Hudson Square

On this week’s show we will journey to Hudson Square, sometimes referred to as “The New Hudson Square”, which is directly west of SoHo and a neighborhood that even some die-hard New Yorkers are not very familiar with.

My guests will be will be returning Rediscovering New York expert Joyce Gold, Founder of Joyce Gold History Tours; and Richard “Rip” Hayman, co-owner of the famous Ear Inn on Spring Street.

Tune in for this fascinating conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by clicking here.

Show Notes

Segment 1

Tonight’s show will revolve around Hudson Square which is a place many New Yorkers are not entirely familiar with. Today’s guests are Joyce Gold who is the founder of Joyce Gold History Tours. She got her start working on Wall Street and eventually stumbled upon a directory that discussed all of the places she passed everyday. She then started giving tours on the weekend which led to a full time business. She does more private tours than public. One day she was asked to give tours on Hudson Square in order to get people more familiar with it. It is sometimes referred to as the New Hudson Square because of all of the construction that is occurring. Richmond Hill was a hill that was a resident of Hudson Square that is now flattened. Some renowned historic figures like George Washington were also former residents. He used to live at 1 Cherry Street. Washington’s home was on top of the hill which was right next to the Charlton-King-Vandam Historic District.

Segment 2

Joyce is now back to giving tours due to the near end of the pandemic. She says that she will have 11 tours being offered by the end of the month. Hudson Square first became a major contributor to printing in the 1920’s. Later, the Holland Tunnel was built which was a big help getting cars into New York. Before this tunnel, there were only a couple alternative routes. There was a big effect that it had on the neighborhood. There was a huge amount of construction going on. In addition, while building the tunnel it was stressed not to overcomplicate the roadways. While it was being built in the 1920’s, air regulations had to be followed so that excessive pollution did not take place. Furthermore, Donald Trump has a hotel that is running in Hudson Square. The name was changed to The Dominick once he decided to run for president because many people did not like him. There are also some great entertainment places in the area. One of them is titled SOB or Sound of Brazil that is still open today. This place features music and dancing styles of Brazil and Africa.

Segment 3

To begin this segment, the second guest is introduced. His name is Captain Richard “Rip” Hayman who is the co-owner of The Ear Inn on Spring Street. He is also a United States Coast Guard mariner and former president of the Hudson Valley Line.He is originally from New Mexico and came to New York as a student. He realized his love for the sea while at a beach in New York. The Ear Inn and the James Brown Building was built right next to the docks of the Hudson River. Also, since it was part of a major shopping district, the sidewalks are very spacious. James Brown was a tobacco merchant. The Ear Inn’s name has a history that goes back all the way to prohibition. At first, it was called The Bar Inn but had to be changed. There were rules in place against the adding to the name but none in place that prohibited subtraction. They eventually settled on The Ear Inn, simply altering the letter B.

Segment 4

Captain Richard Hayman today owns a bar that he says he brought when he was young and stupid. At first, he was renting out one of the rooms. Later one of his female friends bought the bar from the former owner which transitioned it from a place where mostly men went to one that was more welcoming to everyone. During the pandemic, Richard was not able to serve his community the way he was accustomed to. Now that it is near an end, he is able to serve people seated outside at a bigger capacity. The parks that are in the area are a good contributor to his business.