By Mae Buck, Geography, Class of 2026. Looking east from the gazebo of the Poughkeepsie Train Station, you can see the North-South Arterial (Route 9) overpass above Main Street. As a pedestrian on lower Main Street, walking under the overpass is uncomfortable—on both sides of the street, you must cross entry-exit ramps and parking lot… Continue reading Highways of Poughkeepsie: The North-South and East-West Arterials
Tag: Urban renewal
Interstate-787, Albany, New York
By Mason Rowe, Urban Studies and Economics, Class of 2026. A towering concrete wall known as Interstate 787 defends the Hudson River from the City of Albany. The elevated interstate spans 9.4 miles, running adjacent to the water, starting in the south of Albany and ending in the Village of Green Island. The span of… Continue reading Interstate-787, Albany, New York
The Short-Lived Main Mall
By Arlo Lennert, Urban Studies, Class of 2025. Constructed in 1973, Poughkeepsie’s Main Mall ended in 2001. Established as an outdoor pedestrian shopping plaza, proponents viewed it as a way to reverse the decline of the central business district. It catered to affluent residents during the city’s final phase of urban renewal. Urban planners aimed… Continue reading The Short-Lived Main Mall
Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York
By Mason Rowe, Urban Studies and Economics, Class of 2026. The Empire State Plaza, the largest capital improvement in Albany’s history and one of the largest such projects in the history of the United States, forever changed the layout and atmosphere of the city and the capital region. Albany, New York’s capital, is perched on… Continue reading Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York
Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center
9-12 Vassar Street, Poughkeepsie By Julia Maisel-Berick, American Studies, Class of 2024. When the Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center opened as an artistic and community hub in the late 1970s, the site already had a long history of providing space for cultural and philanthropic efforts in Poughkeepsie. Divided between two buildings, 9 Vassar Street and 12 Vassar… Continue reading Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center
Union Street Historic District
By Julia Maisel-Berick, American Studies, Class of 2024. Facing the threat of urban renewal, one Poughkeepsie neighborhood resisted the encroaching demolition efforts through community action and remains a symbol of resistance to this day. Officially registered on the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1971, the Union Street Historic District represents several centuries… Continue reading Union Street Historic District
