RAINY DAY RUINS 

In between giving tours in Albany recently I stopped by the NYS Museum and checked out the fascinating exhibit on Hudson Valley Ruins. It features the remains of the many abandoned industrial and residential sites along the Hudson River valley, and is the perfect way to spend a rainy day.

"This photography and architecture exhibition is based on the work of Robert Yasinsac and Thomas Rinaldi. Their 2006 book, Hudson Valley Ruins: Forgotten Landmarks of an American Landscape, studies 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 exhibit is divided into three parts: the upper, middle, 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 exhibition will look at a few sites that have changed, for better or for worse, in the past ten years since the book’s publication."

Via: Hudson Valley Ruins

The exhibit is on display at the State Museum through 2017. The Director of Exhibitions Nancy Kelley hopes to loan the display to the various preservation and historic organizations following the end of its run at the State Museum. The only cost to the hosting organizations is for the cost of transporting the exhibit to and from the host's facilities.                                                   

Contact Nancy if your organization is interested in hosting this exhibition.

Nancy Kelley

Director, Exhibitions

New York State Museum

Cultural Education Center, Rm 3041

Empire State Plaza

Albany, NY 12230

Nancy.Kelley@nysed.gov

Ph 518-474-0080