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Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape
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List Price:
$35.00
Arts Photography Price:
$23.10
Your Savings: $ 11.90 ( 34% )
Subject To Change Without Notice
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: UPNE
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 974.73440222
EAN: 9781584655985
ISBN: 1584655984
Label: UPNE
Manufacturer: UPNE
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 356
Publication Date: 2006-09-29
Publisher: UPNE
Studio: UPNE
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Editorial Reviews:
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Countless books have been published on the historical sites of the Hudson River Valley. But these books have focused over and over again on the best-known, best-preserved places. Every bit as valuable are dozens of other historical sites that haven't fared as well. Many of these buildings are listed on the National Register of Historical Places, and a few are even National Historical Landmarks. But in spite of their significance, these structures have been allowed to decay, and in some cases, to disappear altogether.
In an effort to raise awareness of their plight, Hudson Valley Ruins offers the reader a long-overdue glimpse at some of the region's forgotten cultural treasures. In addition to great river estates, the book profiles sites more meaningful to everyday life in the Valley: churches and hotels, commercial and civic buildings, mills and train stations. Included are works by some of the most important names in American architectural history, such as Alexander Jackson Davis and Calvert Vaux.
The book is divided into four parts that correspond to the upper, middle, maritime, and lower sections of the Hudson River Valley. Sites have been selected for their general historical and architectural significance, their relationship to important themes in the region's history, their physical condition or "rustic" character, and their ability to demonstrate a particular threat still faced by historical buildings in the region. The Dutch Reformed Church at Newburgh tells the story of the Valley's oldest religious group; the Luckey Platt department store in Poughkeepsie was for decades the "Leading Store of the Hudson Valley"; and the ruins of the West Point Foundry at Cold Spring are all that remain of what was once one of the river's most important industries. Taken together, these places present a broad picture of the region's past that is relevant to its present and future.
This book was published with the generous support of Furthermore, a program of the
J. M. Kaplan Fund.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Nicely documented historical book
Comment: For Westchester County history buffs, this is a well documented book that is easy to read and informative. If you've attended Kings College in the early years as I have, you will appreciate the section on the now non-existant Briarcliff Lodge.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Important Places; Important Place
Comment: Those who value the Hudson Valley's unique history and beauty must use this book to fight for restoration, preservation and conservation of the human landscape of our precious River!
Customer Rating:
Summary: love of the old
Comment: If you have a love of the Hudson River Valley and you wonder what happened to structures you've heard about, but can't find, then you'll enjoy this book. I was also fascinated to learn of buildings I never knew existed and what is being done to save some derelict buildings still standing that are near collapse. This is a very well researched book too. I'd call this a savory read if old structures or the Hudson River shoreline is of interest to you.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent local history
Comment: Ruins (mainly abandoned buildings): eyesores or "romantic embodiments of a historical past"? The authors, in this superbly written and magnificently illustrated book, argue passionately for the latter, and have chosen 85 sites found in the Hudson Valley between Albany and Yonkers to prove their point. Old mansions, mills, manufacturing plants, railroad stations, even Sing Sing prison are described in historical detail and lovingly photographed; scores of black and white photos and a center section of nearly 20 color prints accompany the text. And it's the text that really makes this a stand-out book in the field of local history: the historical sketches for most of the sites are thorough and elaborate in scope. In tracing these ruins of the Hudson Valley, which are many and varied, the authors also trace the history of "ruin appreciation" itself, from early artistic projections to modern debates over urban renewal vs. preservation. This is local history at its best.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Chock full of goodness
Comment: This book is chock full of information about abandonded places(obviously within the Hudson Valley Region). I honestly wish there were some more detailed photographs of some of these places, but i imagine i might be able to find them on the internet somewhere.Dont get me wrtong There are alot of photographs of the locations and places, and a color plate section in the center but they are like brief narriations of places that could be shown in so much more detail. I can honestly recommend this book to anyone interested in urban decay, preservation of old places, or interested in those abandonded places from times past. Urban Explorers might also find this book of some use as well.
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