We stumbled across this site some time ago, during our continual search for information on restoring bungalow colonies in Sullivan County.

Artists Julie Courtney and Jennie Shanker were also interested in the plight of these old places, but rather than renovate bungalows, they decided to make sculpture out of them. The result is CENTERpieces, a collaboration between the artists, acting as curators, and the Hurleyville-based Center for Discovery, a nonprofit that provides educational, environmental and creative arts services for children and adults with disabilities.

The buildings on and adjacent to the Center’s land were beyond saving, but by reinventing them as installation art, Shanker and Courtney could help this struggling community to become an arts destination. “Hurleyville is in this cultural path of DIA:Beacon and Storm King, and we thought we could do some smaller scale version of those,” they told Upstater.

So a pair of identical 20-foot-high geodesic domes are now the setting for a camera obscura installation by the artist Richard Torchia, called The Harris Observatory. And the bungalows will eventually be altered and reconfigured by the architect and artist Allan Wexler.

The opening for the Harris Observatory is Saturday, February 25th. The installation will be open to visitors by appointment from February 18 through March 3.

After visiting the area for years, and then purchasing two homes here, I have started to collect some go-to places for finding fun items to furnish my own, friends’ and clients’ homes with. I am not the conventional designer who gets a percent profit from the purchase of items at a particular store or vendor, so I do not promote any store I do not genuinely shop at or feel is worth a trip to. There are so many places to find antiques and home furnishings in upstate New York that it is difficult to truly create a comprehensive list (though, with readers helping, we can do it). Below are a few places that I frequent and feel are worth investigating, and some suggestions from other Upstater writers. There are many many more wonderful stores and shops in the area, so feel free to list your own store crush in the comments section for everyone.

That said, I still find myself wanting to venture outside the area to explore deeper into New York State’s treasure trove of antique and flea stores. Just today I found this gem all the way up in Schenectady. So I guess I will be making a drive up to Albany for lunch at New World Bistro,  and then onto Schenectady to peruse the area.

FLEA MARKETS
Stormville Airport Flea Market. 428 Route 216. Select dates from April through November, but worth it.

Rinaldi Flea Market. 900 Dutchess Turnpike, Poughkeepsie.  April through October every Sunday; outdoor.

ANDES
Kabinett & Kramer. 7 Main Street, Andes. Extremely quirky handpicked antiques and objects d’art.

HUDSON
Hands down, if you are looking for a day+ long of shopping (either window shopping or the real deal) Hudson is the place for antiques. Mind you, I am not talking about the nitty gritty, look-at-the-treasure-I-found-in-Grandmaw’s attic type of items. I am talking about extremely hand-picked and restored items that will not be inexpensive but would be the splurge piece(s) to start a room around. There are too many shops to even list, so I will provide this link to HADA’s website, which is the Hudson Antique Dealers Association. Yep, there are that many there.

Here are just two to feast your eyes on:

Historical Materialism- Gorgeous pieces

Mark McDonald Ltd- Mid-century masterpieces- not cheap but great eye candy or for a splurge

HIGH FALLS/STONE RIDGE
Now the first two below are more the “barn sale” type of situation, where you can find great deals and unique funky items for accessorizing your space and finding “personality pieces.”

On Route 209 in Stone Ridge (on Main street near the fire station in a garage) is a shop that I don’t even think has a name. Please correct me if I am wrong. I just see the handmade sign and pull in. Typically April through November/December.

Also on Route 209 just past the turn to High Falls, on the way to Accord, is another little gem. His shop is on the left if you are driving towards Accord, and set back in a barn and house. It is easier to spot if you are coming FROM Accord than the other direction, so if you pass it you can turn around and probably find it easier. There is a little sign that says Antiques. Reasonably priced finds, fun kitsch items and the guy who owns it is a trip.

Lounge. 8 Second Street  High Falls. (also in Hudson, but I prefer the High Falls Store and the owner is a doll)  great furniture and home goods with a killer apothecary shop I like to buy my soaps from.

Nectar. 1412 New York 213  High Falls. Beautiful fair-trade import store. Unique and exotic pieces.

High Falls Mercantile. 113 Main Street, High Falls. Cute shop with refurbished antiques and new furnishings and accessory items as well.

KERHONKSON
Materia Locus. 10 Queens Highway  Kerhonkson. A high end furniture, antique and design shop with many hand crafted and rustic modern pieces. (Winter hours by appointment.)

KINGSTON
There used to be more antique stores here, but Kingston has been suffering, as we all know. There are a few new shops in the Uptown District, but I tend to go to my little favorite spot in the Rondout, On The Hill Antiques. I shop for myself, my clients and for gifts for friends here.

On the Hill Antiques @ Skillypot. 41 BroadwayKingston. A small but adorable antique shop in the Rondout District, with a terrific eclectic variety of items from jewelry, houseware, art, clothing and furnishings. The owner is fantastic, and the people behind the counter are always pleasant and extremely helpful. One evening they spent a good while with me trying to find just the right gift for a friend. When you are finished shopping there are plenty of great restaurants in a few block radius. I highly recommend Ship to Shore for a great brunch or Armadillos for casual fare and margaritas. Dolce has good coffee, and breakfast food with hearty portions and in the nice weather you can pick up a boat tour of the Hudson for a relaxing time on the water.

Mezzanine Antiques. 79 Broadway, Kingston. They also run a few rentals upstairs. The last time I went, the big upstairs was not “open” for business as it had been previously, but they have some beautiful anitique fine jewelry.

Stan’z Used Items and Antiques. 743 Ulster Avenue, Kingston. Looking for a cast iron clawfoot tub? Check it out then…he’s got em.

RED HOOK
Tivoli Mercantile. 5 East Market Street, Red Hook. Another Upstater writer reccomends this cute-looking shop, full of hand-crafted items.

SAUGERTIES
Shops come and go in Saugerties, and though there are a handful of antique shops (and vintage clothing stores), I have a favorite. It has nice items, and it isn’t ridiculously overpriced.

Newberry Antique Store. 236 Main Street  Saugerties. A large space filled with hand picked, apropriately priced antiques, books, paintings, jewelry and dishware. A warm and friendly staff with a good memory for their customers always helps. (Which is in contrast to a few other shops there) Go here, and then run across the street to Dutch Ale House for locally brewed beer and the best burger and garlic truffled parm fries around.
Fed-On Lights. Corner of Market and Livingston Streets, Saugerties. An exhaustive supply of vintage lighting, plus kitchen and bathroom fixtures. One Upstater reader finds it a bit pricey, but worth a look if you want period pieces.

SHOKAN
Scandinavian Grace. 2866 Route 28. Shokan. A wide range of classic and contemporary design from Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway

The Door Jamb. 2858 New York 28  Shokan. I know this isn’t an antique store, but it is a great resource on Route 28 right next to Scandinavian Modern. They sell new and used doors and windows. I always look here to see if they have something before ordering from the big box shops.

WOODSTOCK
Hawthorne Gallery. 34 Elwyn Lane. Woodstock. Woodstock has a hidden gem. It is set back off of the main drag, and is in a restored vaulted barn. The owners are amazing as well as their two dogs. This shop features hand carved and crafted furnishings, and Eastern imports. It is a very cool space and has really cool statement pieces.

What a gorgeous, opulent Greek revival on tons of land. Eleven sprawling acres, to be exact, undulating with green, rolling hills and punctuated with a pond. There’s also an above-ground pool. It’s completely enclosed with forest and located about five miles from Hudson, at the end of a private drive far off of Route 9.

The house has over 5,000 square feet, with a huge kitchen (that seems to be unfinished, from the looks of things) and nice black-and-white checkerboard floors — we’re hoping its marble and not lineoleum. The floors in the rest of the house are wide board wood, and we love the rough-hewn look of them. The detailing is beautiful, the house is enormous, and the taxes are fairly low. And there’s an additional guest house on the property, too.

6919 Route 9, Hudson (Halstead Property) GMAP
Asking Price: $635,000
Beds: 4
Baths: 4
Square Feet: 5,208
Year Built: 1850
Land: 11 acres
Taxes: $6,977
Features: Guest house, pool

Seems like a low price, doesn’t it, for a place that was Architectural Record’s house of the month in 2004? This is the home of the late architect Seymour Rutkin, set on five hilltop acres in the ever-hippifying town of Roxbury. The Glass Shell House has 2,300 square feet, three beds and two-and-a-half baths. The half-dome is south facing and passive solar (the overhang keeps out overheating summer sun in summer, lets in direct sunlight to heat you, utility-free, in winter). We’re waiting on more info from the broker, like, um, why this modest price tag for such a show home? It does look a bit awkward inside, something that might be cured with more careful furniture placement. And we’re nervous about the leak situation and what look like rough, stucco walls. Still, it’s a contender for coolest eco-house upstate, right up there with the New Paltz Dome. Last we checked, it was over a million for that one.

We found this Waccabuc colonial, which is just a short distance west of the Connecticut border, in our new Real Estate Listings section. Normally we don’t cover Westchester, but this place seemed country enough to qualify.

The halmet of Waccabuc, located in the town of Lewisboro, is posh, to be sure; a bucolic escape for the monied. Further, it seems that it’s the only town in Westchester County that requires most properties to be located on at least two acres of land, and in some places, four acres, in order to preserve open space.

Although the location of this property lies outside of that acreage requirement, it’s still over an acre, right on the outskirts of the Waccabuc Country Club. And it’s a perfectly lovely white-picket-fence number, with manicured lawns and a trellised terrace.

Inside is nice, too, with high ceilings and beautiful board floors. We particularly like the library/study. It’s bright, thanks to the skylights, and the built-in shelves and cabinetry are gorgeous. We would definitely spend a lot of quality time in this room.

A note on the hamlet’s namesake, Lake Waccabuc: You have to own lakefront property in order to have access to swimming, boating, fishing and generally recreating on its waters. Or, you can access it via membership to the Waccabuc Country Club.  There is no public access, which seems like kind of a bummer. But not far away lies Mountain Lakes Park where you can rent a row boat on what of its five lakes, hike or go camping (sadly, there is no swimming).

Waccabuc is a stunning and secluded locale, and the residents are determined to keep it that way. They eschew rampant development, and they like to keep their streets unpaved in order to deter passers-through. The small country post office is the social hub of Waccabuc, just as it has been for centuries since its transformation from the Meade family private camp and vacation property to the hamlet it is now. If you like wide, open spaces, relative seclusion and gentile upstate living, this rental might be just right for you.

12 Post Office Road, Waccabuc (Vincent and Whittemore Real Estate) GMAP

Although it’s only a couple of blocks from Warren Street in Hudson, this renovated townhouse seems to be located in a different world. Because it’s not rubbing up against a more densely-populated, heart-of-Hudson street, there’s room enough for a quarter-acre backyard. It’s nicely landscaped, and we love the terraced patio and stairs.

The two-story addition to the house is in the back, and the main room of it is a large, lush space composed of a wall of windows and skylights. The house has an assortment of beautiful details, like  stained-glass windows in the stairwell, a fire place and new appliances in the huge kitchen.

It’s located on a pretty residential street, as we said, just a few steps from shops, galleries and restaurants, and it’s bike and walk-friendly. It’s not far to the waterfront, and the Amtrak station is also nearby. For what it’s worth, the Hudson Correctional Facility is also just a half-mile south of the house, and the listing makes mention of an alarm system installed in the house. Nonetheless, the street seems to be a nice buffer between the hub of Hudson and the wild space that exists just beyond its borders.

453 E. Allen Street, Hudson (Gary DiMauro Real Estate/Kathy Duffy) GMAP
Asking Price: $475,000
Beds: 3
Baths: 3
Square Feet: 2500
Year Built: 1902
Land: .22 acres
Taxes: $10,369
Features: Terraced backyard

Flickr/Reclaimed Home

Our friends over at Reclaimed Home asked this question late last week, after a tour of some of the more challenged spots along the former Borscht Belt. Yes, the popular tourist destinations like Phoenicia are on the mend after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Irene. But what about the Sullivan County spots whose lights have been dimmed for decades? Reclaimed Home will be posting about some of these spots in the next few weeks, and we’ll bring you some excerpts and photos from their thoughts. In the meantime, they’re spreading the rumor that the Kutcher’s Country Club, last revitalized as the temporary home of the indie rock fest All Tomorrow’s Parties (before it moved to Asbury Park), might be coming on the market. Has anyone else heard that? And what else could Kutcher’s become, if not, well, Kutcher’s?

Built in the late 1800′s, this church at 60 Dubois Street is vacant and up for sale. It’s directly across the street from St. Luke’s Hospital, and this house we featured last week. You might think, who wants to buy a church? The obvious would be a religious organization, but there is a lot of great repurposing going on of churches into apartments and theatrical spaces. Word on the street is that the owner is hopeful that St. Lukes will purchase the building and that is the reason the price is so high. If you could turn this old church building into anything, what would you do with it? See below for pricing and more information. (more…)

It was tough for us to choose from the impressive array of fabulous townhouses for sale in Hudson, but this 1895 Queen Anne really stood out. Everything about this townhouse is positively stunning, both in and out, so let’s start with the outside.

Located on historic Warren Street, this townhouse has been extensively restored, starting with the outer facade. And in spite of the fact that it’s located on a busy street in Hudson, it still has a cute backyard with a great little stone path and roomy patio for chairs and a grill.

But inside is where this jewel truly shines. As with the outside, the inside of the three-story townhouse was meticulously restored. The first floor living room features a big, bright picture window and a fireplace. There’s another fireplace is in the dining room, making it a cozy place to entertain. The kitchen is modern and even has a butler’s pantry and wine cooler.

And it would be a bit of an understatement to say that the master bath is well-appointed. To us, it’s tantamount to a spa visit, with a huge, enclosed steam shower and separate soaking tub. The other two baths are pretty elegant, too. There’s also a second living/sitting room, and we think the exposed brick wall in the stair case is a nice touch and ties the outside of the townhouse to the interior.

Other upgrades include electric, heating and cooling, roof and windows. The townhouse is located on historic Warren Street and walking distance to restaurants, cafes, shops, art galleries, Amtrak station and the Henry Hudson Waterfront Park.

132 Warren Street, Hudson (Gary DiMauro Real Estate/Kathy Duffy) GMAP
Asking Price: $495,000
Beds: 2
Baths: 3
Square Feet: 3008
Year Built: 1895
Land: .07 acres
Taxes: $7,719
Features: Spa master bath

via Wikipedia

Hudson, located along the mighty Hudson River itself, in Columbia County, has a rich and colorful history. Formerly a whaling town frequented by Rhode Island merchants, Hudson became a hotbed for gambling and prostitution and infamous for its thriving “red light district” in the 19th and 20th centuries. This changed in the 1950s under New York State governor Thomas Dewey, when gambling operations and houses of ill-repute were broken up and raided by the state troopers.

After falling into disrepair during the 60s and 70s, Hudson reawakened as haven for antiques dealers, then artists, transforming the down-trodden town into the artistic and cultural destination we see today. Which doesn’t mean it’s not full of the normal array of city problems — challenged schools, poverty, a strange schism between the absconded, arty New Yorkers and the poor folks who live literally a block away from the souped up downtown stretch of Warren Street. It’s as if a block of Williamsburg, Brooklyn was plopped down in the middle of an otherwise struggling town.

In his book Hudson: An Architectural Portrait, author Byrne Fone called the city of Hudson “one of the richest dictionaries of architectural history in New York state.” Hundreds of buildings in Hudson are listed on state and national registers of historic places, including the Hudson Opera House (1855) and the Hudson Area Association Library (1818), just to name a few.

In addition to amazing architecture and antique stores, Hudson is home to a gorgeous waterfront area and lots of great restaurants. One of our favorites is Earth Foods Cafe, located at 523 Warren Street. Earth Foods has an extensive breakfast and lunch menu with fresh, local ingredients. If you go for breakfast, make sure you try their Huevos Rancheros. They are the best we’ve had this far north. They also have an extensive juice bar menu. We recommend their carrot-apple-extra ginger juice, which will definitely light your fire in the morning.

Hudson has an Amtrak station, making it a good commuter town. Median home price is around $170,000 (according to 2009 data), which means it’s affordable, too. Well-maintained, beautiful and unique town houses abound in the city of Hudson (you’ll see just how drool-worthy they are when you explore our property posts this week), but there are also plenty of rural properties for sale in the area, if you’re interested in looking at places off the main drag. GMAP