Hudson Heritage Association’s program year concluded in May when members met in person for the first time in 15 months for our annual meeting. About 100 people gathered in the 1927 Hudson High School theater to celebrate HHA's accomplishments, recognize board members whose terms had ended, welcome new board members, elect officers, present HHA's Preservation Awards, celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Square Dealers and enjoy the company of others who share a common interest in architecture, history and preservation in Hudson.

• Summer 2020 – HHA launched its first-ever Summer Coloring Challenge, offering a creative opportunity to return to a simpler time by coloring pictures while learning about Hudson’s architecture and history. The concept was developed by board member Nancy Forhan with illustrations of seven of Hudson’s prominent historic buildings, drawn by her daughter Sarah. The illustrations are available for download on HHA’s website by clicking here.

• July 2020 – Revised Code of Regulations. Starting in July 2020, HHA’s Governance & Nominating Committee, chaired by Diccon Ong, revised and updated the HHA Code of Regulations. Click here for the revised HHA Code of Regulations that was approved by the HHA membership at the Annual Meeting.

• August 2020 – House Reports are Added to Website. HHA digitized and uploaded to its website its collection of house reports, which document the homes and other structures that have been awarded iconic HHA Markers. These reports offer rich and deeply researched information on land ownership, architecture, construction of homes/additions, commerce, religion and important biographical information on the owners and occupants of more than 160 historic homes in Hudson built from 1806 to 1940. Digital copies are also available at the Hudson Library and Historical Society. Visit the Find a Property page on the HHA website, click on a specific property and those with a corresponding house reports will have links to the reports.

• August-September 2020 – Hudson Historic District Expansion. The latest effort to expand Hudson's Historic District began in April 2016, when 25 residents submitted a petition to the City of Hudson requesting that the Historic District be expanded to include Elm Street and Roslyn Avenue. HHA supported this important initiative and sent a letter to homeowners within the historic village in August, promoting the Historic District expansion and encouraging additional homeowner support. In September, after a successful survey response rate, City Council decided to move forward with the expansion - another great step in the ongoing effort to help preserve and protect the historic character of Hudson's downtown neighborhood.

• September 2020 – HHA kicked off a successful Virtual Programming year with “Case-Barlow Farm: A Model of Historic Preservation,” presented by CBF board member Julie Lindner. Seven programs aired on HCTV throughout 2020-21 and included compelling guest speakers Elaine Marsh, Tom Vince, Michele Colopy, Dan Ruminski, Leianne Neff Heppner and Elwin Robison. All seven programs are available on HHA’s website by clicking here.

• October 2020 – HHA received five proposals from nationally recognized consulting firms, experts in the development and operation of community/cultural arts facilities, to develop a Feasibility Study for the adaptive reuse of the 1927 HHS Building. The study was put on hold after the Hudson City School District announced its discussions with developer Liberty Development Co. to repurpose the building and property for condominiums. HHA initially supported Liberty's plan, if the following three conditions were met: 1) preservation of the exterior of the building, 2) preservation of the existing streetscape, lawn and century-old oak trees along Oviatt Street, and 3) inclusion of a preservation easement in the deed for the property.

• December 2020 – Remembering Donald P. Reisig (1932-2020). HHA celebrated the life and restoration work of renowned historic preservation contractor Donald P. Reisig, who passed away on November 17 at the age of 88. For five decades, Don restored and preserved over 100 historic structures in the Western Reserve, including many in Hudson. Click here for more on Don.

• February 2021 – 1927 HHS Building & Preservation Advocacy. The HCSD and Liberty Development presented an update on the 1927 Building to the community on February 1. The project appeared to be moving forward with no consideration for the enormous impact it would have on one of Hudson’s most significant structures. HHA Board of Directors published a letter titled “Future of the 1927 Building Faces Critical Decision Point” in our February Newsletter, followed by a full-page ad in the February 14 Hudson Hub-Times with the headline, “Historic Hudson Deserves Better.”

• HHA Website Upgrades. Also in February, the HHA Board approved upgrades and a redesign of the HHA website, the last of which was completed five years ago. This would include new graphics, search tools, reorganization of content and “tabs,” adding HHA’s programs from HCTV archived videos. The new website is scheduled to launch this summer. In March alone, our website received more than 4,000 page views and 1,866 users, the most in recent history, likely due to content related to the 1927 Building.

• March 2021 – A Façade of a Proposal. The HCSD and Liberty Development published a full-page ad in the Hudson Hub-Times announcing that “community engagement drives significant modifications to residential plan for the repurpose of the 1927 Building,” with an announcement of a two-day community webinar presentation on March 10 and 11. The developer’s concept was significantly altered and proposed to demolish three-quarters of the 1927 Building, saving only the front (west) façade and reducing the number of condominiums from 30 to 14 units, while avoiding district re-zoning and parking requirements. HHA published a response on March 21 in a second full-page Hudson Hub ad titled “A Façade of a Proposal,” criticizing the revised scheme as anything but “preservation.”

• Feasibility Study/Needs Assessment Report. HHA hired Webb Management Services in March to conduct a feasibility study, which would include market analysis and research of possible users and uses for the 1927 Building, Zoom-based interviews with 27 community leaders and a community survey that received close to 900 respondents. The needs assessment report, findings and recommendations were completed in late May and will be available in an upcoming e-news update.

• April 2021 – The 1927 Building Fund was established at Hudson Community Foundation and 100 free Save Our School yard signs were made available to show community support. Within weeks, HHA members and community organizations contributed over $18,000 to support the feasibility study and initiatives to save the 1927 Building. HHA thanks all donors for their support and generosity! Click here to donate.

HHA Awards Historic Home Marker to “William M. Beebe” House, 1879 – Closures of city and state buildings due to COVID-19 added new challenges to researching historic properties, but homeowners Anne and Andy Morse completed their research pre-COVID and more recently assembled the report on their home at 55 College Street. Both Anne and Andy were presented the HHA Historic Marker at the May Annual Meeting.

• May 2021 – HHA Annual Membership Meeting and Program was held at the historic 1927 Hudson High School Building theater on Thursday, May 13. The program was recorded and is available online at HHA’s website. 

Also in May, the HHA Annual Membership Drive was launched, the details of which can be found later in this newsletter. Click here to join HHA.

The HHA Board of Directors is comprised of talented individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, knowledge and talents. Collectively, they share a common goal and passion: to preserve the unique historic streetscape, architecture, landscape and character of the Western Reserve community of Hudson. I thank them for their hard work, dedication and resilience throughout the challenges of the 2020/21 year!

I want to express my sincere appreciation to outgoing board members Nancy Forhan, Françoise Kenney and Pat Rydquist for their years of dedication, leadership, guidance and friendship. It has been a pleasure collaborating with them on HHA's initiatives. The stories of their accomplishments with HHA are featured in this newsletter. We are also excited to welcome five new board members and will introduce them in the September newsletter.

We look forward to returning to in-person programming in September!

Enjoy the Summer!

Allan Sveda renovated this property in 2018-2019. It features many late-19^th century design elements, including original poplar floor boards, a wooden mantel and the front door. This small, simple house for factory workers, like others in Hudson, was especially vulnerable. It is unusual to see restoration that is so authentic to the character of the original 19^th century neighborhood.

The Church received a 2021 Preservation Award for the extensive restoration of the steeple in 2015. Built in 1865 by Simeon Porter, it is commendable that the core of the Porter design remains intact. The recent renovation was designed with copper shingling to imitate the original wooden shingles on the tower. The tower and steeple have looked the same for the past 150 years.

Two former Hudson schools stood on the two-acre site at 34 Oviatt Street, now the home of the Old School Green. The newly created green space serves as an anchor for the adjacent 19^th century neighborhood. Natural materials, such as stone, wood, and plants were used to create play equipment and borders. Walkways were created in brick to echo the former red school buildings. The vision for this park originated through the eyes of a local resident committed to protecting the heart of her neighborhood and the result represents a successful collaboration between a generous private citizen, the Hudson City Schools and the City of Hudson.

Two of Nancy’s daughters are getting married in 2021, so she will be busy planning – and enjoying – weddings in June and October. When the pandemic finally ends, Nancy looks forward to getting back to the gym to teach fitness classes, traveling internationally and throwing away all her masks.

As an HHA board member, she is proud of her role in publishing the Homeowners' Guide to Historic Properties, helping save the Baldwin-Buss House and advocating for responsible preservation. She hopes HHA continues to work not only on the preservation of historic buildings but also on responsible land conservation and environmental preservation. 

Membership in Hudson Heritage Association shows your commitment to historic preservation and supports HHA's mission to preserve the historic architecture and streetscape of Hudson. Membership revenue is HHA's sole source of operating income. Please become a member of HHA or renew your membership today. Thanks to all who have already joined for the 2021/22 year!

RENEW your membership or JOIN by July 31 at the HISTORIAN level or above (see membership levels below), and receive a FREE copy of Square Dealers signed by co-author, Pat Eldredge!

Square Dealers is one of three "style guide" and "historic survey" reference books used by the City of Hudson in their Architectural Design Standards. First published in 1980, the book was written by Pat Eldredge and Pris Graham - both long time Hudson advocates of historic preservation. The book includes a brief history of 19th century Main Street, detailed descriptions of the commercial buildings that comprise the public square and stories of the early residents that created our special town.

Home Page | Events & News | About Us | Membership | Contact