Credit where credit is due ...

Hi Friends and Neighbors --

It seems that, for the time being at least, the buildings at 118-120 Washington have been reprieved.

Please, take a few moments to thank those who played a role in this important decision:

• members of the Board of Zoning Appeals;
• staff of the City of Albany's Planning Department;
• your colleagues, friends and neighbors who may be members of the Fort Orange Club; and last but not least
• Mayor Jennings.

Unfortunately, many other buildings in our neighborhoods are still in danger of careless destruction because they don't have the most basic protections afforded by local historic district designation, or the safety net of statutes or practices that may arise from a Comprehensive Plan.

I hope we will all remain vigilant, and continue to advocate for sound, sustainable policies that protect our neighborhoods and contribute to a more liveable city.

Thank you for all you do!

Colleen Ryan

Fort Orange coverage on Ch. 13/WNYT

Expansion of the Fort Orange Club Moves Forward

Posted at: 09/24/2008 11:55:27 PM
By: Kumi Tucker

http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S593264.shtml

Albany's Board of Zoning Appeals approved the Fort Orange Club's plan to expand. The club's request to build a parking lot has been withdrawn.

It appears Mayor Jerry Jennings and City Hall have been busy, working out a solution.
The Zoning Board voted to approve the Fort Orange Club's request to build an addition to expand the health and exercise facilities at the exclusive social club.

The club withdrew its bid to make a parking lot in place of two buildings it owns on Washington Avenue, in a move that surprised and pleased preservationists.

"The buildings still are a bit in danger, I would say, but we're hoping for the best and we're glad that they did amend it so they can go forward with their proposal," said Susan Holland, Executive Director of Historic Albany Foundation.

Fort Orange Club attorney Robert Sweeney said they are pleased with the vote to approve the expansion.

"It was important to get moving forward with the health facility, construction seasons and so forth, and if they don't start building now, then it probably would have been put off a year," Sweeney said.

It appears that City Hall was working behind the scenes.

"It took a number of months and a lot of work through the Mayor's office and through our office to work with the club and the neighborhood to come up with a decision at the board level that addresses the club's need to expand, it's a very important institution in the City of Albany, but also to preserve that urban context that's there with the buildings in place," said Michael Yevoli, Commissioner of Development and Planning.

"It was obvious that this was not a solution to their parking problem, so we had to balance what was good for the community and what was good for the club."

Commissioner Yevoli says the city will be working with the Fort Orange Club not only to find appropriate uses for those buildings, but also to solve the club's parking problem.

Without parking lot application, Fort Orange Club plan approved

Zoning board OKs part of Albany club's expansion

TIMES UNION
By TIM O'BRIEN
Wednesday, September 24, 2008

ALBANY - With the Fort Orange Club withdrawing its plan to demolish two buildings for a parking lot, the Zoning Board of Appeals tonight approved the rest of its proposal to expand the club's health facilities.

The club had originally sought permission to build a parking lot where connected buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave. now stand, and to place a stone fence there instead. That request prompted opposition from neighborhood groups and nine Common Council members.

The club altered its application to remove the fence and parking lot, and the board swiftly approved the remainder of the plan.

Michael Yevoli, the city's commissioner of planning and development, said Mayor Jerry Jennings worked with club leaders to convince them not to remove the buildings, located a few doors away from the Alfred E. Smith Building and a block from the Capitol.

"The mayor worked very, very hard to bring the club around to the importance of that urban context, but also the importance of the club to the city," he said.

The city will continue to work with the club leaders to find alternate parking, Yevoli added.
The club had planned to spend $4.75 million plan to increase its parking from 51 to 73 spaces and add squash courts and a weight room to an expanded athletic wing.

Plans for the health club addition must still get approval from the city's Planning Board. The project will be on the agenda of that board's Oct. 9 meeting.

Club representatives did not attend the meeting, and board president Daniel Hogarty could not be reached for comment afterward.

Unprecedented - a third editorial from the Times Union

Preservation, not parking

(print version headlined "Park that plan" )

Albany Times Union
First published: Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The Issue: The Fort Orange Club needs to reconsider razing buildings to expand parking.
The Stakes: Why can't the club expand without resorting to a demolition plan?

"Premature" comes the subdued battle cry of Albany's Fort Orange Club, trying to quell its opponents' declarations of victory in their efforts to save two buildings along Washington Avenue, just up the street from the state Capitol.

We just hope there's nothing premature about the city's preservationists, along with neighborhood leaders and activists, hailing the club's apparent reluctance not to try to demolish those buildings after all.

It appears the club won't, for now, further press its case at today's Zoning Board of Appeals meeting to put a parking lot and a stone fence where two buildings now stand at 118-120 Washington Ave. Withdrawal of the application to put up a parking lot doesn't necessarily mean that the buildings will be saved, however. The club could do an end run around the board, and the community, and simply try to get a demolition permit from the city to raze the buildings.

How encouraging it would be, though, to think that a club for Albany's power elite had decided that there was nothing premature about changing its plans and keeping the buildings as they are.

What would be very premature, of course, is the razing of sound, functional and by no means unattractive structures to accommodate a few more parking spaces.

Shortsighted is another word that comes to mind. It's time for the Fort Orange Club and its members to think very differently when it comes to urban transportation and land use. The days of cars coming before all else are over, or should be.

The club is still seeking city approval for the expansion of its health club. We can't think of any reason for the zoning board to object to that. Yet a club willing to make such an investment in exercise facilities might go the extra mile, so to speak. If parking is so scarce on the club's property and on the streets around it, the club might encourage its members to walk or bike to the club. The club might regard the streets of Albany as a further extension of their health club — shared as they would be with the public.

That, come to think of it, would be quite the opposite of premature.

Preservationists' celebration called premature

Demise of parking lot plan cheered, but Fort Orange Club says options open

TIMES UNION
By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008

ALBANY -- The Fort Orange Club is no longer seeking permission to build a parking lot where two prominent buildings now stand.

While some opponents of demolishing 118-120 Washington Ave. are hailing it as a decision not to remove the two buildings near the state Capitol, the president of the club's board said that view is "premature."

The club has filed a revamped request to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which meets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. It is deleting a request to build a parking lot and to place a stone fence where the buildings now stand. The application still seeks to add a 2,350-square-foot addition to expand its health club.

Roger Bearden, president of the Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association, sent out an e-mail Monday to his membership hailing the move. "Your hard work has helped preserve this city's streetscape," he wrote.

Daniel J. Hogarty, president of the club's board, called Bearden's announcement "premature" but said there are ongoing discussions about the project. He declined to be more specific.
City officials could not be reached for comment after hours Monday.

Bearden said he received a revised agenda for the zoning board meeting, and he noted the change to the club's application.

Uncertain what that meant, Bearden said he called Brad Glass of the city's planning office, who works on zoning issues. Glass informed him that the plans for the parking lot were off the table, Bearden said.

Glass could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

"We're extremely pleased by what we see as the Fort Orange Club's having really listened to the concerns of the neighbors," Bearden said. "We think this is wonderful news."

But Hogarty said he could not confirm that the demolition plan had changed.

"We're actually quite a bit right in the middle of these discussions," he said. "Your question is a bit premature."

Richard Conti, the council's president pro tempore, said he too noted the agenda change and asked Glass if this meant the proposed parking lot was off the agenda. In an e-mailed response, Glass simply wrote "correct."

"I think it's good news," said Conti, who represents the neighborhood. "It is definitely a step in the right direction, and I compliment the Fort Orange Club for moving in the right direction."

Tim O'Brien can be reached at 454-5092 or by e-mail at tobrien@timesunion.com.

118-120 Washington Avenue has a new lease on life!

This is wonderful news.

I have just confirmed with Brad Glass at the Albany Planning Dept. that the Ft. Orange Club has withdrawn its application for a parking lot permit and fence.

According to Roger Bearden, President of the Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association, "This means that they are no longer seeking to construct a parking lot at the site of the buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave. The Ft. Orange Club continues to seek permission to expand their health facility, but this part of the project does not involve knocking down buildings."

As Caroline Mason wrote in an Op Ed piece in the Times Union on Friday, Albany's future must keep its past. I couldn't have said it better myself.

She cites the sad example of buildings torn down across the street from Lombardo's in 2001. Even though Lombardo's may be a fine establishment, she uses the words of Anthony Tang to explain why 7 years of hindsight show that "the loss of old ancient buildings involved much more that just the visible destruction of ancient bricks and stones."

We must remain vigilant to ensure that Albany's historic streetscape is not chipped away little by little -- but for today, at least, we have cause to celebrate. We are grateful that the Fort Orange Club has embraced the neighborhood view that it's never acceptable to tear down historic buildings to make way for surface parking.

Thanks so much for all of your efforts. Please stay tuned to the NeoAlbany blog and keep the lines of communication open ...

Cheers,
Colleen

Albany's future must keep its past

TIMES UNION
By CAROLINE MASON
First published: Friday, September 19, 2008

In the Times Union editorial "No parking, please" (Sept. 10) the acknowledgement that "there is a rhythm to a city's landscape, especially an historic one" is music to the ears of preservationists.
In the context of rendering an opinion about a proposal for increased parking for the Fort Orange Club, however, it sounds a cacophonous note in view of the failure of Albany's Zoning Board of Appeals to apply consistently the criteria that would safeguard our city's unique sense of place.

A case in point is the demolition in 2001 of three 19th century buildings on Madison Avenue to make way for a parking lot for a restaurant favored by influential politicians and judges.

Surely, the special interests of a few do not pass what should be the litmus test for the granting of every variance or special exception.

That lapse in judgment and foresight is but one example of a rupture in the "complex tapestry" occupied by residential or commercial buildings since the early 1800s.

Unlike the editorial, this commentary is not intended to be a referendum on the merits of the Fort Orange Club proposal, but rather a plea for city officials in future deliberations to heed the significance of an "array of different designs, the variations of height and mass of buildings, the materials and colors and all the details down to the way the doors and windows were built" to tell the story of a street's history.

A lack of appreciation for our historic treasures, the desire for an immediate return on investment and an inability or unwillingness to take the long view are all too often the culprits in the loss of historic properties or in the desecration of the view sheds along our rivers.

Oversight boards such as the Landmarks Conservancy, the Historic Albany Foundation, and neighborhood organizations are essential in helping to educate all of us about the value that historic preservation adds not only to particular projects, but also to the enrichment of an entire community.

Michael Meyer in "The Last Days of Beijing" points to the critical role our cities' caretakers play in preserving our identity and unique sense of place.

He cites the wisdom of historian Anthony Tang, author of "Preserving the World's Great Cities," on the subject:
"The preservation of great cities is ultimately the story of how different urban societies created environments of extraordinary meaning, were affected by their cityscapes through centuries of habitation, and came to realize that the loss of old ancient buildings involved much more that just the visible destruction of ancient bricks and stones."

In the year that Albany is celebrating her 400th birthday, the sentiments expressed in "No parking, please" could not be more timely.

It is meet and right to call on our city's collective nostalgia to preserve the symbols of our identity, and to hold the feet of our city's caretakers to the fire.

Caroline B. Mason of Glenmont is chairman of the Preservation League of New York State.

No News is Good News

Last night, the Board of Zoning Appeals did not issue a decision on the Fort Orange Club's application for a Use Variance, Area Variances and a Parking Lot Permit.

Nor did they issue a decision on the Northeastern Association of the Blind at Albany (NABA) variance to create a 21-car commercial parking lot which would require the demolition of two buildings.

I've been told that NABA is working on an alternative solution to address their parking needs.

Please join your neighbors in asking the Fort Orange Club to do the right thing for our community and our city -- urge them to consider an alternative site plan that will preserve the historic cores of these buildings and the built-up streetscape of Washington Avenue.

TU Editorializes: NO PARKING, PLEASE

No parking, please

First published: Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Albany's Zoning Board of Appeals tonight will consider once again whether to let the Fort Orange Club raze two buildings to clear the way for a parking lot and an expansion of the club.

At the risk of repeating ourselves, we'll say it again nonetheless: Albany should not let this happen.

You don't have to be an expert on architecture or urban design to appreciate that there is a rhythm to a city's landscape, especially an historic one. The array of different designs, the variations of height and mass of the buildings, the materials and colors and all the details down to the way doors and windows were built all combine to tell a street's history. Even if one doesn't know that history, one can witness it in a city like Albany — even more, one can feel the texture of 200 or 300 years just in the sweep of an eye.

The private Fort Orange Club wants to pull a few threads from that complex tapestry by demolishing the two-story office buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave. The razing would be part of a $4.75 million plan to gain some parking spaces and expand the club's athletic wing to include squash courts and a weight room.

That these buildings are not in themselves historic is not the point. That spot has been occupied by residential or commercial buildings since the early 1800s. It is in a key part of the city with a richness of architecture, from the ornate state Capitol to the Greek revival columns of the State Education Building to the Art Deco facade of the Alfred E. Smith Building to the more modern Empire State Plaza and private "Twin Towers" offices across the street from the club.

For the sake of convenience for a few members of a private club, what would be left for all the world to see would be a hole in an important streetscape. Fill it with a nice fence and shrubbery as the club proposes to do, and there would still be a void where a void does not belong.

Washington Avenue already has its share of parking lots that insinuate themselves on the street, and they are as inappropriate and unwelcome as a vacant lot would be in a neighborhood of row houses.

Nor are we convinced the club has done all it can to find other solutions, such as access to parking elsewhere for, say, a valet service.

We recognize that the club is part of the city's fabric, too, and appreciate its desire to expand and thrive. We also recognize that parking is a big asset for any downtown enterprise. Just ask any state worker or resident of the neighborhoods near the club.

But Fort Orange's argument for tearing down buildings in an historic area is no more persuasive than landlords or homeowners in Center Square would be in saying they'd like urban life to be a little more convenient for them at the expense of their city's character.

All Times Union materials copyright 1996-2008, Capital Newspapers Division of The Hearst Corporation, Albany, N.Y.

LAST CHANCE to save 118-120 Washington Avenue

One week from today, we'll probably know the fate of the historic buildings on Washington Avenue, just west of the Fort Orange Club.

During the past several months, I've talked with many people about these structures. I've also received a number of calls from people who wondered what was going on with the building next door to where I work -- at "the point" where Central Avenue and Washington Avenue meet Henry Johnson Boulevard.

The callers often expressed concern about the facade of the building, and asked what the new tenant, TrustCo Bank, was doing to the windows. "It looks terrible," the callers would say ... "How could they brick up those windows?"

Several of these calls came from people frequently considered champions of the preservation movement. People whose silence was deafening on the situation just a few blocks east on Washington Avenue.

The powerful and influential members of the Fort Orange Club want to do much more than reconfigure a facade or close off a few window openings. They want to demolish viable buildings that illustrate the commercial legacy of Washington Avenue, and revise our city's history to enclose their private club in a fenced-off, "park-like" setting.

So, one week from today, will you think, "It's too bad that the Fort Orange Club was allowed to tear down those buildings," or "I'm glad I wrote that letter or made that phone call to say that the unique streetscape of our neighborhood should not be sacrificed for a few private parking spaces."

I hope you will join your friends and neighbors and let the Fort Orange Club, the BZA, and other decision-makers know that residents of Albany don't think it's EVER a good idea to tear down historic buildings to create surface parking lots!

The BZA meets next on Wednesday, September 10. Please take a moment to:

• write a letter to the Board of Zoning Appeals and email it to Bradley Glass at the Department of Planning, glassb@ci.albany.ny.us ;
• write a letter to the editor, http://timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp;
• talk to your neighbors and encourage them to do the same.

Thank you.

URGENT -- BZA Delays Decision Again

We now have one more chance to ask the Fort Orange Club to consider an alternative site plan that preserves the endangered historic buildings at 118-120 Washington Avenue.

The BZA met last night (8/13) but did not make a decision on the requests for variances that would result in the demolition of these rare 1830s - perhaps older - buildings.

If you haven't already -- or even if you have -- please take few minutes to let Albany's decision-makers know that we don't EVER think it's a good idea to trade our sound urban fabric for surface parking lots! You can:

• visit the Times Union's Capital Region at the Crossroads blog and add a comment;
• while you're there, notice the headlines --"American cities desire streetcars" and "As gas prices rise, New Yorkers drive less" -- and tell me again why Albany needs more private parking lots???
• visit All Over Albany and comment on the article "Who should have a say about where the Fort Orange Club plays squash?" ;
• write a letter to the Board of Zoning Appeals and email it to Bradley Glass at the Department of Planning, glassb@ci.albany.ny.us ;
• write a letter to the editor, http://timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp;
• talk to your neighbors and encourage them to do the same.

The BZA will lot meet again until September 10, so I hope you will take advantage of this reprieve to make your voice heard!

Parking Lot - Counter Proposal

This drawing illustrates how the Fort Orange Club could retain the historic structures at 118-120 Washington Avenue (removing the later rear additions) and still add 18 parking spaces to their private lot.

parking-counter-proposal-0608 - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: parking-counter-proposal-0608

Forum on Fort Orange tonight

TIMES UNION
Staff reports
First published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008

ALBANY -- A proposal by the Fort Orange Club to demolish two Washington Avenue buildings will be the subject of a public forum today.

The session will be held at 6 p.m. at the Westminster Presbyterian Church Auditorium in Albany. Those interested in attending may enter at 85 Chestnut St.

The private social club wants to remove the two-story office buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave., next to the club.

The demolition would be part of a $4.75 million plan to increase its parking from 51 to 73 spaces and add squash courts and a weight room to an expanded athletic wing. A panel discussion will include Sandra M. Baptie, a managing principal of Envision Architects; Tricia Barbagallo, research associate at the State Museum's Colonial Albany Project; Tony Opalka, Albany City historian; and Walter R. Wheeler, architectural historian.

The panel's presentation will run from 6 to 7 p.m. An hourlong panel discussion will follow.

The proposal has drawn opposition from neighborhood groups and nine Common Council members.

The club, next to the Alfred E. Smith Building, wants to add a wrought-iron fence, stone and mature greenery to block the view.

The plan, which requires approval from multiple city agencies, is being opposed by the Center Square Association, the Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association and the Washington Park Neighborhood Association.

The building was built in 1810 as a private home. The club renovated it and occupied it on July 1, 1880, five months after the club's founding.

The club says the two connected buildings it wants to demolish are of no historic value. The Historic Albany Foundation has said the current front facades may not be historic, but the underlying structure may date from before 1840.

FORUM 7/15 -- Help Wanted!

Hi Friends and Neighbors --

On June 25, dozens of us turned out at City Hall to voice our strong opposition to the Fort Orange Club's plans to tear down two historic buildings at 118-120 Washington Avenue to provide additional private parking for Club members.

Since that time, a number of us have been working to refute statements made by the Fort Orange Club in their applications and in testimony before Albany's Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), namely that the buildings were "not historic," "not as significant as the Fort Orange Club," or needed to be torn down in the name of "preservation," so the Club could increase its membership!

On July 9, the BZA agreed to defer its decision on the Fort Orange Club's requests that threaten historic buildings at 118-120 Washington Avenue, possibly due in part to our upcoming COMMUNITY FORUM.

We've lined up the panelists, we've secured the location, now we need your help!

Please join us on Tuesday, July 15, at 6 p.m., at the Westminster Presbyterian Church Auditorium (enter at 85 Chestnut Street.)

Your presence in, and participation in, this discussion will let the Fort Orange Club, the BZA, and other decision-makers know that residents of Albany don't think it's EVER a good idea to tear down viable buildings to create surface parking lots!

We hope to see you on Tuesday at the COMMUNITY FORUM!

Cheers,
Colleen

PS: Please visit http://neoalbany.blogspot.com/ to review photos of the endangered buildings, the Fort Orange Club's plan, a proposed alternative site plan, recent letters to the editor of the Times Union, and many documents providing background on the issues. You can also print out a flyer with details of the event.

PPS: Please help us get the word out about the COMMUNITY FORUM! Send an email to neoalbany@gmail.com or leave voice mail at 518-462-1900 if you can take just one hour this weekend to pick a block and pass out flyers! I need to know how many copies to order!

PPPS: PASS IT ON!

Revised Flyer for FORUM

Please download and share this flyer! (Click on "iPaper" in the gray bar and print from there.) Or, leave a message at 518-462-1900 if you want multiple copies to distribute in your neighborhood. THANKS!

flyer-118-120-washington - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: flyer-118-120-washington

Knocking down buildings would hurt downtown

TIMES UNION
First published: Monday, July 7, 2008

The Fort Orange Club is offering a proposal to demolish buildings to make way for a parking lot. It should be turned down for a number of reasons, including: the destruction of historic buildings, the elimination of street-level retail space but, mostly, because it is a very bad idea.

Several years ago, as the result of faulty directions, I had the misfortune of visiting the heart of downtown Cleveland at noon on a weekday. While you would expect that with tens of thousands of people working in the offices that surrounded me it would be mobbed; it wasn't.

It was deserted. I had to walk several blocks to find another human to get directions.

Let Cleveland be a lesson to us. The core of the problem was a complete lack of street-level retail. It is all office towers, and most of them have blank walls abutting the sidewalk -- for "security" reasons. There is no reason whatsoever to leave your office and go outside. You can't buy lunch, a snack or even a newspaper.

Once I got new directions and headed toward my destination, Playhouse Square, I noticed that as the number of shops on the street increased, the number of people on the street increased.
The Fort Orange Club is proposing to demolish a building that has the potential of housing several businesses, and replace it with a surface parking lot and a fence that would be landscaped. Parking lots do not draw people to our downtown, nor do fences.

If we want a vibrant downtown, then you must have places for people to go and that means spaces for retail businesses. If the Fort Orange Club wants to build a gym for its members and needs additional parking, then let it explore the creation of a parking garage, either above ground, or underground, but leave the streetscape alone.

RIC CHESSER
Albany

Westminster Presbyterian Church will host FORUM

We have secured a location for the FORUM on 118-120 Washington Avenue on Tuesday, 7/15!

We will gather in the Auditorium of Westminster Presbyterian Church in Albany. I'm sure many of you have been to meetings or presentations there before, but for anyone who has not ... The entrance to the SANCTUARY is on State Street, but the entrance to the Rectory is at 85 Chestnut Street. A revised notice is pasted below.

*Forum: 118-120 Washington*

WHAT: A discussion of threatened buildings on Washington Ave.

A panel of experts will provide their professional opinions on several issues that have been raised and debated regarding these structures, currently threatened by the Fort Orange Club’s expansion plans, including:

• what is the age and significance of the buildings at 118-120 Washington,
• did the Fort Orange Club ever really stand alone as a “pastoral” estate, and
• can a compromise solution be reached to preserve the streetscape?
  

WHO: Participants will include

• Sandra M. Baptie AIA LEED AP
• Tricia Barbagallo, Research Associate at NY State Museum’s Colonial Albany Project
• Tony Opalka, Albany City Historian
• Walter R. Wheeler, Architectural Historian, Hartgen Archeological Associates
  

WHEN: Tuesday, July 15
Panel Presentation – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Discussion – 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Westminster Presbyterian Church Auditorium
enter at 85 Chestnut Street

Albany's Fort Orange Club has applied to the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) for area variances for a comprehensive plan to expand their facility. The club seeks to raze these buildings, which could date to the 1830s, as part of that plan. Concerned residents are convening this meeting to support a grassroots effort to preserve these buildings.

Please visit http://neoalbany.blogspot.com to review photos of the endangered buildings, the text of the Fort Orange Club's plan, a proposed site plan, recent letters to the editor of the Times Union, and many documents providing background on the issue.

If you have questions about this forum, please leave voice mail at 518-462-1900 or email neoalbany@gmail.com .

Community Forum on 118-120 Washington Ave.

*** SAVE THE DATE ***

WHAT: A panel of experts will provide their professional opinions on several issues that have been raised and debated regarding these structures, currently threatened by the Fort Orange Club’s expansion plans, including:

• what is the age and significance of the buildings at 118-120 Washington,
• did the Fort Orange Club ever really stand alone as a “pastoral” estate, and
• can a compromise solution be reached to preserve the streetscape?
  

WHO: Panelists will include

• Sandra M. Baptie AIA LEED AP
• Tricia Barbagallo, Research Associate at NY State Museum’s Colonial Albany Project
• Doug Bucher, Restoration Architect, John G. Waite Associates
• Tony Opalka, Albany City Historian
• Walter R. Wheeler, Architectural Historian, Hartgen Archeological Associates
  

WHEN: Tuesday, July 15
Panel Presentation – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Discussion – 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Location to be determined

Albany's Fort Orange Club has applied to the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) for area variances for a comprehensive plan to expand their facility. The club seeks to raze these buildings, which could date to the 1830s, as part of that plan. Concerned residents have convened this meeting to support a grassroots effort to preserve these buildings.

Please visit our blog, http://neoalbany.blogspot.com/, to review photos of the endangered buildings, the text of the Fort Orange Club's plan, a proposed site plan, recent letters to the editor of the Times Union, and many documents providing background on the issue.
If you have questions about this forum, please leave voice mail at 518-462-1900 or email neoalbany@gmail.com .

Joni Mitchell should visit the Fort Orange Club

TIMES UNION
First published: Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Albert Paolucci's comments (letter, May 14) regarding the proposed Fort Orange Club's parking lot expansion suggests we are not paving paradise but can actually create one by putting up ... a parking lot. That is as long as you like looking at the paradise through the wrought-iron fence of a private club.

Install mature greenery, really? Truly "mature" plant life doesn't transplant well and cares even less for pavement on top of its root system and can leave a lot of debris on a member's automobile.

And, yes, thank you, Herb Schultz, for the sacrifice of obliterating your valuable commercial buildings from the tax roll and depositing them in a landfill.

Albany has big yellow taxis. Why not take one to the Fort Orange Club?

MELANIE ERNST
Clarksville

Another parking lot is last thing Albany needs

TIMES UNION
First published: Tuesday, July 1, 2008

While no one disputes the rich history and contributions of the Fort Orange Club in Albany, the thinking on its ill-conceived plan for growth is backward, with the idea that the destruction of buildings to create parking space is a good thing.

The very last thing Albany needs is one more building knocked down to make a surface parking lot, regardless of who's doing the knocking down. Years ago, in the interest of "progress" for Albany, many buildings downtown were demolished to create nothing in their places but big surface parking lots that physically and psychologically damage the city fabric.

Where are the city officials and the planning committees, who need to come up with a rule that if an organization wants more parking in the city, it has to come up with a parking structure to do it? This may not be cheap, but it's also not radical. Cities across the country have guidelines in place for this today. But here in Albany, surface lots are still an option, incredibly.

This has to change. Albany is not and will never be a better place because of the many parking lots created in the interest of "progress" or "urban renewal."

DUANE BARKER
Albany

Overflow Crowd at BZA Hearing!

Opposition strongly outweighed support for the Fort Orange Club's plans to raze two historic buildings on Washington Avenue. Links to coverage in the media are pasted below.

If you were unable to attend the hearing last night, you can still make your voice heard:

• write a letter in opposition and email it to Bradley Glass at the Department of Planning, glassb@ci.albany.ny.us.
• write a letter to the editor, http://timesunion.com/forms/emaileditor.asp.
• talk to your neighbors and encourage them to do the same

Times Union:
Fort Orange sticks to plan At Albany zoning meeting, club reiterates need for controversial expansion
ALBANY -- The city's Board of Zoning and Appeals meeting room overflowed Wednesday night as Fort Orange Club officials reiterated their reasoning for an expansion plan that once again drew opposition.http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=698990&category=YTALBANY&BCCode=LOCAL&newsdate=6/26/2008

WNYT, Channel 13:
Fate of historic buildings up in the air
A proposal for the Fort Orange Club to expand has sparked passionate opposition. The private club wants to tear down two structures to create more parking. But many residents and neighborhood groups are fighting to save the buildings...
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S490870.shtml?cat=300

Fox 23 News:
Historic Building's Future Uncertain
Dozens turned out for Wednesday night's Albany Board of Zoning Appeals meeting. All Albany residents who, after hearing the Fort Orange Club's plan to expand, had something to say.http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d8361827-fb88-4900-a663-bc4cc112aa91

CBS 6 Albany:
No Decision on Fort Orange Demolition http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/fort_1255859___article.html/orange_decision.html

What's wrong with this picture?

A better future for whom? For the 600 or so club members who motor in from Loudonville and other suburban enclaves and need a place to park? For those "who have myriad choices when it comes to education or medical services or places to socialize"? Or for the thousands of us who actually live, raise families, and pay taxes in the city of Albany? I wonder ...

Fort Orange's plans aimed at a better future

First published: Thursday, June 19, 2008 (Times Union)

In response to Joseph Laux's recent letter concerning the Fort Orange Club: Mr. Laux is correct that the Fort Orange Club has been a fixture in Albany since 1880.

And, as Mr. Laux also said, the members of the Fort Orange Club do have a responsibility to do what is right when it comes to Albany's past. I would argue that part of honoring that past is looking to the city's future, a future that ensures that a healthy city has a vibrant and healthy Fort Orange Club where business, government, civic and social leaders gather to enjoy social and business engagements with friends and colleagues.

To ensure that future, the Fort Orange Club, not unlike The College of Saint Rose or the Albany Medical Center, must keep pace with the demands of a citizenry who have myriad choices when it comes to education or medical services or places to socialize.

To that end, for more than 125 years, the Fort Orange Club has managed to keep pace with our ever-changing cityscape. Sometimes that means expanding, and that is what we seek to do.
As a 12th great-grandson of Albert Andriessen Bradt, who came to Fort Orange in 1637 and with likely ties to Mr. Laux's Van Epps family, too, I want to honor Albany's rich historical past by ensuring that as a member of one of Albany's finest institutions, I am ensuring our city's future.

ROBERT N. STEVENS
Loudonville

BZA Hearing - June 25

Please join your neighbors ~ attend this public meeting ~ voice your opposition to the demolition of these buildings.

Case # 6-08, 1575

The case of The Fort Orange Club regarding the premises located at 110 Washington Avenue AKA 118-120 Washington Avenue requesting a Use Variance, Area Variances and a Parking Lot Permit pursuant to Sections 275-26, 375-72A, 375-72C, 375-90F, 375-98 and 375-174 of the City of Albany Zoning Ordinance to allow for the construction of a 2,350 +/- square building addition to a nonconforming fraternal organization that does not meet the minimum required rear yard setback of twenty-five (25) feet, stone work and wrought iron fencing that exceeds the maximum permitted height of six (6) feet and an accessory parking lot expansion from 51 to 66 spaces, to require the demolition of two (2) small office buildings. The property is located in a C-O Commercial Office zoning district. AMENDED

Letter stating Ft. Orange opposition to retaining buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave.

letter-yevoli-5-28-08[1] - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: letter-yevoli-5-28-08[1]

Fort Orange - site plan

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5/8 Letter from Hudson/Park NA highlighting age of buildings

May 8, 2008

Michael Apostol, Chairman
Board of Zoning Appeals
Department of Development and Planning
21 Lodge Street
Albany, NY 12207

Re: 118-120 Washington Ave. – Application for Parking Lot Permit

Dear Mr. Apostol:

On April 23, 2008, the Board of Zoning Appeals met to consider the application of the Fort Orange Club to demolish two buildings on Washington Ave. to enlarge their existing parking lot. The BZA tabled decision on this proposal and it currently appears as pending on the agenda for May 14, 2008. As you are aware, Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association ("H/PNA"), along with the Center Square Association, Washington Park Neighborhood Association, and Councilmember Richard Conti oppose this proposal.

At the April 23, 2008 meeting, the applicant represented that these structures are not "historic." Since the hearing, H/PNA has learned that at least one of the structures (118 Washington Ave.) dates from prior to 1833. A copy of the Building Inventory Form on file with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation is attached to this letter. Given the significance of this additional evidence, we believed it important to bring to your attention as the BZA considers its decision.

Sincerely,
/s/
Roger Bearden, President
Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association

4/23 Letter of Opposition from Hudson/Park NA

April 23, 2008

VIA HAND DELIVERY

Michael Apostol, Chair
City of AlbanyBoard of Zoning Appeals

Re: 118-120 Washington Avenue; application for demolitionof two existing structures and a parking lot permit

Dear Mr. Apostol:

On April 16, the Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association ("H/PNA" or "Hudson/Park") met in its monthly general meeting to discuss, among other things, the application of the Fort Orange Club to demolish two existing office buildings in order to increase its parking lot by roughly 40%. The subject property is located in a C-O, commercial office zoning district.

Although Hudson/Park's membership was generally opposed to the Club's plan, the consensus of the membership was that we would support the determination of the Center Square Neighborhood Association ("Ctr. Sq."), since the destruction is planned to take place within their environs. On April 17, Ctr. Sq. voted to oppose the Club's project. Therefore, please accept this letter in support of Ctr. Sq.'s position, and in opposition to the Club's destructive, unwise and unnecessary plan.

The Club's proposal is to demolish two perfectly serviceable buildings in order to increase the size of its parking lot, despite the fact that they admit in their application that the project would be carried out without the BZA's approval of the unnecessary demolitions. In support of their proposal, the Club states that the buildings are not historic, although such statement is irrelevant because the buildings form part of a harmonious streetscape and are part of the historic fabric of the neighborhood.

Setting aside the issue of whether or not the plan is sensible, Hudson/Park believes that serviceable and structurally sound buildings should not be demolished to form parking lots. An approval of such a plan would set a bad precedent in Albany that could lead to willy-nilly destruction of existing neighborhoods, and could lead to a coring out of the tax base. Further, the subject property is in sight of the Capitol and the Smith building, and if approved by the BZA would be the 2nd time in recent memory that demolition of perfectly serviceable buildings for parking was approved over the objections of the neighboring citizens.

We strongly urge the BZA to reject the Club's application. It is inconceivable that such a plan should be rewarded by approval; it is bad planning and flies in the face of the conclusions of the Re-Capitalize Albany study, which advised leveraging existing building stock to support neighborhood vitality, rather than demolishing such buildings in favor of empty lots containing part-time parking. We also strongly urge the BZA to remember that the City is about to enter a protracted comprehensive planning process that will shape the future of Albany, and the future vitality of its fisc and neighborhoods. Approval of this ill-conceived plan would send the wrong message. Denial of the plan will be a step in the direction of sound planning, neighborhood protection and urban revitalization.

Sincerely,
Roger Bearden, President
Hudson/Park Neighborhood Association

The Fort Orange Club Plan - in their own words

Re: The Fort Orange Club Revitalization & Reconstruction Project

May 12, 2008

To whom it may concern:

The revitalization of the city of Albany should not be the burden of City officials and tax payers alone. The local business community needs to share the social and financial responsibilities of continuing to make Albany a wonderful place to live, work and recreate. The Fort Orange Club of downtown Albany has developed a member approved Comprehensive Plan to accomplish just that. This plan will provide immense economic, aesthetic and historic benefits that will aid in the vitality and growth of the local community. The plan further demonstrates the Fort Orange Club’s commitment to enhancing the lifestyle of Albany residents as well as setting an example of how the local business community can play an important role in the success of preserving Albany’s storied history and promoting the architectural significance of the City of Albany.

The Fort Orange Club Streetscape design and implementation is part of the overall Master Plan that adopts a comprehensive and integrated approach toward the design of the new addition and long overdue improvements to the existing Fort Orange Club. This improvement initiative is part of a long-term and coordinated effort towards the upgraded athletic facility that is over 2 decades behind the times and necessary for the long-term survival of the Club. The almost quarter of a million dollar budget for the Streetscape enhancements along Washington Avenue will stand as a model of what other developers and landowners should consider when making modifications that impact land use parallel to a city street. When completed, the new addition to the Club and enhancements will result in showcasing the historic Fort Orange Club and become one of the City of Albany's treasures for years to come.

The bullets below will provide the outlined specifications of the Fort Orange Club Comprehensive Plan and detail how the City of Albany will benefit from the plan’s acceptance.

1. Comprehensive Plan

• Total anticipated cost of the overall Comprehensive Plan is $4,750,000.
• The main Club House will be significantly upgraded with new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, etc.(at a cost of approximately $ 1 million)
• There will be an enlarged and upgraded athletic wing providing additional up-to-date recreational facilities to attract future members from the younger business professional community.
• The removal of 120 Washington Avenue and reconfigured parking is only a small part of the overall Comprehensive Plan.
• There is a pressing need to have adequate parking in order to be economically viable and to service the current 600 members and their guests. Presently, there are many days throughout the year that the current Fort Orange Club parking is inadequate. The University Club, situated in the same general neighborhood, has suffered due to inadequate parking.
• Representatives of the Fort Orange Club visited the Buffalo Club (Buffalo) and Genesee Valley Club (Rochester), both of which underwent similar upgrades of their clubhouses and added new recreational facilities. In each case, these clubs have experienced strong growth in membership and utilization of club facilities following their expansions. It should be noted that both Buffalo and Rochester economics are weaker than Albany’s.

2. Safety

• There will be an expanded driveway, with room for two cars (in/out) vs. only one car width now.
• Presently, there are many days that the parking lot is full. As a result, cars will often back out into traffic on Washington Avenue causing hazardous conditions.
• The wider driveway entrance and reconfigured parking will help alleviate the congestion, thereby improving safety on Washington Avenue.
• A sentry house will be added to have a person near Washington Avenue to oversee traffic flow and parking.

3. Streetscape

• The Streetscape will be attractively designed with iron wrought fencing, stone work and professional landscaping adding to the beauty of the immediate community and enhancing the overall green space appeal of The Fort Orange Club.
• Architectural elements will be of the highest quality and will play off the elegant themes of iron and stone used throughout the city.
• The view of the streetscape, with depth of The Fort Orange property, will open up to a view consisting of beautiful church steeples on State Street.
• Almost a quarter of a million dollars will be invested on the Streetscape alone setting a positive precedent for enhanced sheltering of parking within the City of Albany.

4. Historic Preservation

• The Fort Orange Club dates back 128 years and its Club House, originally a residence, is 197 years old.
• The Lamplighters Foundation (501c3) was recently established to not only preserve our historic building, but to also promote the history and architecture of the City of Albany. As of this date, the foundation has raised $250,000.
• The Fort Orange Club is one of Albany’s most noteworthy institutions, with over 600 members, who possess both long term and historic connections within the City of Albany’s businesses, educational institutions, professional firms, cultural organizations, and government.
• Preserving and nurturing Albany’s storied history, attractive look, and its overall vibrancy has and always will remain an essential mission of the Fort Orange Club.

5. Benefits to the City of Albany

• This Comprehensive Plan will likely result in a higher property assessment in the future due to the expanded athletic wing at the rear of the property, thus leading to higher property tax income for the City.
• A wider driveway and expanded parking situation at The Fort Orange Club will alleviate the current problem of incoming traffic backing up onto Washington Avenue. The diluting of this congestion will improve the safety conditions on Washington Avenue.
• This high quality and elegant design will add to the beauty and attraction of downtown Albany.
  

Successful organizations plan for their future by utilizing a Comprehensive Plan addressing the needs of its members, in order to ensure and maximize future success. We feel that by pursuing this Comprehensive Plan, The Fort Orange Club will be able to best achieve the goal of ensuring a successful future as well as continue to play an important, valuable and lasting role within the bright future of the City of Albany. Adding value and pride to the urban living of the Albany experience will attract younger business professionals, which will in turn enhance the overall downtown environment. The benefit of these improvements greatly outweighs keeping an older and inefficient building.

Preliminary History -- 118-120 Washington Ave.

Compiled by Elizabeth P. Griffin

I recently visited the Hall of Records and researched the history of the buildings located at 118 and 120 Washington Avenue. I used both the Assessors Rolls and City Directories to determine the dates the buildings were built, the builder and how the buildings were used over the first forty years from the dates of their construction.

I had very little time and think it would be very useful for others to check my work and expand on my research to better understand who occupied and owned the buildings from 1870 to 1930, a time when Washington underwent tremendous social, political and architectural change. What is unique about these buildings is that they are rare survivors of Washington Avenue's early labor and industrial history and date from 1830s and 1840s, before the block became fashionable for grand mansions.

The following are a few dates and milestones of the buildings and their first owners:

• 1830-31 C R Wooley, cooper, is listed in the City Directory as a Cooper on Washington Avenue (see Colonial Williamsburg's website for a description of the coopering trade.)
• 1831-32 C R Wooley, cooper, is listed in the City Directory at 104 Washington Avenue (It is not clear if that is the same address as 118 as there were very few addresses at that block of Washington and addresses were often changed when streets were undergoing growth and development. Checking the Assessors Rolls should clear this up.)
• 1832-33 Collins R Wooley is listed in the City Directory at 118 Washington Avenue.1844-45 Collins Wooley is listed in the City Directory as a cedar cooper at 120 Washington Avenue and 118 Washington is now listed as his residence. I believe he built 120 Washington for his shop but need time to cross refrence this with the Assessors Rolls.
• 1850-51 Wooley & Harris cedar cooper are listed in the City Directory at 120 Washington Avenue and 118 Washington is again listed as Collins Wooley's residence.
• 1854 Eliza. Wooley is listed in the City Directory as a widow who resides at 118 Washington. Collins is not listed from this date forward and most likely died the year before leaving behind his wife Eliza., sons William, Jesse and daughter Eliza. Wooley & Harris are still listed at 120 Washington Avenue.
• 1865 Eliza. Wooley, widow is listed in the City Directory at 118 Washington Avenue and Harris & Cooper disappear from the Directory. In fact 120 is not listed at all but in the 1866 Assessors Rolls CR Wooley is listed as owning 118 & 120 Washington Avenue, three story brick. Both addresses are assessed as the same property. (It is not uncommon for the deceased head of households name to continue to appears on the Assessors Rolls for a number of years after their death.)
• 1869 Eliza. Wooley does not appear in the City Directory and likely died in 1868 when she was listed at 118 Washington Avenue. Jesse Wooley, who was most likely a son and also resided at 118 the year before is now listed as a boarder on Eagle Street.
• I did not have time to look further to see who became the new owner in 1870.

Jumping ahead to 1933, the year Albany's City Directories list buildings by address, the addresses are listed as one building named the Ripin Duguid Building and have a mix of commercial tenants and boarders. More research is need to determine when the building was named and who owned the building during that transition.

Uncovering the history of laboring Albanians and their families is difficult and time consuming because very few records exist that document their work and lives. These buildings are an exceptional tie to a past that illustrates how working families acquired property, established businesses, expanded their holdings and operations and worked together as a family unit to provide mutual support for a collective benefit.

Use Variance #3 requested by Fort Orange Club

Application for a use variance for expansion of existing health/athletic facility.

110WasingtonAveAV3(06-25-08) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: 110WasingtonAveAV3(06-25-08)

BZA to Meet 6/25 - Info Being Posted

Please take a moment to review the documents posted on this blog. Additional materials will be shared as time permits, and explanations given ... but for now, we want to make sure everyone has access to the same background information.

CDTA Letter opposing Fort Orange Club request

CDTA letter[1] - Upload a Document to Scribd

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Area Variance request #2 by Fort Orange Club.

Request for Area Variance - streetscape design.

110WasingtonAveAV2(06-25-08) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: 110WasingtonAveAV2(06-25-08)

Area Variance request #1 by Fort Orange Club

Request for area variance - rear yard setback.

110WasingtonAveAV1(06-25-08) - Upload a Document to Scribd

Read this document on Scribd: 110WasingtonAveAV1(06-25-08)

Please join your neighbors ...

You are an influential person in the city of Albany.

You want Albany to be a clean, safe and decent place to live and raise our families. You want Albany to remain economically viable -- for residents and neighborhood businesses. You want Albany to offer a good quality of life, with fewer vacant and abandoned buildings.

These are among the primary missions of our government, our neighborhood associations, our school districts, and other institutions.

Too often, however, these institutions talk about "solving neighborhood problems" -- one at a time.

Neighborhood problems feed on one another. Neighborhood solutions must support one another.

I hope you will join me in establishing a meaningful forum to discuss and address civic concerns -- through a new group that is apolitical, non-partisan, and which seeks common ground within and among our neighborhoods.

One of our first efforts will be to mobilize a large number of citizens to turn out at the June 25 meeting of the Board of Zoning Appeals to consider the application of the Fort Orange Club for the demolition of 2 buildings on Washington Avenue, a parking lot expansion, and an expansion of their building.

The Hudson/Park, Center Square and Washington Park neighborhood associations, Common Council member Richard Conti and Historic Albany Foundation have already been involved in efforts to preserve these buildings and maintain the streetscape.

Now, we need to drive home the point that the demolition of viable, historic buildings for the benefit of a few is not healthy for the rest of the city.

Several letters to the editor and a supportive editorial in the Times Union have outlined a number of arguments against demolition, and over the next few days, we will be making additional information available on a new blog, http://www.neoalbany.blogspot.com/ .

NEO -- in a new or different form or manner.

NEO -- Neighbors Empowered Online.

On June 10, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee to write a Declaration of Independence. Won't you join us today in declaring your independence from "the way things have always been done" -- and help us establish NeoAlbany?

Bill Moyers said it best ...

Democracy without information creates the illusion of popular control while actually enhancing the power of the state and the privileged interests protected by it.

Please sign up today to become part of NeoAlbany.