee’s Local History Speaker Series offers free monthly talks on diverse topics related to the history of Hudson, Greenport, Stockport, and Columbia County. The Hudson Area Library’s History Room houses a special collection that pertains to the history of the City of Hudson, as well as Columbia County and New York State. The History Room is open to the public on Saturdays from 10am-12pm, and by appointment.