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Fifth Avenue between Jacob and Hutton Streets is an
interesting one-block stretch of residential and business
properties, parking lots, and some green spaces and
churches.
St. Peter's Church (once one of the richest parishes
in Troy) is to the north and Bethel Baptist Church to
the south; a church between the two was torn down several
years ago due to structural damages. Built in the mid-
to late 1800s, this block of architecturally beautiful
houses was once home to a vibrant immigrant population
of Italians, Irish, Jews and Armenians, among others,
that lived, ran businesses, worshipped, and shopped
there.
"Columbus Square," at the corner of Fifth
and Jacob, was designated in 1892 to commemorate the
400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' discovery
of America. There was a large water fountain there that
doubled as a water trough for horses until it was demolished
when a fire truck crashed into it, leaving nothing but
a bare traffic "island."
In 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Columbus' discovery,
the Sons of Italy commissioned a statute to be built
on that site honoring immigrants. The "Columbus
Monument," designed by Joe Fama, depicts a map
of the world with Columbus' route and a bow of a ship
pointing west. Plaques adorn the site with the names
of immigrants to Troy from all over the world.
This portion of Fifth Avenue and the surrounding blocks
was a bustling vital commercial and residential area
for years. Longtime residents of Troy - some of whom
still live on Fifth Avenue - remember the Armenian meat
market; Ben Katz' furniture store; DeChristopher's,
where one could get ice cream and other food; Italian
markets; lawyers' offices; two glass stores; bars and
more.
B-Lann, an industrial safety and fire protection equipment
supply company at the corner of Fifth and Hutton streets,
has been in existence since 1946 when it was started
by the parents of the current owners, Nick and Tom Flannery.
Their father was born in the house across the street
in 1910, in a building that was previously a hotel where
Irish immigrants could stay for free until they "got
on their feet" and moved on, making room for other
immigrants.
The street was immortalized in a famous Norman Rockwell
painting of a family passing a bar on their way to church,
which is believed by some to have been inspired by this
stretch of Fifth Avenue.
One of the bars on the block was not so fondly remembered,
with a "house of ill repute" operating upstairs.
In fact, when the Troy Rehabilitation and Improvement
Program (TRIP) rehabilitated this building in 1986,
22 bullets were pulled out of the walls. One of these
bullets was left on the floor during the newly rehabbed
building's ribbon-cutting with the NYS Division of Housing
and Community Renewal, which provided state subsidies
to the project, prompting the Deputy Commissioner to
scoop it up and take it home as a souvenir.
Today, the block looks very different from previous
decades. Many buildings have been torn down to create
parking lots for area businesses. Other lots host a
community garden, "Father Flanagan's Farm,"
named after the longtime priest at St. Peter's Church
who created the garden 18 years ago and who died last
year. Other properties stand abandoned. A barricade
stands at one end of the street, erected by the police
to reduce potential drug traffic off the Green Island
Bridge.
Residents of the block care deeply about the neighborhood.
A neighborhood watch group, the Fifth Avenue Neighborhood
(FAN) Club, is currently forming to "assist in
implementing a better, more beautiful, safer neighborhood
to live in and enjoy."
Ideas include beautifying the street through flower-plantings,
increasing the sense of community by get-togethers,
and dealing with some of the problems that occasionally
plague the neighborhood. If you are interested in joining,
please contact C.J. Marbley at 266-9955.
Co-Authored by C.J. Marbley, coordinator of Fifth Avenue
Neighborhood (FAN) Club and Hilary Lamishaw, director
of Community Affairs at TRIP.
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