News
EDITORIAL
First published: Thursday,
May 18, 2000
Saving History in Albany
Eckerd's backs away from a plan to build a store
on the old School 10 site
a thriving downtown economy in the face of competition
from suburban malls. But unlike the suburbs, where
much development occurs in open space, these upstate
cities often face a choice of preserving the past or
demolishing it to make way for future economic gain. It
is rarely a wise or justified tradeoff. More often than not,
the wrecker's ball claims a part of history that can never
be replaced, and the city loses a little more of its identity
and appeal. The economic gain, meanwhile, often proves
fleeting if it materializes at all.
But thanks to some concerned residents and historic
preservationists, one Albany neighborhood has been
spared the choice between past and future -- at least for
now. It has taken more than a year of controversy and
standoff, but the end result is that the century-old former
School 10 on Central Avenue, will not be demolished to
make way for a new Eckerd drugstore.
Not only that, but the Eckerd Corp., to its credit, says it
will no longer pursue sites that are on the National
Register of Historic Places as potential locations for its
drugstores. In a letter, Eckerd's interim president, John
E. Fesperman stated: ``We try very hard to be a good
citizen of the communities in which we operate and have
no intention of destroying such properties.'' His words
should serve as a motto for good corporate citizenship.
School 10 was worth fighting to preserve for several
reasons. It was designed by noted Albany architect
Albert Fuller, and demolishing it would have wiped away
one of his enduring concepts. The school is also eligible
for the National Register of Historic Places. And it is a
vestige of an earlier Albany, when neighborhoods were
closely knit communities with their own unique character.
The Eckerd store that had been proposed for the School
10 site would have been incompatible with its
surroundings. Its design was based on suburban-style
development along commercial strips and busy
intersections. Its dimensions would have dominated the
streetscape, and its drive-through window would have
clashed with the neighborhood's pedestrian-friendly
image.
Some Central Avenue merchants understandably
welcomed the Eckerd store as a spur to further
commercial development, and Mayor Jerry Jennings is
now assuring them that the city will continue to market
the School 10 building. But there is a way to accomplish
both goals without paying the price of demolition and
garish structures. Retail stores can be designed to be
compatible with neighborhood architecture, and often
add to the charm of surroundings rather than compete
with them.
The same approach can be achieved whenever older
buildings are transformed to modern uses, as should be
the case with any future use of School 10.
- Copyright
2000, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.
and
Architectural Parts Warehouse
89 Lexington Avenue
Albany, NY 12206
518/465-0876
www.historic-albany.org