Industrial Evolution - Symposium Slated for 12/15 in Albany

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This ca. 1840 building in Troy was part of the Industrial Heritage Reuse Project. Once the home of Empire Stove Works, it served as Lindy's Hardware for decades and was most recently the Irish Mist.

ALBANY, NY (12/01/2014)(readMedia)-- The Preservation League of New York State will present a symposium on the reuse potential of the region's vacant and underutilized industrial buildings on Monday, December 15, 2014 at SUNY Polytechnic Institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering South Rotunda and Auditorium at 257 Fuller Road, Albany. The symposium will feature a discussion of industrial architecture, what makes it significant and strategies that can breathe new life into old buildings.

From the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 through the mid-20th century, companies constructed headquarters, warehouses, mills, manufacturing and utility buildings to support leading industries. However, in the second half of the 20th century, as much of manufacturing abandoned upstate New York, massive industrial buildings were left vacant. These structures now present significant development challenges.

Earlier this year, the Preservation League engaged Troy Architectural Program (TAP, Inc.) to create development and rehabilitation plans for selected buildings, to illustrate the potential of the sites and to celebrate their host communities' history.

"We're looking forward to sharing the findings of the Industrial Heritage Reuse Project studies and demonstrating how these buildings can be restored and reused for new businesses, housing and office space," said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. "Through this effort, we hope that the owners of historic industrial buildings and elected and appointed officials will begin to see these structures as developable assets instead of liabilities."

Panel topics will include: Industrial Architecture: Significance and Preservation; Industrial Heritage Reuse Project Findings; a Developers panel with case studies of successful industrial heritage rehabilitation projects; and a discussion of funding opportunities for industrial heritage rehabilitation projects.

The symposium is presented by the Preservation League with funding from the J.M. Kaplan Fund, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, and National Grid, and is co-sponsored by SUNY Polytechnic Institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

"Kaplan is extremely pleased to support the League's work to preserve and reuse New York State's industrial heritage," said Amy Freitag, Executive Director of the J.M. Kaplan Fund. "These buildings are untapped economic and historic assets that can catalyze the revitalization of communities, making them more vibrant and sustainable."

"Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is thrilled to support the Preservation League's initiative to inspire reuse of the Corridor's industrial buildings," said executive director Bob Radliff. "Adapting industrial buildings to serve 21st century enterprises enables us to build on our proud manufacturing heritage and drive New York's economy."

The Preservation League's Industrial Heritage Reuse Project is the first effort of its kind to survey conditions and redevelopment possibilities for historic industrial buildings in New York State. TAP has produced feasibility studies for five demonstration sites, located in a 50-mile radius of the New York State Capitol in Montgomery, Schenectady, Albany, and Rensselaer Counties.

The cost for the symposium is $20 and includes materials and lunch. Reservations are required. To RSVP, contact Shelley LaClair at the Preservation League at 518-462-5658 x13, by email at slaclair@preservenys.org, or online at http://tinyurl.com/plnys-industrial .

"New York State has a remarkable variety of buildings that currently stand as symbols of the decline of upstate industry," said DiLorenzo. "The League hopes the Industrial Heritage Reuse Project will help return these buildings to productive use, provide a model for other communities across the state, and encourage municipalities to embrace and promote their industrial heritage."

For more information on the Preservation League, visit the League's website at www.preservenys.org.