From: "Anne Z. Whitman"
Subject: Fwd: Hudson North American Moving and Storage - Place that Matters of the Week
To: "Jordi Reyes Montblanc"
Anne Z. Whitman, President
Hudson North American
3229 Broadway, New York,
New York 10027
From: "Place Matters"
To: "List Member"
Subject: Hudson North American Moving and Storage - Place that Matters of the Week
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 10:55:25 -0700
Place Matters .................. www.placematters.net ................. April 25 , 2007
Dear Friends,
Look for the Place that Matters of the Week -
Hudson North American moving and storage company
Photo by Tamara Coombs
Log onto http://rd.bcentral.com/?ID=5172958&s=121497772 and the Municipal Art Society website to learn about our featured place of the week, Hudson North American moving and storage company, at 3229 Broadway (near 129th St.) in Manhattanville.
You would never guess that Hudson's was once a stable; housing horses, wagons, and milk delivery paraphernalia for the milk bottler and distributor, Sheffield Farms-Slawson-Decker Company. Its distinguished appearance, with brick and terracotta façade, meant to convey an impression of hygiene and modernity in an era when tainted milk was a key cause of sickness and death for infants and children. Constructed in 1903, the building still retains features from its former life and was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Unlike last week, when we lamented a roller rink about to be replaced by a storage facility, this week we're rooting for storage. Anne Whitman founded Hudson's in 1992, and like her brother and sister-in-law (whose storage company Despatch is just a stone's throw away), is carrying on the business started by her father. Whitman specializes in serving artists, architects, and designers, along with other small businesses that, characteristically for New York, are desperate for space. They use hers to extend their own -- turning what might be considered "dead" storage into a beehive of constant activity.
Columbia University wants Whitman's land for its proposed Manhattanville campus that will extend from 125th to 133rd St., and Broadway to 12th Ave. She refuses to sell. Despite the protests of Whitman and others, Columbia insists on one big campus and raises the possibility of using eminent domain to force condemnation. The local Community Board #9 has its own plan, developed before Columbia's and already submitted to the Dept. of City Planning, and it puts forth a different vision. To see a copy of the community plan and Columbia's rezoning proposal, go to the website of Pratt Center for Community Development.
Log onto the PlaceExplorer for more on the history of Whitman's building, or search by borough and neighborhood for the five other nominated places in Manhattanville. To read more about Manhattanville itself, see the book Manhattanville: Old Heart of West Harlem by Eric K. Washington.
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Sad UPDATES on past weekly features:
The Empire Roller Skating Rink closed this past weekend. See Saturday's New York Times for "The Last Lace-Up" article and videos.
The New York Post reported that the Claremont Riding Academy is closing because of lack of business.
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For the full list of weekly features to date, log on to the Place Explorer and choose the Featured Search called "Place that Matters of the Week." Or, log onto the Municipal Art Society.
Please tell your friends about these places of history, memory, and culture and invite them to join the Place Matters e-mail list.
Sincerely,
Marci Reaven, City Lore/Place Matters (placematters@citylore.org)
Lisa Kersavage, Municipal Art Society/Place Matters
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