Demo to begin on Uptown canopies
Despite several lawsuits and appeals from the public, demolition of the City of Kingston’s Pike Plan canopies will begin this week.
Beginning Monday, construction crews will begin demolition on the corners of North Front Street, moving inward simultaneously to remove the canopy one property at a time, according to the City of Kingston Mayor Steve Noble. Once North Front is completed, crews will move to Wall Street.
From January 12-16, 2026 there will be limited parking on North Front Street from Crown Street to Fair Street, on both sides of the street. Parking in the Uptown lots will be free of charge for the duration of the project. All sidewalks will remain open, and public access will be provided to all storefronts during the demolition and for the duration of the project.
Constructed in 1970 during the heyday of shopping malls to attract customers back to the Uptown area of the city, the Pike Plan canopies were not only a unique attraction, but provided much-needed relief from the weather, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.
But as the popularity of malls have declined, so have the appeal and the integral structure of the canopies. After 55-plus years in use, in addition to blocking visibility to local storefronts, according to officials, the cost of leaks and structural damage to the main buildings have outbalanced the cost of demoing the canopies completely.
“The Pike Plan canopies have come to the end of their useful life,” Mayor Steve Noble said. “And the safety of our residents is our utmost concern.”
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has previously stated that the Pike Plan canopies were “non-historic,” and recommended removing the structures and restoring the “historic storefronts” that area located in the Kingston’s eight-block Stockade District, the original settlement of the city in the mid-17th century.
In August 2024, the City of Kingston Common Council approved $1.2 million to remove the canopies along Wall Street and North Front Street.
The demolition process was delayed after real estate developer Neil Bender, who now owns eight buildings in the affected area, sued the city – six times so far – over its plans, claiming the canopies were “immovable structures” and property of the business owners, not the city. In September of 2025, an appellate judge ruled in favor of the city moving forward with the demolition.
In an open letter published April of 2025, City of Kingston Mayor called Bender “an oligarch infiltrating our community who is attempting to use his deep pockets to break the City of Kingston.”
“All the while, the many properties that Neil Bender owns in Uptown Kingston sit empty,” Noble said. “The face of Uptown has changed over the last several years. A once-vibrant area for shops, restaurants, and businesses becomes quieter by the day. I suspect that much of Bender’s opposition to the removal of the Pike Plan canopies is that once daylight shines on the storefronts, the blight of his empty buildings will be abundantly clear.”
Noble urged residents to write a postcard to Bender to “stop suing the city and invest his time and piles of money into making Uptown Kingston the destination it deserves to be.”
Demolition will include making the building water-tight and “leaving it in a presentable condition,” according to the mayor. In addition to the removal of the canopy structure and repairs to the building façades, new lighting will be installed to “better illuminate the sidewalks and buildings.”
Fees for all permits and applications for property and business owners to repair façades and for signage will be waived through October 2027 but must follow the standard process for approval.
Demolition is expected to be completed by March 13, 2026.
“Our small businesses, our vibrant arts scene, our many festival and community events, and most of all our people are what make Kingston unique,” Noble added. “The Pike Plan has served its purpose. It is time to move on.”
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