04/25/19 7:35am

This picture was taken back in 2013, when any hope of rehabilitation seemed far away and almost impossible. It was a mansion that had seen better days, that would have surely fallen victim to the decay and neglect that so many other surrounding homes had succumbed to.

I don’t remember the exact year I took this photo, but it was already when RUPCO had taken over and began rehabilitation work. So much more to go, but so many huge improvements could be seen already.

Fast forward to 2019 and the project has complete for some time now. It’s a before and after that is a favorite by many. It now is a multifamily property managed by RUPCO.

04/04/19 4:49pm

I took the first picture of 183 Liberty in 2011. Here’s a photo from 2009. I had been photographing it over the years. All really seemed lost with this property until it became apparent that someone had taken a chance on 183 Liberty Street last year. They stripped away all the paint, rebuilt the front porch, added new windows, and that was only the beginning. The interior was completely gutted as you can see in this old real estate blog post. There wasn’t much left to save other than the front door and the interior staircase.

Today there are 4 beautiful apartments, complete with amenities. Honestly, you never imagined the building could be so posh. It is an appreciated change for northern Liberty Street. Neighboring buildings have also undergone rehabilitation and there are more destination worthy businesses to visit such as the Holland Tunnel Gallery (back yard neighbor) and the pop-up restaurant Lodger (we hope you get the codes situation fixed!).

They will be having an open house this Saturday for the public April 6 10:30 am-3:30 pm. You can also follow them on Instagram @183libertystreet

One last look because this was so good:

03/19/19 12:00pm

It’s been almost a year that 109 Liberty Street has undergone a full face lift, and it wouldn’t be a proper renovation without a look back at what it used to look like. This building was originally a labor union headquarters and years later up until recently it served as a church. The storefront never actually had stores in them. Adding two new public gathering spaces to Liberty Street has greatly improved the walkability of the area. Visitors who come for a croissant or pastry then head to one of the boutiques or general stores across the street. The bicycle museum is open to the public and has plans to expand to the upper floors. This change has created interconnectivity of businesses and made Liberty Street more of a destination.

Small businesses are important, so is opening up walled off storefronts. We have so many here in Newburgh.

In the warm weather the Flour Shop has sidewalk seating where people can gather and enjoy Liberty Street

What it looked like for the longest period of time

12/25/18 9:00am

Sometimes it feels like everyone knows about the newest houses undergoing major renovations in the city. However, many readers are in Newburgh so I’ll do my best to catch up on these projects. This house at the end of Bay View Terrace was bad. You can see an old real estate listing here. It was gutted and the south wall was bowing. This was not for a first time renovator.

Fast forward to today, the house has undergone a beautiful transformation. This is a rental, a high-end rental. You can compare the original listing to the rental listing. It’s a huge difference.

11/20/18 7:30am

Here’s a before and after on a block that some people shy away from. I’ve always loved the homes here and have thought that they are all diamonds in the rough. This project by Michele Leone really shows their potential. Scroll below to read her story.

I bought my first house in the City of Newburgh 15 years ago. It was on Farrington St right around the corner from Lander St.

I remember looking out the window from the top floor. I saw mountains and a bit of the river, but Surrounding my house from Chambers to Farrington to Lander St there was nothing but abandoned and burned down houses. I quietly shook my head and said to myself…what the heck did I do?! Who would live here?

Indeed, it was difficult to find a family to rent my apartments back then. Anytime you mentioned the apartment was off Lander St, the prospective tenant would said “No way.”

Well not too long after, Lander st received a grant to better the neighborhood. That was the beginning of change.

Fast forward 14 years later…I bought 3 more houses during that time…one on Dubois, one on Benkard and one on Lander St…right around the corner from my house on Farrington. It was the only beautiful house that was not burned down when I looked out that window many years ago. I had to have it. Then when I saw that 156 Lander St was an available city owned property it caught my interest.

The house was remarkably in decent condition, although it had a big X on the outside.

My husband and I waited a year for the deed to be cleared and then once we closed on the house the work started right away.

The biggest mistake was fixing and painting the peeling paint on the walls and ceilings before doing the electric and plumbing.
Most of the work was sloppy and rushed, so we had to fix and paint over the entire house in the end.

Another issue was the plumbing. Most of the Newburgh plumbers were unavailable, not dependable and very pricey. I then learned you could get licensed plumbers from reciprocal city locations like Poughkeepsie, Beacon and Albany. Well I found a great plumber in Albany of all places! He was honest, dependable and reasonably priced.

One year later, the house was complete. Besides the plumber, everyone that worked on the house lived nearby in Newburgh. I didn’t have a contractor, instead I used a gifted carpenter, Mr Ormiston Gumbs, who put a lot of care and detail into the house.

Well, it was a long journey, but my husband and I am so happy with the outcome of the house. So many neighbors pass by commenting about how nice the house was turning out. It gave them pride to see the neighborhood changing for the better. Now when I look out my window at Farrington. I see beautiful buildings, the mountains and even a bit of the river.

I can proudly say, I really love Newburgh…the music, the food, the atmosphere, the people. Most people who live in Newburgh know I take pride in my houses and care about who my tenants are. Now I have prospective calling me up to find if my Lander Street apartments are available for rent!