Uptown Kingston's First Holiday Season Without the Canopies

Where do you stand on North Front Street on a December night when there's no roof over the sidewalk?

This year Uptown Kingston has to answer that question for the first time since the 1970s. The Pike Plan canopies are gone, and the city announced on November 5 that repair work on the storefronts they once covered had reached substantial completion. Over the next six weeks the Stockade District gets its first full holiday season as an open-air street. The season now rests on restored façades, a new parking lane on Schwenk Drive, free county shuttles on festival night, and a few indoor rooms that set the Saturday calendar.

Half a Century Under a Roof

The City of Kingston dates the canopies to 1973 through 1976. They were built during an Urban Renewal effort to turn Wall and North Front Streets into a pedestrian-only mall, which never happened. In a statement as demolition began, Mayor Noble called the structure irreparably deteriorated and a safety hazard. He described a city-owned canopy attached to private buildings as hard to maintain, and said it had blocked storefronts and hidden the architecture from view.

The cost comparison helped settle it. As Kingston Wire reported, the Common Council approved $1.2 million for removal in August 2024, and officials estimated a full replacement at about $10 million. Legal challenges from property owners delayed the work until an appellate court ruled in September 2025 that the canopies belonged to the city and could be removed.

Crews started physically taking down canopy sections on January 14, 2026, beginning at the North Front Street corners and moving to Wall Street. The Daily Freeman reported on February 26 that the last section was down after about six weeks. The city had planned for a mid-March finish.

Last Winter Was the Hard One

Uptown merchants have already been through one winter without the canopies, and it happened during demolition. In a February 4 letter to Mayor Steve Noble, Kingston Uptown Business Association president Alexander Mainetti described "a significant reduction in business sales" after the work began in mid-January. Kingston Wire's account of that letter tied part of the problem to the canopy gutters. They were removed ahead of the structure, so water ran straight off the roof and froze on the sidewalk below.

The same report described black vinyl and tape over exposed masonry where the canopy had been bolted to the buildings. It also explained that the city was offering owners $1,000 per square foot of canopy frontage in exchange for waiving damage claims. Restoring the façades was left to the owners of roughly 40 properties. Merchants responded by forming the Stockade Restoration Committee to remind people that Uptown was open for business during construction.

The spring and summer brought one departure and one arrival. Stella's Italian Restaurant at 44 North Front Street closed in April after more than 25 years, and the Daily Freeman reported that the demolition and a drop in business were among the reasons. In June, Kingston Nord opened a few doors up at 63 North Front Street, a roof-decked property that has seen several businesses come and go. It's a Scandinavian tavern built around the Danish idea of hygge, or comfort. Speaking to the Daily Freeman, co-owner Tash Berlyne said guests find the menu more familiar than they expect: "It's comfort food." The menu runs from Swedish meatballs, schnitzel and salmon gravlax to aebleskiver, the round Danish pancakes. Kingston Nord is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

The Fronts Are Finished, and the Owners Take It From Here

The November 5 announcement covers the city's part of the job. City contractors repaired 22 storefronts on North Front and Wall Streets where the canopy had been attached. Owners who chose the city's option got a signboard across the band where the canopy used to meet the building. The city also awarded 12 Minor Exterior Improvements Grants for signage and awnings, which covered every applicant. The Planning Office has fast-tracked 36 projects along the two streets.

Mayor Noble's statement looks ahead to "what additional improvements the property owners will make to continue to beautify the Stockade District." The city's release notes that owners doing their own restoration can get historic design help from the Planning Office, following the Historic Landmark Preservation Commission's guidelines for Pike Plan removal. Fees for signage and façade reviews are waived until October 2027. Some owners started early. In February, the Daily Freeman reported that the owners of 31, 33 and 35 North Front Street had begun stripping siding and plywood to restore those façades.

So a walk down North Front this month passes storefronts in different stages of the same project. Some are finished with city signboards, some are mid-restoration, and some may still be waiting. With the review fees waived for almost another year, that mix will likely keep changing well after the holidays.

Parking Moved One Street Over

The other change sits just outside the Stockade. On November 5, the city announced that Schwenk Drive had been repaved and restriped with a road diet. There are now parking lanes on both sides from the Kingston Plaza entrance to Washington Avenue, which the city expects to add 60 to 70 on-street spaces. Individual spaces aren't painted yet, though the city says lines may be added later. A matching change on Hurley Avenue will cut it to a single through-lane onto Schwenk Drive. The Department of Public Works planned to add that permanent striping in the coming weeks, depending on crew and equipment availability.

For the year's busiest Uptown evening, parking is spread out even further. KUBA's Snowflake Festival page says there is "much more parking available" this year. Ulster County is running free continuous shuttles on a downtown, Midtown and Uptown loop, plus service from Kingston Plaza, Ulster Savings Bank and Dietz Stadium. Before 2026, the canopies kept festival crowds dry along the sidewalk. This year the festival relies on getting people in and out efficiently.

The Indoor Rooms That Anchor December

Without the canopies, the season's fixed points are mostly indoors. Here are the dates already on the calendar, Uptown and a short ride away:

The Kingston Farmers Market winter schedule does the most to set the pattern. It moves the market inside Bethany Hall every other Saturday from December 5 through April 24, 11 markets in all. That puts a regular reason to come to Wall Street on the calendar right through the cold months. On December 5, the market and the opening night of A Christmas Carol at UPAC fall on the same Saturday.

On the night of the Snowflake Festival, KUBA notes that it will be cold. It suggests stopping into local businesses to warm up and booking dinner ahead, because Uptown restaurants fill up fast. KUBA also points out that the event is free because local businesses sponsor it.

Rough Draft Bar & Books remains a winter regular on John Street, with book clubs and readings on its November calendar. Members of its Policy + Politics club get 10% off the month's book when they mention the club at checkout. The shop has announced plans to move to the Senate Garage in 2027, Chronogram reported, which makes this its last holiday season at the current address.

A block away, the Senate House State Historic Site is on its off-season schedule. From November through mid-April, house tours are by advance appointment, and the grounds stay open dawn to dusk. An afternoon walk there pairs well with lunch at Kingston Nord or a Saturday trip to the market at Bethany Hall.

If you've watched North Front and Wall Streets change this year and want to talk about what that means for homes in and around Uptown Kingston, I'm glad to share what I'm seeing. Isabel R. Alves is always happy to hear from neighbors across the Hudson Valley. Let's Connect.