Happening This Weekend - 12/1/2017
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Where Is Lambs Hill? In the renovated factory building near the dummy light.
The Lofts at Beacon Falls - Gorgeous Apartments in the Heart of Beacon in a Historic District (Sponsored)
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The very first pioneers to The Lofts at Beacon Falls, the new apartment complex located in Beacon's Historic District at 50, 52, and 54 Leonard Street (between Grove and Amity), were true out-of-towners: Many of them were parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, of couples who had moved to Beacon with their young families to start their new lives as Beaconites. The Lofts at Beacon Falls are located on the mountain side of Fishkill Creek, just up the road from Dogwood and The Roundhouse. If you sit on the benches across from Wickham Solid Wood Studio and what used to be The Hop, you are looking right at them, though they are hidden behind trees (see the picture below). Current residents moved from Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and other far-off states to settle in here and live within walking distance of Beacon's businesses. Small city living has a strong appeal, and The Lofts at Beacon Falls are delivering on that.
The Historic District
Because the Lofts at Beacon Falls are nestled into Beacon's Historic District, the newly designed buildings needed to conform to certain standards to keep with a historic look. You'll notice similarities between The Roundhouse complex and The Lofts at Beacon Falls on Leonard Street, with the gray-brown coloring, brick and black trim on the exterior. According to Bob Murphy of the Beacon Historical Society, the property was part of the Matteawan Manufacturing Company; by the mid-1930s, it was the Braendly Dye Works.
Insider Tip: If you sit on the benches across from Wickham Studio or the former Hop to reflect on things on the Fishkill Creek, you can see parts of The Lofts at Beacon Falls through the trees.
Another Insider Tip: Leonard Street is one-way if you are driving towards the Lofts at Beacon Falls, so you'll need to take a right on Amity to drive around the block to come into the entrance down Grove Street, which turns into Leonard Street.
Modern Apartment Life in Beacon's Historic District
Inside, you'll find modern design and amenities of apartment living. Designer kitchens and open floor plans make for a spacious feel in the one- and two-bedroom apartments, trimmed with granite counters, laminate wood floors, and Edison-style lighting. A washer and dryer come with each unit, making it super convenient to plan a cozy day of laundry, tucked inside an apartment surrounded by the wooded landscape of the Fishkill Creek.
Walk outside of the apartment complex and follow East Main down to Main Street at Beacon's famed Dummy Light, and you're just about at Beacon's East End, an area dominated by more former factory buildings with renovations under way, making room for more art galleries, boutiques and eateries to frequent. Numerous boutiques, including Style Storehouse, Kaight, King + Curated, Lambs Hill Boutique, and more, cater to a variety of personal styles. Need something as specific as a brow wax? Find it at The Blushery, at the T where Main Street meets the end of East Main - just one of the niche storefronts available to Beaconites.
The Perks
A full workout center is located in the heart of the apartment community for anyone who needs easy access to a quickie workout on the machines. Residents may even bring in their personal trainer for a guided workout. Staying fit is certainly do-able from this location, with access to trailheads on Mount Beacon, as well as nearby fitness centers on Main Street like Zoned Fitness (formerly Hudson Valley Fitness), and the Shambhala Wellness Center and Live Your Life Gear.
The planners at The Lofts at Beacon Falls made certain to build pet-friendliness into their offerings, allowing animals as residents for an additional fee. No one's circling the neighborhood looking for parking, because one spot is allotted to each unit, and additional parking spots are available. Security is of top importance, so there is surveillance inside and outside, as well as keyless entry that can even work from a smartphone. The full list of what's included can be found here on their Amenities page.
Pricing for 1- & 2-Bedroom Apartments
There are 78 apartments available at The Lofts at Beacon Falls. The community of already-established residents is waiting to grow. Monthly rental prices range from $1,800 to $2,700, with spaces ranging from 800 to 1,400 square feet. Some apartments boast an office, a feature that has attracted people who work from home as well as commuters who want to set up a workspace in their home.
About the Developer, James M. Bello
James founded James M. Bello and Associates, his family-run business, in 1985. In the decades since, he has employed several hundred subcontractors to design and build homes, renovations, and light commercial projects. A native of Brooklyn, James and his wife have lived in Dutchess County for the last 18 years, and currently reside in Hopewell Junction. Says James: "We noticed a big change in Beacon and we wanted to be part of it. We want to offer value to some of the people who live in Beacon, or are moving here."
Looking to Move? View an Apartment
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Dorothy Bizzoco
Call: (845) 765-8044
Email: Dorothy@loftsatbeaconfalls.com
You can view the apartments any time, just contact Dorothy Bizzoco, who would love to show you around. Who knows, maybe you'll be moved in in time for their Christmas Party this December. Bring the eggnog from your kitchen down to the party!
Publisher's Note: This has article has been produced as Branded Content, and was written in partnership as an advertisement for The Lofts At Beacon Falls. It is through sponsorships like this one that A Little Beacon Blog can continue to bring you coverage of Beacon and beyond. Please see our Editorial Policy for more information. Thank you for supporting businesses who support us!
The Telephone Building – Unearthing the Past to Create the Future
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This article was written and prepared by Diane Lapis, Trustee of the Beacon Historical Society.
The hand-written signature discovered on a section of window molding in the Telephone Building tells two stories: one of the man who signed it, and the other of the woman who saved it.
Deborah Bigelow was established in the business of conserving antique furniture and decorative arts when she purchased Beacon’s original Telephone Building in 1992. Historic building restoration calls upon the talents of many artisans. Deborah’s passion for fine craftsmanship, as well as her conservation skills, are on view in the impeccable adaptive reuse of this early 20th-century building.
The First Telephone Service in Beacon Conducted from The Telephone Building, 291 Main Street
The Telephone Building, 291 Main Street, circa 2017.
An original telephone in the Hudson Valley with the familiar 914-831 digits.
Photo Credit: Beacon Historical Society
Travel back in time to 1880 when telephone service first arrived in the twin villages of Fishkill Landing and Matteawan (now Beacon). According to the Beacon Historical Society, telephone service started with 37 subscribers who had devices connected to an exchange. As the two villages grew, so did the need for additional access to telephone service. The Hudson River Telephone Company provided the technology, and moved into its new quarters at 291 Main Street in 1907.
It had taken two years to modernize the lines, with over 15 miles of cable and a million feet of wire strung between Fishkill and Beacon. Newly designed phones replaced the old ones, and huge storage batteries, charged by an electric generator in the basement, powered the system. Telephone operators ran a switchboard, connecting calls when a subscriber lifted the receiver off the hook. The first floor of the building had special booths for transient users of the service – a precursor to the modern-day telephone booth.
Beacon's Telephone Building, as replicated on a postcard, circa 1910.
Photo Credit: Beacon Historical Society
Photo Credit: Beacon Historical Society
Not one Telephone Building, But three Sister Buildings
Completed at a cost of $18,000, the modified Italianate masonry structure - faced in brick and trimmed with limestone, bluestone, slate and tin - was considered an important civic building of its day. Campbell & Dempsey, and A. E. Dederick, contractors and builders from Kingston, built both the Beacon structure and a similar one on Brown Street in Peekskill, NY, in 1907. They knew what they were doing: Two years prior, the team had built a larger building on Broadway in Kingston, NY.
All three buildings share common elements, but it was A. E. Dederick’s signature on a section of window molding, found while renovating the bathroom in the Beacon building’s basement, that linked together the construction of the three sister buildings. The Kingston Daily Freeman newspaper reported on the construction of these early communication exchanges by this crew.
Today, only the Beacon building is a thriving concern: The Peekskill office was demolished in 1952, while the Kingston office is used as a storage facility for Verizon.
While the Peekskill and Kingston offices featured the title “TELEPHONE BUILDING” engraved in limestone above the door, the Beacon office’s imposing Roman letters are today made of cast iron, assembled with pins on a 10-foot-long cast iron plaque set in the Main Street cornice. According to Beacon architect Aryeh Siegel, the brick and limestone columns are unique for a Main Street façade, signifying the importance of this civic building. Siegel’s comment directs a passerby's attention to the limestone capitals atop the brick columns and the keystones above the windows and front door, along with the elaborate tin cornice featured along the roofline - all hallmarks of the building’s classical influences.
Ownership History of The Telephone Building
The Telephone Building served the Beacon community for almost 60 years before it was sold to James Letterio, CPA, who operated his accounting business from the location for decades. When Deborah Bigelow purchased it, the building had been in use for roughly 85 years. While the original front doors were gone, the rest of the original work remained intact, though buried under layers of flaking paint, a drop ceiling and linoleum flooring. Prior to renovation, the entire building was featured in a B-rated film called “Super Troopers.” With the building transformed into a police station, the film’s art director judged the old battery room’s flaking paint perfect for some of the scenes. He noted that the “look” of the room was almost impossible to fake.
Restoration of the Telephone Building Since 2003
Since 2003, Deborah has been on a mission to restore the architectural beauty of the building by recovering and saving original material wherever possible. For example, the original oak windows are preserved with their weights, pulleys, and slate sills intact. The building displays other beautiful features such as intricate iron grillwork, elegant cast-iron radiators and staircase, floating maple floors, and brick-lined arched doorways. When Deborah and her crew sandblasted the interior brick, she discovered that the brick came from Dutchess Junction’s own Budd Brick Company (1888-1910). Today, she replaces missing mortar with a version that has been color-matched by Package Pavement in Stormville, NY.
Photo Credit: Beacon Historical Society
The cornice was painted with a sand-filled paint to look like the limestone foundation below and was constructed of galvanized tin fascia and dentils nailed into the brick wall. Paint samples analyzed by the Williamstown Art Conservation Center identified the original materials and colors used in 1907, and this information guided Deborah’s choices during restoration. The icing on the “cornice cake” came when she discovered fragments of original, 24-karat gold leaf on the TELEPHONE BUILDING letters that had eluded sample analysis. A master gilder, Deborah replaced the gold leaf last summer.
Beacon's Telephone Building Today, Circa 2017
Deborah enjoys sharing the beauty of the Telephone Building and its history with her tenants - many of whose 21st-century businesses fittingly involve communication and public service. Among her tenants, Beahive and A Little Beacon Blog occupy the first floor. The second floor includes individual Beahive office spaces, apportioned by shoji screens to provide privacy without loss of light. Deborah’s own business, Gilded Twig, shares the lower-level suite of offices with financial advisor Aaron Verdile.
Now that Beacon is fast-growing and changing, the Telephone Building stands like a stalwart sentinel guarding the past as well as embracing the future. Deborah’s notes and photographic documentation of the building before and after renovation inform its history. Her research will remain part of the building’s, as well as the city’s, historic record.
Live Presentation of the Telephone Building with the Beacon Historical Society
Deborah Bigelow, art conservator, master gilder, and owner of Beacon’s original Telephone Building will talk about her renovation of the building since purchasing it in 1992. Ms. Bigelow will show before and after photographs, artifacts found during its renovation, and offer a glimpse of preservation procedures and the art of gilding. BHS Trustee Diane Lapis will discuss the 1907 building’s architecture and its place in the city’s history. The presentation will take place on Tuesday, November 28, at 7 pm at the Howland Cultural Center, 477 Main St. in Beacon.
Deborah Bigelow up on the boom in 2017, completing her restoration of the cornice of the Telephone Building at 291 Main Street.
Photo Credit: Beacon Historical Society
Shop is OPEN! 50Roots Pop-Up Shop Returns To A Little Beacon Space Thanksgiving Weekend
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Making their return to A Little Beacon Space on Thanksgiving Weekend will be the wonderful folks at 50Roots.com for their Second Annual Pop-Up Shop! Watch for the sidewalk sign to be out, and then come on in! Here's what the weekend will look like:
Friday: OPEN! 1 pm(ish) to 6 pm
Saturday: 11 am to 8 pm
Music by Rich Michos and a Complimentary Happy Hour!
Sunday: Noon to 5 pm
Normally, the collection from 50Roots.com is only available online, as the digital retailer (wife-husband team Christa Gray Page and Patrick Page) is based out of Newburgh, NY. "Like a lot of Americans," says Christa, "we believe in supporting our economy, and we appreciate the designers and businesses that put their hearts into every product that they create."
This weekend only, you can interact with everyone shopping the pop-up. You never know what will happen in a pop-up experience. Remember last year when 50Roots did the Mannequin Challenge? Watch the video below to see how everyone stood still in fun poses (like mid-dancing). Have fun as you shop all of Main Street!
A LITTLE OF WHAT YOU'LL FIND IN THE 50ROOTS POP-UP SHOP
TRIXIE & MILO
COCKTAIL SHAKER
Says Patrick: "Alcohol is a misunderstood vitamin. It’s vitamin A, isn’t it?" Better not take the malnourishment risk. Enjoy your favorite beverage with this 1950s-style cocktail shaker.
GREEN TREE JEWELRY
STEAMPUNK ROCKER THROW SWITCH
The Frankenstein Light Switch cover goes over any standard and medium size residential single rocker light switch and installs over the existing plastic cover using the existing screws to fasten to the wall (in some cases longer screws may be required; for these cases 50Roots has supplied two extra, longer screws)
BOARDING PASS
YOU EARNED IT BOTTLE OPENER
The You Earned It bottle opener is made in the USA of solid brass. It is sand-casted, tumbled, polished and hand finished making it the smoothest bottle opener ever used. Says Christa, of all the praise: "That’s not just the post-work beer talking."
LOVE THY BEAST
CANVAS PET TOTE
Carry your dog around in style! This utilitarian tote is made with 18-ounce weight double layer of cotton duck canvas and is double topstitched for extra durability. There is a comfortable scoop for your woof's head and has two outside pockets in the front for you. The inside features a collar-to-leash attachment with solid brass hardware and a removable sturdy, bonded leather foot pad.
BOARDING PASS
LEGO CUFFLINKS
Why not have a reminder of being a kid when you’re climbing your way up the corporate ladder? Repurposed and recycled lost and forgotten pieces of memorabilia are converted into Lego Cufflinks. Hand-crafted using real Legos, the tiles are secured with super strong epoxy to silver plated bezel cufflink posts.
BOARDING PASS
WHISKEY AND HOW TO ENJOY IT GIFT SET
This gift box is designed to provide an introduction to this fine spirit, and features two hefty eight-ounce whisk(e)y tumblers, two premium leather coasters, and a guide book written and edited by the gents of Boarding Pass. The booklet is a highly informative guide to understanding whisk(e)y, how it’s crafted, and most importantly, how to enjoy it with friends.
BOARDING PASS
WORK HARD/PLAY HARD DUFFEL
Made from 18-ounce duck canvas, 1000-denier nylon on the exterior and 4420-denier nylon on the interior, this duffel offers durable, water-repellent quality that looks as good as it protects. It’s the perfect size for a weekend getaway or carrying your gear to the gym.
FABRIC HORSE
EVERYDAY TOTE in EVERGREEN
Says Christa: "Possibly our favorite bag to date from our dear friends at Fabric Horse." This bag fits in your bicycle basket and is shaped to hold a 13" laptop. Water-resistant, and made from waxed canvas and factory rejected seatbelt webbing.
KIT-CAT CLOCK
This clock was so popular last year, it sold out! So 50Roots brought it back. Check out the Scarlet Limited Edition Kit-Cat Clock. Add some pop to your home or office. Perfect for the holidays and every day!
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