17 Feb 2024

Evolution of a Wall at Oneida Market, Hudson, New York

In Hudson, New York, the recent evolution of a wall demonstrates the effects of property development on ghost signs, in this case a lovely one advertising Oneida Market.

Brick wall with a fading painted advertisement on it, which isn't visible in its entirety. The sign, on a faded red background, consists of two main parts: a panel on the left that is red lettering out of a white panel reading "Finest Butter, Cheese, & Eggs"; and the main part of the sign which is partially obscured by a later window, but which once read "Oneida Market in Finest ____".
Left portion of the ghost sign for Oneida Market in Hudson, New York, photographed by Gabriel Nieto.

When I first saw these photos by Gabriel Nieto I immediately assumed that the sign had been covered by a billboard, and then the window added in after its removal. It’s still entirely possible that there was once a billboard there, but Streetview shows that between July 2018 and September 2019, grey cladding was removed from the wall.

In my Islington survey, property development was the major cause of ghost signs being lost and, in cases like this one, altered. The window, which looks to have been installed during the cladding process, has created a missing portion in the sign and, while the cladding was up, a very narrow strip of the sign was lost to the left. This was either through general decay, cleaning of the wall, or a combination of the two.

There’s a square-on photo of the entire wall here on the Visible Light Pictures site, and Gabriel Nieto also shared this close-up of the right-hand portion, and its beautiful product panel with shell-like ornaments above and below.

Fading painted sign on a brick wall. It is set within a white panel on a red background, with red lettering that reads: "Finest Meats, Poultry & Fish".
Brushstrokes visible on this surviving panel from the Oneida Market ghost sign in Hudson, New York. Photo: Gabriel Nieto.

Oneida Market

Finest Butter, Cheese & Eggs.

Oneida Market in Finest __

Finest Meats, Poultry & Fish

South 7th Street (corner of Warren Street), Hudson, New York [Streetview]

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