Ted Hilscher, Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia-Greene Community College, will show and discuss fifty historic photographs of buildings that were torn down during urban renewal in Hudson during this in-person local history talk. Hilscher will also facilitate a discussion of the legacy of urban renewal in our city. Anyone with recollections of the impacted areas of the city prior to urban renewal is encouraged to attend, as well as those who wish to talk about those areas following urban renewal and how Hudson and its residents were impacted.
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.
The photographs in this talk have been made available for the first time since they were taken through a collaborative effort by the late Arthur Koweek, longtime Hudson Planning Commission Chair, and the Columbia-Greene Community College Library.
In addition to his professorship at Columbia-Greene Community College, Ted Hilscher is a graduate of Hudson High School, has a Bachelor’s Degree in American Studies from Fordham, a Master’s in US History from SUNY Albany, a Law Degree from Albany Law School, and a law practice with his wife in Catskill.