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Troy's "River Triangle" neighborhood is a
roughly triangular area bounded by River Street on the
west, Congress Street on the south, Third Street on
the east and Broadway on the north. This area is truly
rich with the history of our city, and still retains
strong evidence of the distinct residential and commercial
patterns that developed here in the early 19th century.
In the early 1800s there were docks and warehouses on
the river at Front Street to handle the goods sold out
of the shops doing business on River Street. The area
between First and Second Streets, and bounded by State
and Broadway, was home to the earliest inns and banks
in the city of Troy. In the next block south, between
State and Congress were many fine residential buildings.
The fine structure at 18 First St., on the northeast
corner of State and First, has a long history of housing
a series of banking companies from 1830, when it was
built, until 1905. This building was the site of the
daring rescue of the escaped slave Charles Nalle in
1860. Nalle had been arrested and taken to this building,
which housed the Mutual National Bank of Troy, and also
housed the U.S. Commissioner's office on the second
floor.
Several hundred people gathered on that day in April
and waited for Nalle to be brought out, at which time
they rescued him and hid him until they eventually bought
his freedom. This building now houses law offices.
One of the finest neighborhood homes dating from this
early period, built in 1818, is the George Vail house
at the corner of First Street and Congress. This stately
structure is now owned by Russell Sage College and is
the home of the college president.
Another outstanding historic home is the Hart-Cluett
mansion at 59 Second St., which was completed in 1829.
This home was especially elegant with its beautiful
white marble façade, and still contains, intact,
many of its interior historic details. The entire history
of this building, which now houses the Rensselaer County
Historical Society, has been painstakingly documented
in the book "The Marble House in Second Street",
published by the RCHS.
In researching for this article, I was interested to
learn that in 1829 Troy Mayor Samuel McCoun lived at
45 Second St. According to the City Directory from that
year, the mayor's neighborhood was also home to people
in a variety of trades and professions, a sampling of
which included a bank teller, steamboat captain, innkeeper
and a maker of looking glasses. This variety is echoed
in the life and lifestyles found in the neighborhood
today, where there are waitresses, shop owners and public
service employees living side by side with students,
architects and college professors.
The elegant home at 40 First St. was one of the largest
in the neighborhood when Jonathan W. Freeman built it
in 1856. Freeman came to Troy, with his wife and six
children, from New Hampshire to be closer to his lumber
and manufacturing business. This large home remained
in his family until 1928 when it was sold and split
into apartments on the second and third floors. Later,
the first floor became an orthodontist's office. In
1999 the building was purchased by Russell Sage College,
which in turn sold it to its present owners, who are
using it as their residence, in 2001. The building is
now undergoing extensive historic renovations to return
it to its pre-1928 character.
The present use of many of the neighborhood's fine stock
of historic architecture falls closely into the pattern
established in the early 1800's. Fitting into this pattern
are the many banks, accounting, insurance and law offices
that still flourish within the area, making it the center
of Troy's "Financial Quarter." The old warehouses
along River Street are now bustling storefront shops
in what has become Troy's "Antiques District."
The residential blocks still have a number of offices
located on the first floors of what had originally been
single family homes, apartments in the upper floors
seldom lack for residents.
There are also interesting and creative new uses for
some of the neighborhood's historic buildings, most
notably in the River Street area. In the Quayside Apartments,
former warehouse buildings overlooking the river have
been converted into apartments. Other similar neighboring
buildings have now been transformed into spacious and
attractive loft homes, effectively blending the distinctive
architectural characteristics of the original space
with the modern aesthetic.
There is also a very evident movement in the neighborhood
for new homeowners to return many of the large Victorian-era
homes to strictly residential use, some even being returned
to use as single family dwellings.
Owner occupancy is on the rise. Buildings that just
a couple of years ago had housed legal or other offices
are being returned to residential use and provide elegant
living space to their proud owners. We feel the presence
of the rich history of Troy within the walls of our
homes, and in the patterns of life that were created
in our neighborhood so many generations ago.
Segel is neighborhood coordinator for River Triangle
Neighbors Association.
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