Troy, New York
Originally posted on my Quest blog.
I've been working on a new brochure for the Troy Irish Genealogy Society. In the process, I've been looking at old photos of Troy. This city is one of the most interesting ones in this area, in my opinion. Looking at the skyline from the Hudson River is like stepping back in time. The church spires tower above a crowded matrix of row houses and historical 19th century buildings. It looks much like this, even today.
This afternoon, I was going over to Troy to register for a drawing class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, a gift from Kef. As I was sitting at the stop light to turn right onto River Street, my eyes were drawn to the Market Block building rising up at the corner of River and Fulton. The light changed, so I couldn't take a photo, but you can see it here on a Google Map street view. This amazing structure is characteristic of many buildings in the Central Troy Historic District. The Wikipedia article on this area says it's one of the most well preserved 19th century downtown areas in the country. Apparently, it was in disrepair as recently as the 1990's (that seems really recent to me), but the Arts Center and others were committed to the rejuvenation and preservation of this gem, and have helped revive it. This is the area where the Troy Farmer's Market is held as well, so I had been here before when I first moved here.
Today was different, though. I had just spent several hours looking at old pictures of Troy, and so I immediately recognized that I had seen photos of this area from long ago. The Arts Center faces Monument Square, the centerpiece of which is a monument to soldiers and sailors. Yesterday, I had seen a photo of it during its construction. Today, I stood below it, looking up at its grandeur.
I walked down the block a bit to take a look at the view of the Hudson from behind the buildings on River Street. The area is under construction, so it's not much to look at. Some would say that most of Troy is not much to look at because the areas along the River are largely industrial. Historically, the city was heavy in manufacturing and was known for its manufacture of railroad spikes and other iron products (Burden Iron Works with its huge water wheel) and a shirt collar factory (where Troy got the nickname "Collar City"). There's also, of course, the Erie Canal and the first college of science and engineering in the English-speaking world, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Its old buildings are amazing to see. Across the river in Watervliet stands the Watervliet Arsenal, the oldest continuously-active arsenal in the United States..
But, I digress. When I reached the end of the block, I saw a building rising up at the corner that I recognized from my historical photos. It's missing its top floors now due to a fire in 1913, but there it is... in all its glory! The Hall/Rice Building...
More interesting history on Troy can be found on the Local Wiki page. A fascinating footnote is that the motto of Troy is, "Ilium was, Troy is." Troy was named after the ancient city in Asia Minor, which is also called Ilium. Some of the landmarks in the New York settlement of Troy also share names, like Mount Ida (where there is a large cemetery). Mount Ida is near where Kef and I hiked to our first waterfall along Poesten Kill. But the first Mount Ida is in northwestern Turkey, east of the ruins of ancient Troy.
As you can imagine, there is much to see in Troy if you are a history buff. Just driving down the streets looking at the buildings is a history lesson.
On a sad note, as I made my way home I drove past the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum, whose website I helped update a few months back. When I first visited, you may recall, I posted a photo of the museum beside an old Dutch Reformed church building. Earlier in June, they found out that the tower in the church was beyond repair and in danger of falling. I'm sorry to say that the building is now without it's bell tower. (That reminds me, I didn't mention the Meneely Bell Foundry, which is also in the Troy area... West Troy, which is now Watervliet.) I was just driving by, so I didn't get a photo today. But here it was as I first saw it back in February. It is now missing everything from where the bricks formed the bottom of the arched vent/window, on up. Very, very sad. Here's the Times Union article about the demolition, with pictures.
I've been working on a new brochure for the Troy Irish Genealogy Society. In the process, I've been looking at old photos of Troy. This city is one of the most interesting ones in this area, in my opinion. Looking at the skyline from the Hudson River is like stepping back in time. The church spires tower above a crowded matrix of row houses and historical 19th century buildings. It looks much like this, even today.
 |
| View of Troy from Mount Ida (I think) |
This afternoon, I was going over to Troy to register for a drawing class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region, a gift from Kef. As I was sitting at the stop light to turn right onto River Street, my eyes were drawn to the Market Block building rising up at the corner of River and Fulton. The light changed, so I couldn't take a photo, but you can see it here on a Google Map street view. This amazing structure is characteristic of many buildings in the Central Troy Historic District. The Wikipedia article on this area says it's one of the most well preserved 19th century downtown areas in the country. Apparently, it was in disrepair as recently as the 1990's (that seems really recent to me), but the Arts Center and others were committed to the rejuvenation and preservation of this gem, and have helped revive it. This is the area where the Troy Farmer's Market is held as well, so I had been here before when I first moved here.
Today was different, though. I had just spent several hours looking at old pictures of Troy, and so I immediately recognized that I had seen photos of this area from long ago. The Arts Center faces Monument Square, the centerpiece of which is a monument to soldiers and sailors. Yesterday, I had seen a photo of it during its construction. Today, I stood below it, looking up at its grandeur.
I walked down the block a bit to take a look at the view of the Hudson from behind the buildings on River Street. The area is under construction, so it's not much to look at. Some would say that most of Troy is not much to look at because the areas along the River are largely industrial. Historically, the city was heavy in manufacturing and was known for its manufacture of railroad spikes and other iron products (Burden Iron Works with its huge water wheel) and a shirt collar factory (where Troy got the nickname "Collar City"). There's also, of course, the Erie Canal and the first college of science and engineering in the English-speaking world, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Its old buildings are amazing to see. Across the river in Watervliet stands the Watervliet Arsenal, the oldest continuously-active arsenal in the United States..
But, I digress. When I reached the end of the block, I saw a building rising up at the corner that I recognized from my historical photos. It's missing its top floors now due to a fire in 1913, but there it is... in all its glory! The Hall/Rice Building...
 |
| The Hall Building originally, and Rice Building today. |
More interesting history on Troy can be found on the Local Wiki page. A fascinating footnote is that the motto of Troy is, "Ilium was, Troy is." Troy was named after the ancient city in Asia Minor, which is also called Ilium. Some of the landmarks in the New York settlement of Troy also share names, like Mount Ida (where there is a large cemetery). Mount Ida is near where Kef and I hiked to our first waterfall along Poesten Kill. But the first Mount Ida is in northwestern Turkey, east of the ruins of ancient Troy.
As you can imagine, there is much to see in Troy if you are a history buff. Just driving down the streets looking at the buildings is a history lesson.
On a sad note, as I made my way home I drove past the Watervliet Historical Society and Museum, whose website I helped update a few months back. When I first visited, you may recall, I posted a photo of the museum beside an old Dutch Reformed church building. Earlier in June, they found out that the tower in the church was beyond repair and in danger of falling. I'm sorry to say that the building is now without it's bell tower. (That reminds me, I didn't mention the Meneely Bell Foundry, which is also in the Troy area... West Troy, which is now Watervliet.) I was just driving by, so I didn't get a photo today. But here it was as I first saw it back in February. It is now missing everything from where the bricks formed the bottom of the arched vent/window, on up. Very, very sad. Here's the Times Union article about the demolition, with pictures.
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