Where Art Meets Industry: A Look at Hudson, New York

"A vital part of viewing Hudson is the ability to look up," wrote City Historian Jean Brice McMullin in "Hudson Revisited," published in 1985. "There are period brackets to be seen, unexpected ornamentation, the names of former firms, and evidences of structural changes. It is well worth the effort."

Exploring this city on the eastern bend of the Hudson River about 120 miles north of New York City often means arching your neck to see and appreciate graceful spires rising in the air, Victorian towers and turrets, cornices and columns, and many other interesting structural details. Twenty years ago, who would have guessed that this sleepy little town, often referred to as a dictionary of American architectural styles, would reinvent itself as an exciting tourist and weekend destination while attracting lovers of art, architecture, history and culture from nearby areas like Manhattan and Boston. Hudson also positioned itself as the unofficial "Antiques Capital" in the northeast corridor.

Warren Street is still the heart of the city where I was born. This is a seven block long stretch that begins uptown at the city park, and runs straight down to the Hudson River, ending at the Promenade Hill area. To drive this long straight stretch of road, lined with a veritable treasure of American architecture in various stages of restoration, is like being transported to an earlier era, when "The Proprietors," the founding fathers of Hudson, lived and worked here.

Most of the stores I recall from my youth, like the five and dime store Newberry's, Woolworth's, The Town Fair, and the old Marsh's department store, have been replaced by upscale businesses, exclusive galleries, and pricey antique stores. To my amazement, small town Hudson is suddenly...hip, drawing crowds of weekenders and tourists to the annual "ArtsWalk" festival in October and "Winter Walk on Warren Street" in December.