The first thing you notice at Basilica Hudson is the scale. Seventeen thousand square feet of raw industrial space — exposed brick, iron trusses, soaring ceilings — all of it built in the 1880s to cast railroad car wheels, and all of it now humming with a very different kind of energy. On any given evening between spring and fall, you might walk into a drone music marathon, a curated film screening, a literary reading backed by ambient electronics, or a full-throttle rock show with Thievery Corporation shaking the old bones of the building. Basilica Hudson doesn’t fit neatly into any category, which is exactly the point.
From Foundry to Cultural Anchor
The building at 110 South Front Street has lived several lives. Constructed in the 1880s as an iron foundry, it later operated as a glue factory and knitting mill before finally going dark in the 1980s. By the time Melissa Auf der Maur and Tony Stone discovered it, the structure was a cavernous shell — gorgeous bones, decades of neglect. Auf der Maur, best known as the bassist for Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, had relocated from Montreal to the Hudson Valley. Stone, a filmmaker whose features Severed Ways and Peter and the Farm were released by Magnolia Pictures, shared her vision for what the space could become.
They co-founded Basilica Hudson in 2010 as a nonprofit multidisciplinary arts center, and the transformation was deliberate. Rather than gut-renovating the factory into something polished and generic, they preserved its industrial character — the roughness is the aesthetic. Solar panels now power the building, making it one of the few solar-powered arts venues in the state. The Preservation League of New York State recognized Auf der Maur and Stone with their Pillars of New York award for the restoration work.
Programming That Defies Convention
Basilica Hudson runs a seasonal calendar, roughly spring through fall, and its programming reads less like a concert venue’s booking sheet and more like a cultural journal. The flagship is Basilica SoundScape, an annual festival that bills itself as “the anti-festival” — a weekend-long collision of music, visual art, and literature that attracts adventurous audiences from across the Northeast. Past editions have blended experimental electronic sets with panel discussions and large-scale art installations throughout the space.
Then there’s the 24-Hour Drone Festival, which is exactly what it sounds like: a nonstop, round-the-clock performance by experimental and ambient artists. Attendees camp in the space overnight, drifting in and out of consciousness while the sound never stops. It’s the kind of event that could only exist in a building this large and this unbothered by convention.
For something more accessible, Jupiter Nights runs on Thursday evenings through the summer — a concert series spotlighting regional musicians, poets, DJs, and visual artists. It’s Basilica at its most community-facing, with the industrial doors thrown open and the Hudson River breeze coming through.
The Hudson Factor
Part of what makes Basilica special is its context. Hudson, New York, has undergone a remarkable cultural transformation over the past two decades, evolving from a quiet river town into one of the most compelling small-city destinations in the Northeast. Warren Street — Hudson’s main commercial artery — runs a half-mile of independent galleries, antique shops, boutiques, and restaurants that would feel at home in Brooklyn but operate at a decidedly more human pace.
Basilica sits at the south end of town, roughly 400 feet from the Hudson Amtrak station. That proximity to rail is no small thing: the two-hour train ride from Penn Station along the Hudson River is one of the most scenic Amtrak routes in the country, and it deposits you practically at the venue’s doorstep. By car, it’s minutes from I-87 Exit 21, about 30 miles south of Albany.
Where to Eat
Warren Street’s dining scene has become a destination in its own right. Swoon Kitchenbar is a standout — a farm-to-table restaurant set in a 19th-century building with an oyster bar, open kitchen, and the kind of seasonal menu that takes Hudson Valley sourcing seriously. Le Perche occupies a beautifully restored space with exposed brick and serves French-inflected baked goods and bistro plates that work for brunch or a pre-show dinner. And BackBar at 347 Warren Street brings Malaysian-inspired plates and a dim sum brunch that’s become a weekend ritual for locals and visitors alike.
Know Before You Go
- Address: 110 South Front Street, Hudson, NY 12534
- Season: Spring through fall — the venue does not run winter programming
- By train: Hudson Amtrak station is a 2-3 minute walk south of the venue
- By car: I-87 Exit 21, approximately 30 miles south of Albany
- Parking: On-site parking available for most events; accessible spaces with curb cuts provided
- Capacity: Varies by event configuration — the 17,000 sq ft space draws over 20,000 visitors per season
- Pro tip: If you’re coming by Amtrak, build in time for Warren Street before the show. The walk from the station through town is half the experience.
For upcoming events and tickets, visit basilicahudson.org.