A Quirky Carriage House in Hudson for $925K, Menagerie Not Included

No longer exactly a well-kept secret, Hudson, N.Y., nestled in the Hudson River Valley and benefiting from a train station, has a reputation as a bustling, artsy town with fabulous architecture.

It’s packed with 19th century domestic buildings, so it’s easy to stumble across amazing examples of Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate and Second Empire (in various states of repair).

Beyond the traditional houses, there are also plenty of quirky properties to be found in the form of commercial, religious and institutional buildings that have been converted to new uses. One of those is a carriage house turned live/work space at 705-707 Cherry Alley with some listing photos that are certainly attention grabbing.

Listed for $925,000 by Nancy Felcetto of Halstead, the stone structure sits just a block off the main town drag of Warren Street near South 7th Street.

The central core of Hudson was laid out fairly quickly after its founding in the 1780s and the building boom that followed. Those early streets included a number of alleys, like Rope, Prison, Strawberry and Cherry.

Fire was a constant threat in the 19th century and the service buildings that lined the alleys were particularly susceptible. Local newspapers reported numerous fires in Cherry Alley in the late 19th and early 20th century, with hay-filled barns and stables quickly being engulfed in flames.

The city records have a date of construction of 1954 for the property, but the listing calls it a “100-plus year old” structure. While it may have served as a carriage house, it was also likely used as a garage. The listing refers to a “rare hand drawn elevator” — basically a large lift, a remnant of its utilitarian days.

Whatever the construction date, it has been layered with vintage character on the interior, and the setup as a live/work space makes it an intriguing possibility if you are looking for an alternative to the traditional domestic charmers of the town. According to the listing, the two-story structure is being sold “as is” with the use “limited only by imagination.”

The first floor is configured as a work space, with several studios and offices ringing a double-height central core that is open to the living quarters upstairs. The central space on the first floor appears to be in use as a fairly standard conference room, which doesn’t quite prepare the visitor for the bohemian nature of the rest of the property.

Some of the first-floor studio spaces have a rough-hewn character, and there are also 1.5 baths on this level — there aren’t any pictures of those so we don’t know how rough-hewn they might be.

Upstairs there’s an open floor plan with kitchen, living and dining spaces arrayed around the central core.

The decor upstairs certainly embraces the artistic free-spirit vibe with a bit of big game hunter aesthetic thrown in. The walls are an eclectic mix of concrete block and horizontal and vertical paneling; some repurposed barn doors lend some definition to the various spaces.

The bedroom, or “intimate sleeping quarters” as the listing calls it, appears to be partitioned off from the rest of the living area.

Next to the bedroom is a perhaps unexpectedly luxurious looking bathroom with a soaking tub and large shower.

While there’s no yard, French doors off the dining area lead to a deck and perhaps views of the mountains and the historic steeples of Hudson.

If you want to get out and admire those spires or the rest of Hudson’s architecture up close, it’s an easy walk from Cherry Alley. Public Square, a large green space, is nearby and it’s an easy stroll along Warren Street to popular local dining spots like Grazin’, Hudson Food Studio and Cafe Le Perche.

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