Troya city of arts & architecture

Once a bustling city leading the nation in iron and steel production, the City of Troy fell upon hard times following the First World War and the Depression. By the 1970s, businesses closed up as people abandoned the city for a quiet life in the suburbs.

All that has changed. Over the past few years, the city has experienced tremendous growth. Not only have new shops, restaurants and cafes popped up, but there also is a vibrant antiques district on River Street. In addition, seasonal events draw hundreds of people downtown, such as the Troy Victorian Stroll and the River Street Festival. And, of course, there is the culture. In addition to the Arts Center of the Capital Region and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy is home to NYSTI, the New York State Theatre Institute, an internationally acclaimed professional and educational regional theatre that performs at Schacht Fine Arts Center at Russell Sage College.

But you don’t need to go to a play or visit the Music Hall to appreciate the vibrancy of Troy. The architecture alone brings the city to life—there are many examples of Federalist, Greek Revival, Idealist, Victorian Gothic, and Baroque architecture. Walk down River Street, Second Street or Broadway and look up (but watch your step!). You can almost imagine the people who used to live in the buildings and the businesses that once occupied the storefronts. Hollywood has also recognized Troy: “The Age of Innocence”, “Time Machine”, “Ironweed” and “Scent of a Woman” were all filmed here.

In addition to having some of the finest 19th century architecture in the United States, Troy also has one of the most concentrated selections of Tiffany windows in a city its size. The windows depict religious, historic and pastoral themes.

In recent years, more and more people – young newcomers to seasoned adults alike – have come to recognize Troy as an excellent place to experience urban living. Come, tour this walkable city. You just might decide to stay!
—Mary Beth DeCecco

A RiverSpark Walking Tour

This self-guided walking tour begins at the RiverSpark Visitor Center in downtown Troy and includes an exciting cross-section of more than 200 years of history. Walking time to complete the route is approximately 1 hour; not counting stops to enjoy our special shops and restaurants.

Troy is a city that grew by being in the right place at the right time. Located at the head of navigation on the Hudson River, the city took full advantage of its position at the crossroads of major transportation routes.

By 1825 the primary water level routes to the west and the north—the Erie and the Champlain Canals—joined the Hudson River near Troy. In the next 50 years, a vast network of railroads fanned out from the city in every direction.

Trojan industries harnessed the waterpower of streams flowing into the Hudson. The diverse skills of local workers transformed raw materials into products that were shipped around the world. For most of the 19th century, Troy was nationally known for its iron and steel industries and its shirt and collar factories, as well as its bells, its surveying instruments, its educational pioneers, and its amazing record of industrial innovation. Trojan workers were the first in America to use the Bessemer steel-making process, and the first to “sanforize” (preshrink) cloth.

The commercial districts and residential areas of Troy reflect the success of these industries and reveal a tradition of diverse cultural resources. This walking tour will introduce you to downtown Troy and some of its rich history.

Take the time to explore our community and discover its many treasures. Additional information about historic museums, special events, and other local attractions can be found in the RiverSpark Visitor Center at 251 River Street.

* Open to the public
• Handicapped Accessible

Monument Square
The open space at the intersection of Broadway, Second and River Streets was once known as Washington Square. It has always been a public gathering place for speeches and parades. The commercial buildings originally had offices or small factories on the upper floors and shops at street level, much as you see today.

1. Riverspark Visitor Center, 251 River Street
Exhibits, models, and an award-winning multi-media production introduces visitors to the rich social and industrial history and diverse interrelationships among the seven communities of the Hudson Mohawk Urban Cultural Park, known as RiverSpark. Information is available about local attractions, special events and other tourist services. * •

2. Soldiers & Sailors Monument, River Street & Second Street (1891)
Dedicated during Rensselaer County’s Centennial, this monument honors local citizens who fought in American battles. During the Civil War, the iron foundries of South Troy produced railroad rails and spikes, as well as most of the horseshoes used by the Union army. Look for the plaque depicting the famous naval battle between the South’s Merrimac and the Union ship Monitor whose iron plates and rivets were also made here.

3. City Hall (1975), Monument Square
This building replaced the City Hall on Third Street that burned down in 1938. from the mid-1800s to the 1940s, steamboat passengers gathered on the docks behind these buildings to board elegant nightboats heading down river to New York City. * •

4. Hall-Rice Building, River & First Streets (1871)
Local lawyer Benjamin Hall hired New York City architects Calvert Vaux and Frederick Withers to create this imposing High Victorian Gothic building. It originally contained offices for lawyers, insurance agents and other professionals. The top floor and towers were removed after a disastrous fire in 1913.

5. 225 River Street
This building once housed the Troy Sentinel newspaper. In 1823 they were the first to publish the well-known poem that begins, “T’was the night before Christmas.” The daughter of the rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (#16) brought a handwritten copy home after hearing author Clement C. Moore read it to his family in New York City while she was visiting them.

River Street
River Street was Troy’s first commercial street. The brick storefronts follow the curve of the river behind them, with another floor below street level. 159-167 River Street (c. 1835) are the oldest buildings on the street. The loading doorways on the upper floors are typical warehouse construction for the period. Today many of these buildings have been restored as housing.

6. “Banker’s Row”, First Street between River Street & State Street
This block earned is nickname in the early 1800s when many local banks had their offices here. It was a convenient location, close to the warehouses on River Street, the businesses downtown, and the banker’s homes on First and Second Street.

7. Cast-Iron Storefronts: 7, 9, 11 and 15 First Street
Cast iron storefronts were frequently used in cities to imitate elaborately carved stonework and to provide fire protection. Local iron foundries made the iron facades for these four buildings, placing their names on the bases of the pilasters beside the doors. Cast iron window caps, stair railings, manhole covers, drains, valves, and fire hydrants were also made in Troy and can be seen throughout this walking tour. Troy’s stove and iron foundries extended along the riverfront for more than three miles.

8. Vail House, 46 First Street
Most of the houses on these blocks of First Street were built for businessmen and early industrialists. George Vail, a bank president and railroad financier, and his descendants lived in this house for over 100 years. Today it is the home of the president of The Sage Colleges.

9. Julia Howard Bush Memorial Center (James Harrison Dakin, 1836)
Built as the First Presbyterian Church, this building is one of the earliest and most accurate examples of a six column Doric temple front ever built in America. Today it is used as lecture center and concert hall by Russell Sage College.

10. Russell Sage College
Emma Willard, an educational pioneer, founded the Troy Female Seminary on this site in 1821. The school, known today as the Emma Willard School, was one of the first in the country to offer young girls an education in subjects like geography and math, which were once thought to be too difficult for women. In 1905 a widowed alumna, Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage, built a new campus on Pawling Avenue for the girls’ school. She also helped fund the reuse of these buildings as Russell Sage College, founded in 1916 and named for her husband, a successful local financier.

11. William Howard Hart Memorial Library, 100 Second Street (1897)
This public library is still privately owned. It was a gift from Mary E. Hart in memory of her husband, William Howard Hart. The interior is typical of a 19th century library, with iron bookstacks and artwork that includes the Tiffany-designed “Aldus Window” behind the circulation desk. * •

12. Rensselaer County Courthouse (Marcus & Frederick Cummings, 1894)
Both Troy and Lansingburgh wanted to be the county seat for Rensselaer County. The big debate was settled in 1791 when Trojan citizens donated the land and money to build the county courthouse. This is the third courthouse to stand on this site. The Second Street Presbyterian Church was incorporated as an annex in 1915. *

Second Street
Second Street is one of the great 19th century streets in America, with well-maintained residences in almost every style of architecture along its length. Especially note the ornamental ironwork—many of the balustrades, stair rails and fences were made locally. A number of these houses are now used as law offices because of their proximity to the courthouse.

13. Hart-Cluett Mansion, 59 Second Street (1827)
Built for Richard and Betsey Hart as a gift from her father, William Howard, this local landmark is one of the finest examples of Federal Adamesque architecture in New York State. The magnificent house and its neighbor are the headquarters of the Rensselaer County Historical Society. The house museum, changing exhibits, gift shop, research library and offices are open to the public. * •

14. Caldwell Apartments, 17 State Street (1907)
When Troy’s first apartment building opened, critics raved over the “metropolitan-like touch” which it brought to the city. It is still used as apartments today.

15. Troy Savings Bank & Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (George B. Post, 1875)
Built at the cost of $535,000, the headquarters of the Troy Savings Bank contains a music hall on the top floor that has been declared by music critics and musicians to have some of the finest acoustics in the world. Concerts are held on a regular basis. Many early commercial buildings provided similar public gathering spaces, but few are still in use. * •

16. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, NE Corner of State & Third Streets (1828)
A fine early example of the English Gothic Revival style, this was the church of many Trojan industrialists. Their endowments decorated the building and funded mission churches throughout the city. The interior was extensively redesigned in 1893 by Tiffany & Company. In the tower hangs a 2,200-pound brass bell cast in Troy at the foundry of Oscar Hanks. •

17. Barker Park, Site of Old City Hall, SE Corner of State & Third Streets (1876-1938)
Originally the Third Street Burial Ground, the City of Troy built its new City Hall here in 1876. The large stone building burned in 1938. Today St. Anthony’s Shrine Church (Catholic) stands on part of the site.

18. First Baptist Church, 82 Third Street (1846)
A major landmark in Troy, this church (founded 1795) has a long history. “Uncle Sam” Wilson, a local meat packer, is said to have attended services here.

19. Proctor’s Theatre, 82 Fourth Street (Arland Johnson, 1913-14)
All the great of vaudeville came to perform on the stage of this, the largest theatre in F.F. Proctor’s vaudeville circuit at that time. The interior décor was as elaborate as the outside walls, with murals by well-known local artist David Lithgow and seating for over 2,500 patrons. When talking pictures became popular, Proctor’s was converted to a movie house and stayed in business until 1977.

20. US Post Office, NE Corner Fourth & Broadway (1936-38)
A federal post office built on this corner in 1891 was replaced by this structure during the Depression. The WPA-funded project included the lobby murals of Hudson River tales. *

Alleyways of Troy

The streets of downtown Troy were laid in 1787 in a regular grid pattern. Wide public streets alternate with small private alleyways to provide service entrances for the large houses and businesses. Carriage houses lined some of the alleys while others were filled with small houses used by new immigrants and working class families of Troy.

21. Troy Record Building, SE Corner of Fifth & Broadway (1909)
This building was designed as headquarters for the Troy Record, one of 10 newspapers published in Troy at the turn of the century. Now known as The Record, this regional paper is still in business.

Fifth Avenue
Brownstone rowhouses and churches once lined both sides of Fifth Avenue. Many were built to replace homes destroyed in Troy’s Great Fire of 1862. One block east, Troy’s Union Station and railroad lines filled Six Avenue with their activity. Passenger train service to Troy ended in 1958.

22. W. & L.E. Gurley Co., NE Corner of Fifth & Fulton Streets (1862)
The Great Fire of 1862 destroyed 75 acres of downtown Troy in little more than six hours. W. & L.E. Gurley Company, manufacturers of surveying instruments, built their new factory in seven months. Now known as Gurley Precision Instruments, the company continues to produce quality measuring devices as they have for over 140 years.

23. West Hall, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) (1868-69)
Look east up Fulton Street to see this prominent building on Eighth Street. It was built as the Troy Hospital by the Roman Catholic Church to help Irish cholera victims. Today the building is used by RPI, the oldest engineering school in the English-speaking world, founded here in 1824. Other RPI buildings can be seen on the hillside above.

24. Ilium Building, NE Corner of Fulton & Fourth Streets (1904)
Designed and built by local architect Frederick M. Cummings, this five-story building and its counterpart two blocks west at 297 River Street were Troy’s first skyscrapers. They claimed to be fireproof with iron framework and masonry exterior. They have always had commercial shops on the ground floor and office space above.

25. Frear’s Troy Cash Bazaar, SE Corner of Fulton & Third Streets (Mortimer L. Smith & Sons of Detroit, 1897)

Built by William H. Frear when he outgrew his previous store in the Cannon Building on Monument Square, Frear’s was one of New York State’s largest department stores, as well as a mail order business. Mr. Frear reportedly coined the phrase, “Satisfaction Guaranteed, or Your Money Cheerfully Refunded”. The building has been restored for both commercial and office use.

26. Market Block, SE Corner of River & Third Streets (1841)
Troy’s location at the headwaters of navigation on the Hudson River made it a natural market center where the produce of county farms was traded for supplies brought in on sloops and canal boats. The Market Block was built across River Street from one of Troy’s early public markets. The long windows mark a large hall upstairs used in the 1800s for public gatherings.

27. Uncle Sam Statue, NW Corner of River & Third Streets (K. George Kratina, 1980)
“Uncle Sam” Wilson, a local meat packer, is said to have been an inspiration for our national symbol. A vocal support of American involvement in the War of 1812, he supplied meat to United States soldiers stationed at a nearby federal encampment. Local wags joked that the “U.S.” (for United States) stamped on the barrels of beef actually stood for Uncle Sam. Soon, everything marked “U.S.” was called Uncle Sam’s, and his name became synonymous with the federal government.

28. Riverfront Park
For most of Troy’s history, the waterfront was a busy industrial and commercial place. Heavily loaded freighters and ferries vied for space with passenger steamboats and pleasure craft. As railroads and interstate highways took over the freight market, the Hudson River lost its importance as a commercial transportation route and Troy lost its geographic advantage. Over time, many of the warehouses and commercial buildings that once lined the waterfront were torn down.
Today, this area is a public park overlooking the river. Boats still pass on their way to and from the New York State Barge Canal just north of the city, and dock space is available. Free festivals and concerts are regularly scheduled in the park throughout the year. * •

29. Collar City District
Walk along the river to the Troy Marina on the north side of the Green Island Bridge. This was the district of textile factories that gave Troy its nickname, “The Collar City”. Over 90 percent of the detachable collars worn in America from the 1830s through the 1930s were made here in Troy. The large white building housed Cluett, Peabody & Company, Inc., makers of Arrow shirts and collars, one of the most successful of all the local firms. After the company left Troy in the late 1980s, the building was successfully renovated into offices.

Troy is one of the seven communities in partnership as RiverSpark, a regional Urban Cultural Park within a larger statewide system of 15 state-designated heritage areas and urban cultural parks. RiverSpark is administered by the Hudson Mohawk Urban Cultural Park Commission.

This information was reprinted with permission from the RiverSpark brochure, which was developed by RiverSpark and TAP, Inc. Funds were provided in part by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Heritage Areas Program. Research assistance produced by Rensselaer County Historical Society.