peekskill, N.Y.: an ‘artist’s paradise’ on the hudson river
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By Anne Mancuso | Published on August 10, 2022
With its industrial roots and lively art scene, Peekskill — or “PK,” as some call it — is considered a “mini Beacon,” a reference to the art-centric city in upstate New York.
“People come to Peekskill because it’s known as a Westchester arts community, with artists’ studios and art galleries,” said Nancy Kennedy, an associate broker with Houlihan Lawrence, in nearby Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Ms. Kennedy’s clients Kelly Jones and her husband, Joel Simmons, both 38 and Kansas natives, were renting and working from a two-bedroom apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, when they closed in November on a four-bedroom 1880 Victorian close to downtown Peekskill, paying $660,000. Now they have room for two offices, an easy commute into Manhattan and a house with “character,” Ms. Jones said. And they’re renovating the one-bedroom apartment on the lower level so they can rent it out.
“There’s a great balance of access to the city and nature with the kind of tight-knit community we had in Williamsburg,” said Ms. Jones, the director of gallery operations and sales for the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. She likes Peekskill’s commitment to the arts and proximity to hiking trails, where she enjoys walking with Mr. Simmons, a property insurance adjuster, and their two rescue dogs, Piper and Jack.
Recently, young couples from Brooklyn and Queens have been snapping up Peekskill’s Victorians and renovating them “to the max,” said Magdalena Konkola, an associate broker with Houlihan Lawrence. “They like the walkability” of the area, she added, “its city vibe and the restaurant scene.”
Peekskill’s multifamily homes are also popular, said Maria Campanelli, an associate broker with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. In December, she said, she had two clients from Queens — a mother and son — who bought a 1939 house with two three-bedroom units for $685,000, almost $100,000 over the listing price.
And more than 100 art studios are housed in the older buildings and homes, making the city “an artist’s paradise,” said Wendie B. Garber, an artist and retired teacher who has run the Flat Iron Gallery on South Division Street for more than 25 years. “It’s a community, and it’s easy to be part of the community.”
On a recent trip to the Peekskill Museum, a treasure trove of artifacts and kitsch, Ms. Jones, the Kansas transplant, was delighted to learn that L. Frank Baum, the author of “The Wizard of Oz,” had attended school in Peekskill and may have used its yellow-brick walkways — some which remain today — in his work.
“You’re not in Kansas anymore,” she said, quoting the well-known line, “but this feels right.”
What You’ll Find
It is said that Henry Hudson and his Half Moon crew found Peekskill — which is less than 50 miles from Manhattan, in northwest Westchester County — a “very pleasant place to build a town.”
A population of nearly 26,000 resides within its four square miles. According to 2020 U.S. census figures, 44.1 percent identify as Hispanic, 39.3 percent as white, 23.1 percent as Black and 2 percent as Asian. The median household income is $66,067.
Housing includes Victorians, colonials and ranches on lots of a quarter- to a half-acre, as well condominium and cooperative apartments, and rental apartment buildings with market-rate and affordable units.
Fifty subsidized living and work spaces are reserved for artists at the Lofts on Main building, and several affordable housing projects are underway, including one on Main Street with 82 apartments for those earning 40 to 80 percent of the median income in Westchester ($99,489, according to 2020 census figures).
A complex of 51 market-rate apartments along the Hudson River is also in the works, as are plans for 230 middle-income apartments on an 11-acre site, said Jean Friedman, the city’s director of planning. Ms. Friedman, a Peekskill resident, praised the city’s “waterfront, historic district and good quality of life,” and noted that the waterfront and infrastructure will soon be revitalized with a $10 million state grant.
What You’ll Pay
As of early July, there were some 50 residential properties on the market in Peekskill, from a four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom house, with annual taxes of $17,490, listed for $900,000 to a studio condominium listed for $74,000. A single multifamily house was listed for $649,000.
While single-family home prices have dropped elsewhere, Peekskill has yet to see a similar drop, said Kathy Kane, an associate broker with Coldwell Banker Realty. And inventory is scarce. According to data from OneKey MLS, provided by Ms. Campanelli, there were 15 single-family homes for sale in July of 2022 — almost a 29 percent drop from the number available in July of 2021. As for condominiums, the number for sale in July was about 37 percent lower than a year earlier. Only inventory of co-ops increased, to 16 units in July from 13 the year before.
According to information provided by Robert Morin, Peekskill’s assessor, the median sale prices of single-family homes, multifamily houses and condominiums have increased this year: At $485,000, the price of a single-family home was almost 12 percent higher than last year’s $433,500; condominiums, at $372,000, were up about 16 percent; multifamily houses, at $530,000, rose 10.5 percent. Only co-ops dropped, by 13 percent, to $101,500.
As for market-rate apartments, a one-bedroom at the Fort Hills Apartments can rent for upward of $2,800 a month, while a two-bedroom goes for around $4,150 and a three-bedroom can fetch $5,000.
The Vibe
“It’s hip,” said Tom Meaney, a salesman for a liquor distributor who recently visited clients in downtown Peekskill. Nearby, homes displayed the American flag alongside those supporting Black Lives Matter and the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
“It’s diverse,” he added, “and it’s got a nice vibe.”
The Peekskill Coffee House in the base of the Flat Iron building, at the convergence of Division, Brown and Esther Streets, is a popular place for coffee and light dining. On nice days, diners fill the nearby plaza outside the Bean Runner Cafe. Across the street, the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater, a 1930s movie palace, offers live music and comedy. And at various times, on Thursdays through Sundays from May to December, Division Street closes for outdoor dining.
Popular watering holes include the Peekskill Brewery, on South Water Street, and Taco Dive Bar, on Hudson Avenue. The Factoria, off John Walsh Boulevard, draws families with its waterside restaurants and arcade, and for fine dining with a hilltop view, there is Apropos Restaurant, at the Abbey Inn & Spa, on Fort Hill Road.
In June, artists open their studios for a tour sponsored by the Peekskill Arts Alliance. Locations include the Hat Factory, a former warehouse on North Division Street, and Hudson Valley MOCA on Main Street. Arts events are also sponsored by Arts 10566, Inc., a nonprofit group, and annual Pride events are held by the L.G.B.T.Q. community.
Scenic spots from which to view the Hudson River — and take in free concerts or film screenings — include Riverfront Green, near the Metro-North train station, and Charles Point Park, off Louisa Street.
The Schools
According to the office of the Peekskill superintendent of schools, David Mauricio, the Peekskill City School District serves 3,596 students; 74 percent identify as Hispanic, 15 percent as Black, 6 percent as white, 1 percent as Asian and 3 percent as multiracial.
There are four elementary schools: Uriah Hill Jr., for prekindergarten; Woodside, for students in kindergarten and first grade; Oakside, for those in second and third grade; and Hillcrest, for those in fourth and fifth grade. From sixth to eighth grade, students attend Peekskill Middle School; those in ninth to 12th grade go to Peekskill High School, which has an enrollment of 1,039.
The 2020-21 high school graduation rate was 85 percent, compared with a statewide rate of 86 percent, according to the New York State Education Department, which gives the school a good rating. SAT scores for Peekskill high school seniors this year were 505 in evidence-based reading and writing and 503 in math, compared with 2021 statewide scores of 526 and 531. (Statewide figures for 2022 have not yet been released.)
The Commute
Express trains on Metro-North’s Hudson Line make the trip from Peekskill to Midtown Manhattan in a little over an hour. A one-way off-peak ticket bought in advance is $13.25; the peak fare is $17.50. A monthly ticket is usually $383.00. Annual parking permits at the station are $378 for residents and $605 for nonresidents.
The History
The area that is now Peekskill was originally called Sachoes by the Kitchawonk people. When a Dutch trader named Jan Peeck established a business there in the early 1640s, it became known as Peeck’s Kill. George Washington and his troops later set up camp in the area during the Revolutionary War, and Abraham Lincoln stopped there on his inaugural ride to Washington.
In the early 19th century, Peekskill became a village, and it was incorporated in 1940. Major industries in the area have included iron foundries; Fleischmann Yeast Company, a maker of yeast and other products; and Peekskill Chemical Works, later the Binney and Smith Company, which produced Crayola crayons. The city is also associated with the Peekskill Riots of 1949, set off by word of an appearance by the Black singer and activist Paul Robeson, although the event actually took place in nearby Cortlandt, said John J. Curran, a historian and the vice president of the board of trustees at the Peekskill Museum.
Noted residents have included Henry Ward Beecher, the abolitionist and preacher; Frank Anderson, the painter; Aaron Copland, the composer; the former New York Governor George E. Pataki; and the actors Stanley Tucci and Mel Gibson, who was born there.