Pillars of New York: Melissa Auf der Maur and Tony Stone
For more than a decade we’ve committed blood, sweat, and tears to preserving and celebrating the rich history and heritage of the City of Hudson’s waterfront through our work at Basilica Hudson and the River House Project. It is an honor to be recognized for our part in this effort. We take this opportunity to shine a light on these Hudson River Town architectural gems as beacons and creative havens for arts, culture, and people.
This Pillar Award amplifies and echo’s our dreams we set out to make come true when our love affair with Hudson began in 2010. Our greatest hope is that our special attention to historic restoration matched with "green" renewable energy systems will inspire the next wave of preservationists.
Thank you to the Preservation League of NYS for recognizing this work” – Melissa Auf der Maur
The Preservation League of NYS was thrilled to recognized Melissa Auf der Maur & Tony Stone with a 2024 Pillar of New York Award!
Melissa Auf der Maur, musician, photographer, curator, and producer, was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She is most prominently known for being the bass player in two seminal 90s bands, Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. The photographs she took during her time in both bands have been published and exhibited in National Geographic, SPIN Magazine, Sotheby’s NYC, and The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Tony Stone, a filmmaker and builder, was born and raised in Lower Manhattan. His feature films SEVERED WAYS and PETER AND THE FARM were released by Magnolia Pictures to high acclaim. TED K, his most recent film released by NEON, continues his exploration of the dark and rugged soul of America.
Melissa and Tony co-founded Basilica Hudson in 2010, a reclaimed, solar powered, 1880s industrial factory turned multidisciplinary art center in Hudson, NY. In 2019, they completed the rehabilitation of another historic Hudson building – River House Project is a fossil fuel-free film, media, and design hub within a 1903 schoolhouse. That restoration earned the couple an Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League in 2020.
