Designer Couple Begins Renovations at 143 Washington Street

WashxFed

If you have ever visited the old Habitat ReStore on Washington Street, you will recognize this corner of Washington and Federal. The wooden house collapsed years ago, and has remained a scary site. The Newburgh Community Land Bank recently sold this corner property and the adjacent brick building, 143 Washington Street, to a new family that will completely makeover this entire corner. Located on one of the streets that leads to Washington’s Headquarters and the waterfront, it is  a prime location for revitalization. The wood house is now completely gone and a new side yard has been formed. Next, scaffolding will go up to repair the roof. You can see the progress on the washXfed Instagram account of Aaron Lown and Elizabeth Grubaugh. The couple are both designers, and are in the process of building their businesses in Newburgh. Mr. Lown’s business is Industrial Craft, and Ms. Grubaugh’s business is Elizabeth Grubaugh Creative.

The couple was featured in the New York Times in 2006 for the restoration work they did on a house in Tuxedo, NY that Mr. Lown inherited from his great-aunt and great-uncle while living in Japan. The house was declared a hazard and had a dead tree tearing up deck, not to mention the vermin that had taken up residence. They did a lot of the work themselves, which probably provides a lot of confidence to take on this house in Newburgh. The brick building is literally a shell without a roof. It will have to be built from the ground up.

Their new home will be just walking distance from cafes, the waterfront, Washington’s HQ and their work spaces. Looking at the site initially, I’m sure many would have run away. I’d say they chose their location very wisely.

All photos below from the washXfed Instagram account and Aaron Lown.

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2 Comment

  • Nice. I’m glad to see a Tuxedo Park pair migrate to Newburgh. I had a few clients from the ‘Park back in the day, some of which set up a shop in Beacon as the ‘Burgh was considered the bad lands. You just never know… has Newburgh’s change finally pierced its critical value?

  • The pictures on the Instagram site are wonderful — the comments are priceless too. I am glad to see such optimism. It’s what Newburgh needs. 🙂 Welcome and I can’t wait to watch the progress.