The Dunn Warehouse sits proudly on the eastern bank of the river on the edge of the City of Hudson. The soaring ceilings of its intersecting halls are filled with palpable potential. Throughout the adjacent towns north and south of Hudson, amazing examples of repurposed buildings are prevalent. The ones that are most successful are the ones that bring about a sense of authenticity and purpose. For Hudson, we see the former being achieved by curating tenants of the property that relate to the city’s history and the reconstruction of the warehouse remaining true to its original design. The latter, “purpose,” is where the proposed residents of the building come in. New York Live Arts is a preeminent dance company in New York City, stewarded by MacArthur Genius and Kennedy Center Honoree Bill T Jones. At any given moment NYLA supports nearly 200 dancers training and/or preparing performances. They plan to continue this support of artists through education and community outreach from this facility, as well as providing a venue for a year-round residency of twenty dancers.

Further anchoring the facility are community focused organizations that will continue the rich history of boatbuilding in Hudson through educational workshops and training, ecology focused classes, exposing kids and adults to the wonders of the local geography, event spaces that can be used for performances, weddings, lectures and exhibitions, and finally, a year round food and beverage operator, that will offer locally-sourced, affordable fare close to the waterfront. Collectively these organizations will provide a rich cultural center that we believe is capable of piercing the dichotomy between the second-home/transplant population, and the longer term residents of the city, and provide them with a shared platform for education and expression that will make the Dunn Warehouse a cultural destination year-round. A bridge based on experience and interaction.

The largest element of the plan exists outside of the buildings, in attempting to weave a series of fragmented out spaces together into a continuous public park that will remain engaged and visited year round. To accommodate, we are proposing to relocate the waterfront parking to the adjacent lot to the north of the site, allowing us to bring primary landscape to the waterfront. We also suggest a small area to the south of the Dunn site be included as well to facilitate optimal functionality of the proposed buildings.