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
Category: Poughkeepsie
El Bracero and “Oaxakeepsie”
By Loren Pacheco, Geography Major, Class of 2024. In 1990, the Mexican restaurant El Bracero opened on Main Street in Poughkeepsie. In the decade that followed, the city’s Latinx population more than tripled, going from 3.8 percent to 10.5 percent in 2000. By 2020, the U.S. Census figured that 21.1 percent of Poughkeepsie’s population was… Continue reading El Bracero and “Oaxakeepsie”
College Hill: History, Development, and Future Potential
By Anna Kaigle, Geography Major, Class of 2025. Poughkeepsie’s College Hill Park has a history of development and land-use changes spanning the past 200 years. Themes of philanthropy, political power, and public space run through the hill’s story, from its beginnings as a preparatory school to its use as a public park. Placed at the… Continue reading College Hill: History, Development, and Future Potential
Poughkeepsie’s Historic Waterfront: Landscapes of Transportation
By Miller Dauk, Geography & Science, Technology, and Society, Class of 2024. Poughkeepsie traces its origins to its waterfront, where the city had its humble beginnings. Acquiring the nickname “the Queen City of the Hudson” was a testament to its economic and social ties with the river. The city’s ascent began in the 19th century,… Continue reading Poughkeepsie’s Historic Waterfront: Landscapes of Transportation
The Legacy of the Hudson River State Hospital
By Joseph McMahon, Environmental Studies, Class of 2024. Opened in 1871, the Hudson River State Hospital was pivotal in the creation of new bases for mental health treatment. Yet, to this day, a history of community discontent, suffering, and social change has shaped public sentiment about the hospital complex. The institution gradually shut down between… Continue reading The Legacy of the Hudson River State Hospital
Glebe House, Poughkeepsie’s Oldest House
By Charlie Blim, Urban Studies, Class of 2024. On Main Street, in Poughkeepsie, stands Glebe House, the oldest building in the city. It’s been there far longer than the Family Dollar next to it, the popular Pete’s Famous Restaurant across the street, and the arterials that encircle them all. Glebe House dates back to the… Continue reading Glebe House, Poughkeepsie’s Oldest House
Poughkeepsie’s Historic Waterfront: 1670-1900
By Miller Dauk, Geography & Science, Technology, and Society Majors, Class of 2024. Waryas Park, Upper Landing Park, and Kaal Rock Park all have legacies embedded into their landscapes. Poughkeepsie’s historic waterfront has undergone centuries of changes, but how did it begin? The contemporary Poughkeepsie waterfront is drastically different from that of five or ten… Continue reading Poughkeepsie’s Historic Waterfront: 1670-1900
Walkway Over the Hudson
By Loren Pacheco, Geography, Class of 2024. In 1871, a group of Poughkeepsie businessmen proposed building the largest cantilever bridge up to that point. The Poughkeepsie Railroad Bridge, or “Great Bridge”, would span the Hudson River, providing an alternative to ferries and other small-scale transport operations. Such a behemoth project required an incredible amount of… Continue reading Walkway Over the Hudson
The Poughkeepsie Trolley Barn
By Joseph McMahon, Environmental Studies, Class of 2024. Looks can be deceiving. From the outside of 486 Main Street, Poughkeepsie’s historical Trolley Barn has an industrial aesthetic with large glass garage doors, showcasing a vast open space supported by pillars. Yet, the Trolley Barn subverts this aesthetic, exemplifying a multifaceted legacy of use and urbanization… Continue reading The Poughkeepsie Trolley Barn
Infinity Deferred: Springside in the 21st Century
By Charlie Blim, Urban Studies, Class of 2024. On Academy Street, on the South side of Poughkeepsie, lays a garden called Springside. Not many people know about it, as it is very unassuming–almost uninviting from the front. The first thing that greets visitors is a small and nondescript gatehouse, much like those found at the… Continue reading Infinity Deferred: Springside in the 21st Century
