Our Environment, Animal Tips & the Great Outdoors
Scenic Hudson’s Northside Hub project will reinvigorate Poughkeepsie neighborhood, bringing sustainability and support to the greater community
Scenic Hudson’s transformation of the 58 Parker Avenue property in Poughkeepsie, NY—“one of the most significant and transformational projects in its 60-year history”—aims to reimagine the former Standard Gage Factory site. The organization hopes to complete this monumental renovation by summer 2025.
Not only did this location have a key role in the manufacturing of measurement instruments amidst the WWI and WWII efforts, but it was personally visited by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and employed 600 workers at its height. In 1943, the factory even received a national award for excellence.
The company shuttered its doors more than 20 years ago. Since that time, the site has remained a “largely derelict, contaminated eyesore.” Scenic Hudson explains that it hopes to bring the building back to life, “cleaning up this polluted brownfield site and putting it back into active use.”
About the upcoming, vibrant Northside Hub
This undertaking, which has been dubbed the Northside Hub, is a major part of Scenic Hudson’s plan for both the future of their organization and the region at large. This project, which will result in new carbon-neutral office spaces and community resources, has been a long-held goal for the group, embodying all that they strive to achieve through their River Cities Program.
The Northside Hub will be aptly situated to meet the recreational and environmental needs of the community. Not only is it positioned directly across from the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, a National Historic Landmark, and the Dutchess County Rail Trail, but it is also adjacent to the Fall Kill Creek and the Marcus J. Molinaro Northside Line—all of which are renowned initiatives that Scenic Hudson has collaborated on. The latter is a former rail bed which was acquired by Scenic Hudson and is being converted into a 2.7-mile trail by Dutchess County.
“We’re excited to create this one-of-a-kind space,” says Jason Camporese, chief finance & operations officer at Scenic Hudson. “Once completed next summer, Scenic Hudson will utilize the energy-efficient site not only for staff offices, but as a community hub—for meetings, classes, events and more—as well as a gathering place for convening regional, state, and national partners.”
These unique and effective spaces will include “a 5,000-square foot, light-filled auditorium and the ‘Storefront,’ an inviting, dynamic exhibit space.”
This will all be powered by carbon-neutral, solar-powered means year-round and airflow throughout the structure will be facilitated by an innovative ventilation system. Enhancing the ecological assets of the building, outdoor parkland will be available for public gatherings and activities, as well as a green roof featuring native plantings that will absorb rainwater, therefore limiting runoff and reducing solar gain.
A historical & environmental model
This emphasis on ecological sustainability is a cornerstone of the endeavor, as Scenic Hudson seeks to enmesh the historical preservation of the space with a particular focus on reducing the structure’s carbon footprint.
Indeed, the building’s heating and cooling system was even highlighted in a CBS 60 Minutes episode focused on MASS Design Group, the lead architect on the Northside Hub. “The project reimagines how forgotten industrial buildings can be adapted for the climate change era.”
The hope, then, is that this renovation will serve as inspiration and lead the way for other communities. “The importance of this cannot be overstated: imagine a future where all our historic buildings in city centers can actually contribute to addressing the climate crisis,” highlights Scenic Hudson president Ned Sullivan. “Approved for listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, it is a model for projects across the country—and the world.”
Creating a community resource
This dynamic undertaking is being completed with another very significant aim: revitalizing the surrounding Northside area of Poughkeepsie, “a neighborhood plagued by a legacy of red-lining and disinvestment.”
Through the cleaning and intentional reclamation of this polluted historic site, community engagement and support is a primary goal. “The Northside Hub demonstrates our commitment to the region’s under-resourced communities and complements Scenic Hudson’s River Cities Program in urban areas including Poughkeepsie, Newburgh and Kingston,” the organization explains. “Its park and trail connections promise to promote a sense of community, health and well-being.”
Sullivan emphasizes, “Poughkeepsie has been our home for many decades; this innovative project reflects our ongoing commitment to working with other stakeholders to revitalize the city’s Northside neighborhoods, Fall Kill Creek, and the many parks and trails that connect residents and visitors to the great outdoors.”
He continues, “These renovated buildings—which once employed hundreds—will once again serve as an economic engine for the greater Hudson Valley region. This project, in conjunction with our collaborative work to revitalize city parks and urban waterways, and to create rail trails, can serve as a national model for environmental and conservation organizations’ impacts in post-industrial cities.”
For more information about Scenic Hudson, please visit scenichudson.org. All photos courtesy of Scenic Hudson.