Project Report: Kingston Historic Bluestone Sidewalk Survey, November 30, 2013

Braunlein, John

From introduction: "Harvested in Ulster County, bluestone became a major building and construction material – not only in communities in the Hudson Valley – but in every major city on the East and West Coast, from New York to San Francisco. Bluestone had a great variety of applications from hitching posts, gates, and coach steps to animal troughs, grinding stones, and tombstones. It was as a building and construction material, however, that it received its widest use. By the end of the 19th century, not only were bluestone buildings, foundations, cornerstones, and capstones to be found, but virtually every major American city used Ulster County bluestone for sidewalks and curbstones because it was functional, durable, and beautiful. These qualities made it sought after – not only for metropolitan infrastructure projects – but also as centerpieces in high profile building projects such as the cornerstone of Brooklyn Bridge and the 25’ x 16’ entrance stone to William Vanderbilt’s New York City mansion. Bluestone is so hard and durable that many of the sidewalks laid down in Kingston more than 150 years ago are still in place. Yet, every year more and more is lost, replaced with cheaper but less durable and attractive materials; or worse, it is stolen to be sold and used elsewhere. In order to address the need to identify, restore, and preserve this important part of Kingston’s historic infrastructure, a Historic Bluestone Survey Project was developed. In 2013, the City of Kingston received Certified Local Government funding to conduct a geo-coded survey of sidewalks in the four Historic Districts and along Broadway. The purpose of the study was to document the condition of the City’s sidewalks in these areas as an initial step in the documentation and preservation of its historic infrastructure in these historically important and economically significant sections of the municipality. Further, it was developed to mesh with other citywide initiatives designed to make Kingston a safe and walkable community. The specific objectives of the study were to design and implement the sidewalk survey; to inventory the stockpiled Bluestone in the City’s Bluestone repository; to cultivate and coordinate interaction with partner organizations, citizen groups and the media; to recruit and train volunteers for participation in the project; and to produce a report that would not only summarize and analyze survey findings but which would make recommendations for future activity as well. [T]he sidewalk survey of the four historic districts and the Broadway corridor encompassed nearly 62,000 feet of sidewalk, or about 12 miles. Interestingly, sidewalk condition throughout the survey area is about evenly divided between favorable and unfavorable conditions, though these conditions actually vary greatly from area to area. Overall, bluestone accounts for 49% of all sidewalks recorded, followed by concrete (33%) and asphalt (10%). Brick, a material often favored in historic districts elsewhere, only accounted for 3% of the material surveyed. This is understandable as bluestone was the primary sidewalk material historically and is so durable that much of it has lasted for more than 125 years. Concrete, brick, pavers, and asphalt have only recently replaced bluestone in some areas." Funding was provided in part by a 2012 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Kingston (project number NY-12-050) administered by the New York State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 36-12-41939) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Kingston, New York is a Certified Local Government.

Project Report: Kingston Historic Bluestone Sidewalk Survey, November 30, 2013

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