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Picture this. On the outside, the house looks like
a fairly ordinary two-story rowhouse, perhaps slightly
shabby.
Inside the double front door is a narrow hall, with
a staircase on the left that gracefully curves as it
reaches the top.
On the right is a very large room with a wall-to-wall
curved arch in the center. There is a double row of
plaster decorative edging on the ceiling with a molded
medallion in the center of each portion of the room.
Two gray marble mantelpieces focus attention on the
right side of the room, one elaborately carved with
grapes and vines.
Behind the big room are two smaller rooms, one a kitchen
and the other a laundry room, with small bedrooms off
of each. A tiny bathroom with a clawfoot tub opens off
the laundry room. Behind this is an enclosed porch.
A narrow passage through a pantry at the back of the
house brings you into another room, renovated into an
office. This back portion of the house appears to be
an addition put on before 1880. The main house was probably
built around 1870. Upstairs over the big front room
are a living room and a dining room connected by a smaller
square arch.
Both rooms have gray marble mantels and carved plaster
decorations on the ceiling. There are two tiny rooms
opening off of each of these two main rooms. Behind
the main rooms are a huge kitchen with a large walk-in
pantry, a small bathroom, a bedroom and a two room bedroom
suite with a built-in wardrobe. Behind the kitchen is
an enclosed porch, opening to two small storage rooms.
There is a small backyard and a 20th century metal two-car
garage.
This is one of the first homes that, along with a conversation
at a neighborhood meeting, inspired a homeowner promotion
project. The project produced a brochure and a CD which
plays on a computer and shows some of the assets of
South Central and South Troy.
The project was done under the auspices of the Institute
of Cultural Affairs, a non-profit which has a local
office in South Central Troy. As part of this project,
we have interviewed dozens of happy homeowners and photographed
their homes. Some of the photography was done with assistance
of Joe Marra, Victor Balta, and Jennifer Smith, as part
of their public service internship course at Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute.
We visited large homes, small homes, multi-family
homes and single family homes. Every one was beautiful.
Some were lovingly restored to their historic condition
and furnished with antiques. At least one house had
been maintained for nearly 80 years by the same owner.
Some were newly renovated to reflect an emphasis on
comfort and ease of care. Several of the homes were
under renovation and the owners of at least two of them
expected this renovation to continue for some time,
as money and time allowed. Some owners had lived in
the community for many years; some were relative newcomers.
Without exception, the owners were pleased with their
homes and the neighborhood. Most of the homes were classic
row houses, with large public spaces and small private
spaces. A few were small one family homes, mostly on
side streets. Details varied. Several of the homes had
obviously been built to accommodate servants.
One house had paneled servants' quarters in the basement.
One had a ballroom in the second floor. Innovative storage
places were built into several houses and many had beautiful
chandeliers. Several houses had skylights. Many, but
not all, of the homeowners were gardeners, with a variety
of sizes and styles of gardens from a courtyard garden
to an old-fashioned country garden. One house had several
fruit trees and an old grape vine in a tiny backyard.
Others had old roses and other traditional flowers and
shrubs.
"Come Home to South Troy" shows the interiors,
architectural details and exteriors of a number of typical
and unique homes in southern Troy. It shows large, gracious
public rooms with beautiful plasterwork, and cozy private
rooms with unusual features such as built in cupboards
and stained glass windows. Two of the homeowners discovered
working fireplaces in the kitchen during renovation.
Almost every home has fireplace mantels of marble, slate
or wood. Ceilings are of molded plaster, painted and
carved wood or pressed tin.
The project began with a discussion at our South Central
Neighborhood Association meeting with the then director
of TAP's A Home of Your Own program.
The issue that prompted this discussion was the frustration
of neighborhood people that felt that realtors advertised
homes in the city as income property. We already knew
that the owner-occupancy rate was lower than is considered
ideal for a stable neighborhood.
Garrett Hamlin talked about the people he had assisted
with buying homes and said that the one thing he wished
he had to give out was attractive material about the
neighborhoods of Troy. At least one of the neighbors
at the meeting had lived in a community that had made
a video to be given to prospective buyers. We felt that
a video was more expensive than current funding sources
would support and required a higher level of technical
expertise than we as residents had. However, we felt
that it would be feasible to produce a slide show on
a CD that could be played in a computer.
The homeownership promotion project received initial
funding from the Howard and Bush Foundation, and now
has expanded to other neighborhoods in the city. Materials
have just been completed for the North Central neighborhood
and we are looking for another neighborhood to work
with in the coming year.
The "Come Home to South Troy" CD slide show
is available for viewing at TRIP's Home Ownership Center
or at the Riverspark Visitor Center, both located at
251 River St. in downtown Troy.
Information about the Homeownership Promotion materials
may be obtained by calling Dorcas Rose at the Institute
of Cultural Affairs at 273-6797.
Dorcas Rose is the program director for the Troy Office
of the Institute of Cultural Affairs and a resident
of South Central Troy.
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