Another Albany building on the National Historic Register was torn down

Another Albany building on the National Historic Register was torn down today.  4 ECommerce Square (Ecomm) originally 328 Broadway, owned by Capitalize Albany, suffered a collapsed roof on a rear addition which brought to light additional substantial structural failures in the main building and, while an effort was made to save part of the building, it was determined that the entire building had to come down.

Albany loses a part of its fabric and history when buildings like this come down. It is all the more painful when it was preventable. We can only expect more pain in the future unless, as a city, we change how we deal with vacant buildings.

This loss can be directly tied to the practice of buying up and vacating buildings in anticipation of development that may happen, and too often, never does.  This particular building was part of the convention center plan and later part of the “parking lot district” properties that is being offered for mass development.

At Historic Albany Foundation, we have watched and warned about this practice for many years. While gathering up properties may be appealing to corporate developers, it is simply not working for Albany taxpayers.  In recent years we can point to Kenwood Academy, “Air Albany” apartments on Upper Western Avenue, and the buildings torn down on Western Ave and Quail for an apartment complex that has not materialized. This speculative demolition, as well as the investment of tax dollars through IDA support, is hurting our communities, not helping them.  We are working to make sure that the Tudors on Holland Avenue don’t meet the same fate.    

There are affirmative steps the city can take to insure that Albany’s historic fabric is mended, rather that disposed of. 

1.      Prohibit the purposeful vacating of existing buildings in anticipation of development proposals.

2.      Require that all owners of vacant buildings be required to maintain the vacant buildings so that they are stable and weather tight. This includes corporate developers, quasi-government entities, and the city itself. All buildings, including those that are city-owned, should be subject to inspection by city codes officials.

3.      Require development plans to reuse historic buildings.  Across the nation, successful cities maintain their historic cores by requiring development that reuses buildings or incorporates them into larger projects.  Albany can do this too.

We at Historic Albany are taking this loss particularly hard because we are neighbors. We are investing time and resources to restore Albany’s oldest standing building at 48 Hudson Avenue. It is also the only active investment taking place in this designated development site. We want to make sure 48 Hudson remains a viable, usable building.  We also want to be sure that the remaining buildings in the neighborhood are protected and secured.  

Room 206- Albany High: The Door to More

Room 206 - Albany High

The Door To More 
by Ann Kennedy

In early February, I saw that The Historic Albany Foundation had acquired the doors from “The Old Albany High School,” which, to me, meant that they now had the doors from the place I had my first teaching job in:  Philip Schuyler Elementary School.  So nostalgic!

I scrolled through the pictures of the doors, and while I did, all the memories came back-the way the doors squeaked when you opened them, the smell of the wood, the glass rattling if they were slammed…“Wonder if they have my door..”, I thought to myself.  Well, that was not the only question I had at that point-I could not remember the number of the door to my first classroom!  This posed a problem for me…I called in the troops-Barbara and Carol, who were my neighbors on either side of that first classroom I taught in.  It wasn’t easy for them to remember their classroom numbers either.  However, after some back and forth, we determined with somewhat certainty that my classroom was Room 206.  A quick call to Earl, at The Historic Albany Foundation, confirmed that my door, 206, was still there.  I put it on hold to purchase.  Unable to pinpoint exactly why, I felt such joy to have a piece of the building that I began my career in.  I was going to have a piece of that building forever.

I have my former principal, Jerry Spicer, to thank for the job at Philip Schuyler Elementary School-he had faith in me, and offered a start to my career.  The physical building was HUGE.  We had 1000 students!  And in Room 206, about 20 of them were under the care of Barbara McKenna, and me. 
And why am I telling you all of this? 

The answer is that this is the story of the door to Room 206.  That door opened to hundreds of smiling faces on the first days of school over the years.  It opened and you heard the buzz of new learning.  Opening that door meant you were walking into the lives of the students sitting there.  Truly into their lives-you became their family, their nurse, their counselor, their confidant, their everything.  And I was so proud to be there for them.

The truth is that this is so much more than just a door.  For me, it represents not only the beginning of a career that I am now 28 years into, but also lifelong friendships established at Philip Schuyler Elementary School.  Personally, the door is symbolic of commitment, determination, respect and hard work. These characteristics also describe the faculty and staff I was fortunate enough to work there with.  This door fondly reminds me of them. And of course, the kids.  I wonder how many little hands opened this door over the years…

I’ve always had the memories.  The people, the successes, the challenges, the camaraderie, the growth, the learning.  Now I have a concrete momento.  The door to Room 206 is mine again.

Advocacy Update:Elijah Missionary Baptist Church

A space heater and lack of insurance has caused the South End to lose a venerable part of its community.  Located at 74 Second Avenue, and formerly known as Our Lady Help of Christians, the structure, built in 1880 as a German Catholic church, was an integral part of the South End community for generations.  Most recently, under Rev. Comithier the congregation was known as the Elijah Missionary Baptist Church.

On Friday morning, HAF as well as the rest of the community, awoke to the news of the devastating overnight fire, and hoped that the damages were not fatal to the survival of the building.  According to Mayor Kathy Sheehan, "After thorough inspection of the Elijah Missionary Baptist Church by our buildings professionals and consideration of any potential stabilization efforts, we have determined in the interest of public safety the remaining portion of the church must be removed due to the damage sustained by the recent fire. The investigation has determined the fire was caused by a space heater on the second floor of the church. Despite this unfortunate outcome we greatly appreciate Historic Albany's continued partnership in furtherance of our historic preservation efforts."

The city of Albany’s engineer was on the scene on Friday morning, as well as local developers, to determine if the building could be retrofitted for another use if the side walls and front could be saved.  However, HAF learned this week that the fire went up the front tower which acted like a chimney.  This in turn weakened the structure to the point that it was deemed too unsafe and unstable to put workers inside and in harm’s way.  The tower was still smoldering on Wednesday afternoon this week when we visited the property.

For more information on the history of this beautiful building, it’s congregations and the neighborhood, please go to:  https://findingyourpast.blogspot.com/2015/03/our-lady-help-of-christians-church.html

Historic Albany's Annual Meeting Recap

Historic Albany's Annual Meeting Recap

Last week, the Cathedral of All Saints hosted Historic Albany for our annual Preservation Merit Awards and Annual Meeting. We lauded 14 projects and individuals. During the annual meeting, we elected a new slate of officers and six members began a new three year term. Three board members rolled off the board after completing their terms and four new members joined the board. 

OFFICERS ELECTED TO ANOTHER ONE YEAR TERM
Matt Malette, President
Shawn Morris, 1st Vice President
Robert Coughlin, Treasurer
Tammy Gaynor, Secretary

BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A THIRD THREE YEAR TERM
Michelle Bruck
Schuyler Bull
Robert Coughlin


BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A SECOND THREE YEAR TERM
Kori Graves
Stephen Hickey
Salvator (Jake) Capecelatro

BOARD MEMBERS NOMINATED TO A FIRST THREE YEAR TERM

Padraic Bambrick

While born and raised on Long Island, Padraic Bambrick has called Albany, more specifically the Center Square-Hudson Park Historic District, his home for the majority of the last two decades. Mr. Bambrick now lives with his partner Cara in the Grange Sard, Jr. House overlooking Washington Park. As a lobbyist, he spends his days walking the halls of another Richardsonian Romanesque building, the New York State Capitol.

He received a bachelor’s degree in history at SUNY Albany and began a career in politics at the tail end of the Pataki administration, representing non-profits such as the Bronx Zoo and Fortune-500 companies alike. He recently earned an MBA in a part-time program while working as Manager of State Government Affairs at National Grid, where he continues to work to this day.

Working at National Grid to arbitrate customer concerns and simply listening to his neighbors while walking through Center Square, Mr. Bambrick is keenly aware of the priority placed on building preservation and the need to support the natural and cultural heritage of the City of Albany. Mr. Bambrick takes pride in the history of Albany and its national and global footprint and strives to pass that sentiment on to future generations.

Elizabeth Benjamin

Liz Benjamin is Managing Director – Albany, for Marathon Strategies, a full-service communications and public affairs firm based in New York City. Prior to joining Marathon, Liz was a reporter with more than two decades of experience covering Capital Region, state and New York City government and politics. Over her career, Liz covered a wide array of complex and controversial policy debates – including in the historic preservation sphere. Her expertise includes print, TV and digital reporting and commentary. Liz began her career at the Albany Times Union, where she spent 10 years moving from covering local government and Albany City Hall to the state Capitol. While at the Capitol, she was the paper’s lead political reporter and launched Capitol Confidential, the Capitol’s first blog, which is still going strong. She then spent four years at the New York Daily News as a political blogger and columnist. For the final eight years of her journalistic career, Liz hosted “Capital Tonight,” a landmark political and policy show on Spectrum News, and edited the show’s companion blog, State of Politics.

Paige Barnum -

Paige Barnum is a Senior Planner with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). She has worked as a planner with the agency since 2018. Prior to joining OPRHP, Barnum worked in several local government offices–from Oxford, Mississippi to Los Angeles, California–focusing principally on current and historic preservation planning practice. Barnum completed her Masters in Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2017 and achieved the American Institute of Certified Planner credential from the American Planning Association in 2020. Barnum currently serves on the executive board of the Albany Public Library Board of Trustees; the executive board of the Center Square Neighborhood Association; and as a member of the City of Albany's Board of Zoning Appeals.

April Fallon

I am originally from Long Island and went to RPI for my undergraduate degree in Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Studies. I really enjoyed my time there. What I wasn't expecting was to enjoy the Capital Region so much. What can I say, I fell in love with the historic downtowns and the charming homes and scenery of the area. I started looking at listings in the area and dreaming of one day giving new life to an old house. I thought to myself "it would be so wonderful if I could help others find their dream homes" ... and so I started the journey of getting my real estate license. Just this year I bought a home built in 1884 and have been working hard to preserve it. Since becoming a realtor, I have tried to capture some of the historic homes and buildings that Albany and the capital region are so lucky to have. It has been amazing reaching so many people through social media and I can't wait to continue to give Albany's history a voice and work toward its preservation with HAF."

A FOND FAREWELL
This year we also bid a fond farewell to three board members. Matt Scheidt and Fran Altshuler have both served on the HAF board for three 3-year terms for a total of nine years. Angela Sicker has served for three years. We thank them for their committed service and dedication and wish them well!