by Bill Batson Upper Nyack’s School Street has enough history to supply its own syllabus. The row houses that line the block were built to accommodate the families of 19th century boat yard workers when […]
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Nyack Sketch Log: Hand House Hosts Hitchcock Homage
by Bill Batson Since the 1850s, only four families have called this address on South Franklin Street home. The first two families built and expanded what is in many ways a monument to American architectural […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Lent House Demolished
by Bill Batson The campaign to save the historic Lent House in Orangeburg was lost on Saturday morning, April 4th. The decisive blow was delivered by a backhoe. The 263 year old house was reduced […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Didier Dumas Redux
by Bill Batson On the evening last July when a lightening strike set his patisserie ablaze, Didier Dumas was watching the World Cup at Avida. “I saw a flash and heard a sound like a […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Art Cafe
by Bill Batson The walls of the Art Cafe celebrate drawing, painting and photography. The building is an exquisite example of the reserved Italianate architectural style. The food gets great reviews from guests. In form […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Scholar Puts Local History on Global Map
by Bill Batson Dr. Lori Martin helped erect this street sign that honors the memory of Cynthia Hesdra. When she published The Ex-Slave’s Fortune: The Story of Cynthia Hesdra in 2008, Martin saved an important figure in […]
Nyack Sketch Log: NAACP President Frances Pratt
by Bill Batson Elegant hats have become the symbol of local civil rights icon Frances Pratt. But when she arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City 62 years ago, she wore […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Helen Hayes MacArthur
by Bill Batson Legend has it that when Helen Hayes MacArthur first saw this fine example of Italianate architecture on North Broadway, her husband, playwright Charles MacArthur told her the house would cost them a […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Sweetpea’s Market
by Bill Batson There has been a health food store at the corner of Main Street and Broadway for over 30 years. The current incarnation, Sweetpea’s Market, is owned by David Collins. When not organizing […]
Nyack Sketch Log: Sam Waymon is Set to Soar
by Bill Batson The musical career of Sam Waymon is set to soar. In February 2015, Spike Lee will release Da Sweet Blood of Jesus, a remake of Ganja And Hess, a film that Waymon helped create. […]