Local preservationists in Greene and Columbia counties are trying to beat the clock and save the iconic Hudson-Athens Lighthouse from collapsing into the Hudson River.
The lighthouse went into service in 1874 and remains in operation today as an automated navigation aid. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society is concerned that the structure's foundation could crumble within the next five years and take the building down.
Lighthouse Restoration Committee Chairman Van Calhoun says it has "tremendous value" to the two communities and adds preservationists have kept a watchful eye on the structure for the last 12 years, as Hudson River boat traffic has increased and the size of passing ships has grown.
"These ships have displaced tremendous amounts of water, when they go through a body of water, they push the water aside, and then they move up, and when they leave, the water comes rushing back in, it's a hydraulic action," Calhoun said. "And that action actually just sucks the material out from under the lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in 1872 on 200 wooden pilings. And they were came to the top of the river mud, the bottom of the river. And on top of that were all the great limestone blocks that hold up the beautiful brick building. But with all this action, they have actually sucked the boulders that used to line our lighthouse that are as big as pickup trucks, they've pulled them 100 feet down into that 40 foot deep shipping channel, just from that action. And it with it, they've taken our river mud, our packing under the lighthouse. And now we have some of the timbers exposed almost seven feet, we've already had sagging because some of the pilings are damaged on the top and some of the wood joists that all of that sits on, it's hard to believe that all sits on wood in the river mud."
Calhoun says the Society owns a 100-foot diameter circle in the middle of the river, which helped secure a $500,000 state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historical Preservation, grant along with a $178,000 match to get the restoration process rolling, kicking off a 100-year plan to maintain the lighthouse.
"Our total cost is in the $7.5 million dollar range, we're about a tenth of the way there," said Calhoun. "The engineering is ready to go the plan will be completely ready soon to put out to bid. But we can't do anything until we have half the money in hand, our major commitment. And our our approach is three pronged and one, this is where we can use the community's help tremendously. We have commitment from all of our legislators, federal and state, to the fact that the lighthouse needs to be saved. And to the extent that it was going to be introduced in the budget, as part of the Corps of Engineers budget to allocate this $7.5 million that we need."
Calhoun says area legislators including U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand support the effort, as well as state Assemblymember Didi Barrett of the 106th district, a fellow Democrat.
"I have been following and interested in this Hudson Athens lighthouse for a number of years I had the opportunity to visit it a few years ago. It's an extraordinary piece of our regional history but also our state nautical history and it really needs major investment of public money to shore it up and to be sure that it has a future," said Barrett.
Board member Betsy Feldstein grew up in Athens with the lighthouse visible from her backyard.
"We were charted as one of the seven to save by the Preservation League of New York State," Feldstein said. " It's voted one of the country's boldest and most beautiful lighthouses by Architectural Digest. So it's a gem. It's a gem that we don't want to lose. We're really not only making people aware of the lighthouse, but pleading to say 'you want to save the history, you want to keep this gem alive?' but also for navigational purposes?' It's been there for almost 150 years, and we want to celebrate that 150th next year."
The Preservation Society is holding a fundraiser Sunday July 16 1 to 3 p.m. in Athens.
