York’s old Hudson – new Exchange City building sparks memories
The former Hudson building on York’s South George Street is now home to Junior Achievement’s Exchange City, a program that teaches students about American enterprise and entrepreneurship. The former car dealership housed many things, including a farmers market, before it was restored to its original appearance earlier this decade. Background posts: York’s Crispus Attucks Center had intriguing start and Stetler Dodge transition indicative of other York-area changes and Dempwolf’s Old Man Winter in York: ‘It should last another hundred years’.
Take your pick of the memories linked to the old Hudson car dealership in the 600 block of York’s South George Street.
It has been used for so many things, including a replacement for the demolished York City Market in the 1960s.
We’ll provide two views in this post.
E-mailer JoAnne Everhart (jeverhart1@comcast.net), a sharp observer of the city, brings us back to the building in the decade following the late 1950s. And then York Daily Record account tells about events surrounding its re-opening as Junior Achievement’s Exchange City.
First from JoAnne: … .
“When I remember the building, the first floor went about
half way to the back of the building.
Then very abruptly, two long ramps led to a basement area. The ramps were reminders of the time when new automobiles rolled up and down from the garage which was located on the lower level, to the rear of the building, into the new car showroom, which
was located on the ground floor, in the front of the building.
Both the Food Fair and New City Market used the ground floor and lower levels as area of commerce.
While the automobile agency closed long before I was born, I can
remember being in both the Food Fair and New City Market with my parents and
grandparents.”
And now an excerpt from the YDR (11/23/2002):
The new center, in the Hudson Building in the 600 block of South George Street, opened to students Nov. 7.
Since that time, students from the York City, South Eastern and Central York school districts, in addition to Dallastown on Friday, have visited.
The West York Area and Red Lion Area school districts will be sending students for the fall pilot session, and (JA President Lyn) Buckler-Bergdoll said more will be attending this spring.
Scott Carl, principal at Loganville-Springfield Elementary, said he is proud of how his students approached the project with enthusiasm.
“In my 13 years in education, I’ve never seen a group of students so excited,” Carl said.
One part of a students’ visit directly involves money management.
Students working in the various businesses take out loans from the city’s bank at the begin ning of the day, then work to make enough money during the course of the day to pay those loans back. “That’s the beauty of this program,” Carl said. “It brings everything back to the real world and real life .”
Shop owners also perform duties, such as setting wages for their employees.
One of Carl’s students, Grant Miller, was running a distribution center Friday.
“It’s very good,” Grant said. “It gives you experience with the real world.”
A classmate, Nate Price, was the owner of the town’s radio station.
“I’m finding out what it feels like to have all the responsibilities of an owner,” he said.
