HUDSON — The nearly 150-year-old Hudson-Athens Lighthouse will receive needed underwater foundation repairs and restoration after the Hudson-Athens Lighhouse Preservation Society was awarded a $500,000 state grant.
The grant is part of the state’s Regional Economic Development Councils’ initiative, which awarded a total of $5.6 million last week to projects in Columbia County, according to the Columbia County Economic Development Corporation.
The lighthouse project will involve foundation design, interior basement wall repairs, replacement of timber frame for the cast-iron bell, asbestos and coal removal, as well as electrical upgrades, which the society hopes to begin and complete next year.
“The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is the icon of our river communities, a shared sense of our identity. Everyone loves it,” said Kristen Gamble, lighthouse society president. “This grant will go toward assuring the light house remains a beacon of hope for generations to come. We deeply appreciate the continued support of the New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation.”
The repairs and restoration are needed as the lighthouse has suffered from 149 years of erosion from water currents, weather and large vessels passing the structure. The currents have removed some of the larger boulders and protective mud infill necessary to protect the wood pilings, with some already damaged, from exposure to the air.
“The lighthouse is in existential danger from the close by USACE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) dredged navigation channel, the use of which by huge commercial vessels has unintentionally but substantially damaged the foundation and, by extension, its building,” Gamble said. “If work does not start soon to restore and protect it, we will lose this priceless community asset. This is not hyperbole. 149 years of currents, tides, ice floes, and weather have taken their toll, but in particular, the lighthouse’s very existence is now unintentionally threatened by decades of relentless, powerful displaced water produced by larger, deeper, faster commercial vessels using the USACE (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) dredged navigation channel that runs close by HAL (the lighthouse), between HAL and the City of Hudson’s shoreline.”
The lighthouse was constructed between 1872 and 1874, according to the society. During construction, engineers drove 200 wooden pilings 50 feet into the riverbed, packed them with mud, and secured it large rocks to protect against erosion. Its north pier was shaped like the prow of a ship to protect it from ice floe damage.
“New York State is supporting our growing communities by investing in shovel-ready projects that will encourage job creation and help boost local economies,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said when the grants were announced. “The range of these projects reflects crucial Regional Economic Development Council input from the stakeholders who know their local assets and industries best, helping us to make strategic investments to create opportunity in our communities, both now and for the future.”