Hudson prison to close

According to the political blog of the Albany Times-Union, New York State plans to close the Hudson Correctional Facility.

The buildings housing the Hudson prison were formerly a reformatory, The New York Training School for Girls. Reputedly, Ella Fitzgerald was sent here in her youth. According the State's press release, the "campus" currently has 422 beds.

I'm not certain how changed the grounds and buildings have become during its years as a prison. But from both an economic development and a historic preservation perspective, it would be terrific to try to attract an educational institution (a satellite of Bard College, for example), a technical or crafts school, a museum, or a thoughtful housing developer to help replace the lost jobs at the prison -- ideally, something that would complement the City of Hudson's people and assets.

The State indicates plans to continue the 55-person work release program in Hudson, but it seems hard to imagine that this large and valuable property would not be a potential development site, given that the work release program could be managed out of a much smaller facility. The release does note that the Hudson site "faces costly capital investment needs."

There ought to be some stellar views of the Hudson River from some of the buildings, but I've not been tempted to commit a petty crime in order to find out for sure. Here's a Google Earth view of the grounds: