We spend a lot of time in the Economics of Historic Preservation and Preservation Design Studio 2 classes talking about and studying downtown revitalization, and the roles of the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. As will often be described in this blog, the city of Troy (and surrounding municipalities) makes an ideal laboratory.
Like those of many industrial cities in the 20th century, Troy's economy suffered with the departure of industry to the south and overseas (and subsequent loss of jobs), the construction of the interstate highway system, and the development of suburban housing and shopping malls.
In the past forty years, however, the city of Troy and its residents have worked hard to revitalize its Victorian downtown. Several faculty members and many friends of the Building Conservation program have been actively involved in this effort over the years, and we will likely describe these efforts in many future posts. At the moment, although the city has come a long way and still has a long way to go, it is hard to keep up with all the projects. So many existing and new residents are rehabilitating houses, new shops and restaurants are opening up, and there are several notable large scale new construction and adaptive use projects taking place. In this dynamic climate, the Building Conservation program never lacks new sites to visit and learn from.
In the meantime, while we are in event announcement mode, we wanted to promote Troy's 24th annual Victorian Stroll, which will be held Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Initially developed by local businesses, government officials, and the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce to promote and reintroduce visitors and shoppers to our historic downtown, this wonderful event always has something for everyone, including fire truck rides, historic house tours, great food and music, Santa's reindeer, an ever-changing variety of shops, and 15,000 people from all over the region. The Stroll presents a great opportunity for residents and visitors to see the many positive changes occuring in Troy.
This year's "strollers," some of whom dress in elegant Victorian costumes, will find a number of new shops and dining establishments, such as several new additions to the Antiques District on River Street (including the Living Room), Spill'N the Beans Coffee and Bistro, on Third Street, and Tosca Grille and the Golden Fox on Broadway. Strollers will also see many building rehabilitation projects underway, including the long-vacant former Stanley's department store building (pictured above) at the southwest corner of Third and State Streets and the Tavern Building on Congress Street. Stanley's is being transformed into "The Conservatory," four floors of Manhattan-style apartments with basement-level parking and first floor retail by J.W. Pfeil & Company, Inc.
One of the highlights of the Victorian Stroll is Renssealer County Historical Society's annual Greens Show, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This event will be held Thursday, November 30th - Sunday, December 3rd, from 12:00 noon until 5:00 p.m.; family night is Thursday, November 30th, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Visitors can tour the historic Hart-Cluett House (also known as the "Marble House on Second Street" and pictured above) and adjacent Carr Building, which will be beautifully decorated for the holiday season by the Van Rensselaer Garden Club.
