Opened in 1893 as an ahead of its time electrically lit hotel, Newburgh New York’s Palatine Hotel would be described as the “model hotel of the Hudson Valley” and the “finest hotel between New York and Albany.” With beautiful accommodations and sweeping river views, it attracted New York City residents looking for a day trip up the Hudson, politicians planning strategy, and world-famous performers who’d come to entertain crowds at the nearby Academy Theater. Its era of opulence would end with the Great Depression and in the years to come, newer hotels, smaller inns, and the city’s steady decline left the hotel a shadow of its former self. In 1970, as Urban Renewal was attempting to reshape Newburgh’s downtown, the Palatine Hotel became one of more than 2,000 buildings to be torn down for a plan that would never manifest.