NeoAlbany

"Save Former Home of Women's Rights Advocate!" says HAF

2010-04-29T14:13:00.002-04:00

Contact: Susan Holland, Executive Director, Historic Albany Foundation
(518) 465-0876 ext. 11/cell (518) 466-6015

HISTORIC ALBANY DISCOVERS IMPORTANT PERSON LIVED AT FORT ORANGE-OWNED BUILDINGS

Albany, NY—At today’s press conference, Historic Albany Foundation announced the discovery of documentation that the historically important and significant women’s right’s advocate, Beulah Bailey Thull, lived at 118 Washington Avenue, one of the buildings the Fort Orange Club seeks to demolish to add three parking spots. Mrs. Thull lived at 118 Washington Avenue from 1926 to 1937 when she was instrumental in the formation of the present day CSEA (then called the New York State Association of Civil Service Employees), the New York State League of Women Voters and when she was a speechwriter for then-Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. She served from 1934 to 1935, as the only female president ever of CSEA. She has been much celebrated by CSEA on their 100-year anniversary.

“With the new information about Beulah Bailey Thull, saving the buildings and getting the Lower Washington Avenue historic district recommended by the City of Albany’s Historic Resource Commission and approved by the Common Council, becomes more critical than ever. This story now becomes about saving our rich and diverse history such as women’s rights and women’s right to vote, and not just white man’s history” said Susan Holland, Executive Director of Historic Albany Foundation.

118 Washington Avenue’s renovations were completed in 1925 which is the incarnation we see today and as it was when Beulah Bailey Thull was a resident in the newly renovated Ripin Duguid Building.

Mrs. Thull has an illustrious and decorated history. When few women were able to seek higher education, she obtained degrees from Cornell University (1912) and State Library School (1916). In the 1920’s, the position of research assistant to the New York State Tax Commission was created for her. She would use her position with the Tax Commission to educate and advocate with the New York State League of Women Voters, Rensselaer County League of Women Voters, and New York State Association of Civil Service Employees. She would eventually rise to the position of Chief of the research staff of the New York State Department of Tax and Finance. At the height of her career (1929-1937), Mrs. Thull worked with Governors Roosevelt and Lehman for the betterment of State employees. For more biographical information, please see the attachment.

Historic Albany Foundation nominated the Lower Washington Avenue Historic District to the City of Albany’s Historic Resource Commission on March 9, 2010 with the National Register of Historic Places nomination with the State Historic Preservation Office filed on March 19, 2010. Albany’s Department of Development and Planning have not yet put the local district nomination on the Historic Resource Commission meeting calendar. Despite inquiries from Historic Albany on the status of the nomination, no explanation has been given for the delay. Historic Albany continues to work to move the nomination forward.

A grant from Preservation League of New York State with funds from New York State Council on the Arts paid for the nomination and survey of the district.

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News Conference - Thursday 4/29

2010-04-27T14:11:00.000-04:00

MEDIA ALERT

Contact: Susan Holland, Executive Director
Historic Albany Foundation
(518) 465-0876 ext. 11/cell (518) 466-6015

HISTORIC ALBANY TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT FORT ORANGE-OWNED BUILDINGS

Albany, NY—Historic Albany Foundation will make an important announcement to the members of the press and public regarding 118-120 Washington Avenue, the buildings that the Fort Orange Club wants demolished for three parking spots.

The press conference takes place on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 12 PM in front of 118-120 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY. Press releases with full information will be given out at that time.

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2010-03-05T10:14:00.001-05:00

Parker, Florida Today

Fort Orange Club bullied by Albany

2010-03-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

I just wonder how Mr. Albany Conservative would feel if the private property owner next to him wanted to open a slaughterhouse, or a pig farm, or an auto body shop...

Letter to the editor
Thursday, March 4, 2010

My congratulations go to the Fort Orange Club in its fight to tear down two buildings for parking spaces. This issue has been going on for far too long and the city has been bullying the club for years.

Nobody has the right to tell the club what it should do with its private property.

If the Historic Albany Foundation wanted the buildings, it should have bought them.

This is a constitutional issue of property rights. Why should the club be forced to keep buildings it has no use for?
I am a firm believer in individual rights.

Albany's recent moratorium and new demolition rules are just the city's way of legitimizing its idea of what Albany should be.

There are plenty of preserved buildings in Albany. How many more do we need, and why should property owners be forced to pay for these buildings if they do not want to?

Michael Brown
Albany
mickey@albanyconservative.us

Support needed for Lower Washington Ave. Historic District

2010-02-20T13:41:00.001-05:00

Albany's Historic Resource Commission will hold a public hearing on the nomination of the Lower Washington Avenue Historic District on Wednesday, March 3rd at 5:15 pm in the Common Council chamber at City Hall.

The district will include the south side of Washington Avenue from South Swan Street to Lark Street. Please let the City of Albany's Historic Resource Commission know you support the Lower Washington Avenue Historic District by attending the public hearing on March 3rd and speaking in favor the designation, and/or mailing or emailing a support letter to:

Norman Rice, Chair
Historic Resource Commission
c/o Richard Nicholson
City of Albany
Department of Development and Planning
200 Henry Johnson Boulevard
Albany, NY 12206
nichor@ci.albany.ny.us

Historic Albany Foundation can provide a sample support letter for you to tailor with your own observations. Please email Cara Macri at HAF to receive a copy.

Also, the historic district nomination will need to be ratified by the Common Council at a later date. Please cc: HAF and your Councilmember on your correspondence to ensure your support is recorded in their files.

Supporting Lower Washington Avenue historic district

2010-02-20T13:38:00.001-05:00

Lower Wash Hist Dist Support

Board ignored new ordinance

2010-02-20T13:12:00.000-05:00

TIMES UNION - Letter to the Editor
First published: Friday, February 19, 2010

As a resident and elected official who represents downtown Albany, I am deeply disappointed by the Fort Orange Club's decision to demolish two buildings to make way for additional parking. What is even more disturbing than these proposed plans however, is the Albany Planning Board's recent vote allowing the project to go forward.

The board's approval completely ignores Albany's recently enacted demolition review ordinance. Indeed, many of the factors the ordinance requires the board to weigh in reviewing demolitions were blatantly ignored, along with the testimony of nearly two dozen citizens, architects and historians who showed up in person to oppose this plan.

Demolition of structurally sound buildings to make way for parking does not fit into Albany's comprehensive plan, nor is it good urban planning or policy. One can only hope that in reviewing future applications, the planning board actually looks at our new ordinance and doesn't simply ignore what it was meant to protect, namely meaningless demolitions that destroy the fabric of our city.

CHRIS HIGGINS
Albany County Legislator
6th District
Albany

Judge: Group sued too soon over Fort Orange Club demolitions

2010-02-10T16:13:00.001-05:00

Times Union - Albany NY

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
Last updated: 12:47 p.m., Wednesday, February 10, 2010

ALBANY -- A judge today dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Planning Board's blessing for the Fort Orange Club to tear down two 19th-century Washington Avenue buildings -- but the demolitions are still not likely to happen anytime soon.

Acting State Supreme Court Justice Richard Platkin ruled the Historic Albany Foundation sued too soon because the demolition plans still need to be approved by the city's Board of Zoning Appeals, Historic Resources Commission and once again by the Planning Board before the Building Department can issue a permit to raze the buildings.

For nearly two years, Historic Albany has opposed the 130-year-old private club's plans to demolish the buildings to make way for three new parking spaces in a lot adjacent to the clubhouse, itself one of Albany's most historic buildings.

Historic Albany contends the buildings are part of the historic, urban fabric of lower Washington Avenue, a stone's throw from the Capitol.

Club officials have countered, however, that the buildings, which date to the 1830s, have no historic value and that demolition also will help them convert more spaces from valet parking to self-parking, something members want, while at the same time making the lot safer.

The demolitions are part of the club's larger plans to expand its athletic facilities.

In his 15-page decision, Platkin said the historic preservation group cannot sue until the city actually issues the demolition permit.

"It does place us in a little bit of a precarious position because we won't know the exact moment when the building commissioner grants the demolition permit," said Historic Albany's attorney, George Carpinello.

"We may be involved again in another race to get to the courthouse before the wrecking ball hits the building," he said. "Usually the owner tries to tear the building down before we can get to a judge."

Carpinello noted, however, that Platkin did say that Historic Albany can challenge the Planning Board's determination that the demolitions would have no significant environmental impacts -- just not yet.

The club had contended that the four-month clock for such a challenge started ticking when the Planning Board first issued a so-called "negative declaration" under the State Environmental Quality Review Act in May 2008.

But Platkin rejected that argument, noting the club later withdrew its plans to demolish the buildings amid sharp public backlash in September of that year.

Historic Albany sued Jan. 22, the day after the Planning Board granted its conditional permission for the demolitions -- the first in the wake of a new city ordinance requiring Planning Board review of non-emergency tear-downs.

The law was prompted in part by the club's initial plans to raze the buildings in 2008.
Robert Sweeney, an attorney for the club, has repeatedly called allegations that the club was working covertly to demolish the buildings unfair. He said the club followed established procedure, at the direction of the building department, for six weeks before requesting a demolition permit on Nov. 6.

"The record is very clear on that," Sweeney said, "and it's insulting to the Fort Orange Club to suggest otherwise."

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

Carpinello, Sweeney spar over demo permits

2010-02-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

On Monday, 2/8, I spent two hours at the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, listening to oral arguments on the matter of the Fort Orange Club’s request to demolish property on 118-120 Washington Avenue to expand their parking lot.

(I typed up this post last night, and decided to wait until this morning - Tuesday - to see what the Albany Times Union had, to fact check. They have nothing. This is a long post, and I don't have the comedic talent of "Albany Citizen One," -- I won't be making up nicknames for the parties involved or commenting on whether or not they are cute -- but I hope some people find this useful or at least interesting. -- CMR)

Representing the Fort Orange Club was attorney Robert Sweeney. Representing the City of Albany was Assistant Corporation Counsel Jeffery Jamison. (They were at the same table.)

Representing Historic Albany Foundation was attorney George Carpinello.

The Judge first sought to establish why Historic Albany Foundation was seeking an injunction to prevent demolition of the buildings when three additional permissions needed to be secured before a demolition permit was granted: approval of the Board of Zoning Appeals, approval of the Planning Board, and the approval of the City’s Commissioner of Buildings.

Mr. Carpinello stated that the injunction was being sought because the Fort Orange Club would not represent that they would not pre-emptively demolish the buildings.

Upon further questioning from the Judge, he noted that the Fort Orange Club might “prepare the buildings for demolition” in ways that would make demolition a fait accompli.

(We have seen too many examples of demolition by neglect – or in too many cases demolition made necessary by property owners who punch holes in the roof to let water in, thereby making the building "unsafe" and requiring "emergency" demolition - CMR)

The injunction protects the status quo, and prevents the irreparable damage of the buildings coming down, said Mr. Carpinello.

The Judge asked Mr. Sweeney what harm would come to the Fort Orange Club if the injunction remained in place, and Mr. Sweeney replied that his client should be allowed by law to park in that spot. The lack of parking is hurting his client, their membership recruiting, their booking of events that always happen at the Club. (Fear of revised NYS ethics laws wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would it? – CMR)

Much discussion ensued over the timing of previous applications and appeals or lack thereof. Additional time was spent arguing whether the Fort Orange Club pulled its application for a demolition permit at the same time it pulled its application for a parking lot permit and height variance for its fencing. (According to an affidavit given by Mr. Jamison, the demo permit was believed no longer active once the Club revised its application in order to move forward with construction of their health facility.) There was additional back-and-forth on whether or not appropriate analysis had been done when a negative declaration was issued on the need for an environmental impact statement (EIS) on these demolitions.

Mr. Carpinello noted that this was a Type I Action that would meet or exceed thresholds listed in the statewide or agency SEQR (State Environmental Quality Review) regulations. These are likely to require preparation of an EIS.

FYI -- An EIS concisely describes and analyzes a proposed action which may have a significant impact on the environment. The EIS is available to the public for information and comment. An EIS must include:

description of the action, including its need and benefits;
description of the environmental setting and areas to be affected;
an analysis of all environmental impacts related to the action;
an analysis of reasonable alternatives to the action;
identification of ways to reduce or avoid adverse environmental impacts.

Ultimately, according to Mr. Carpinello, the Fort Orange Club wants to tear down buildings that date to the 1830s for 3 parking spots. He pointed out the absurdity of the notion that the loss of 3 parking spots would harm the Fort Orange Club.

Mr. Carpinello noted that had a full Environmental Impact Statement been required, the Club would have been required to explore reasonable alternatives and mitigating measures. In lieu of an EIS, they issued a conclusory statement of their belief that the buildings are not worth saving.

Mr. Sweeney argued that his client had explored the possibility of valet parking in the large lots and garages across the street and up the block, but said that the facilities were "packed" at the time Club members and guests needed to use them. He also noted that it wasn't really just 3 parking spots, it was 3 new PLUS the spots they lost when they expanded the footprint of their building to create the new health club wing. Finally, he insisted that while they offered valet parking in their lot currently, for those spots in the back of the lot, what the Club's clients really wanted was an individual parking spot where they could simply pull in and park, without giving their keys to an attendant. And besides, the buildings, while old, had been altered and were not historic, and therefore not worth saving.

Additional discussion of who decides whether buildings are worth saving ensued. Mr. Carpinello referred to testimony given by preservation architect Doug Bucher which spoke to the significance of these buildings which date back to the 1830s.

The Judge wondered why Mr. Carpinello hadn’t provided copies of this testimony, and Mr. Carpinello replied that since the City had convened the hearing at which Mr. Bucher testified, it was the City’s responsibility to provide transcripts, but that they had not yet done so. Mr. Jamison indicated that he was working on it, and waiting to learn the date of return on the petition. (Obviously, I am not a lawyer so I may have some of the terminology wrong. Sorry. – CMR)

There was further discussion of the City’s new demolition review ordinance, and specifically how determinations are made as to whether a building is historically or architecturally significant.

Mr. Carpinello noted that since there was a disagreement among preservation architects (with those paid by the Fort Orange Club noting the insignificance of the buildings – CMR) – what are the options?

The Court does not decide if the buildings are significant, Mr. Carpinello argued, rather it determines if the agency responsible for making that determination followed the guidelines of SEQR – did they analyze alternatives, did they analyze mitigating measures?

Mr. Sweeney said the Club did take a hard look at these criteria and their arguments were in their application for demolition.

Mr. Carpinello indicated that the Fort Orange Club had made a claim of a financial impact in excess of $100,000 in chambers (I don’t recall the exact amount – CMR) but noted that he had not been given a copy of the document outlining those losses. There was some discussion of a confidentiality agreement, and the Judge asked the two attorneys to work it out, and noted that he would take Mr. Carpinello’s request under advisement.

He then noted that he would defer decision on this matter.

I boarded the elevator in the Justice Building with a number of dapper gentlemen from the Fort Orange Club side of the hearing room. As they were trying to figure out which floor they were going to, I pressed the button for “C” – for the Concourse of the Empire State Plaza. One of the gentlemen bellowed to the security guard, “How do we get outta here?” and he replied, “Press C.”

The gentleman said, “Oh, she pressed C, she knows where she’s going.”

And I said, “Yes, I do. And I walked here.”

Supreme Court Decision & Order - 11/23/09

2010-02-08T21:41:00.007-05:00

Index No. 9418-09

For those of you keeping score at home, here's a copy of Judge Teresi's decision from 11/09, dismissing the Fort Orange Club's lawsuit against the city of Albany. The dismissal was made on the grounds that the club didn't yet have cause to mount a legal challenge because the city had merely referred its request to demolish the buildings at 118-120 Washington Avenue to the Planning Board, not denied it.

Yes, it is posted on Scribd as "For to Range Club" -- don't know whether that's a glitch or meant to obfuscate ...

For to Range Club

Ft. Orange demolition arguments in Appeals Court

2010-02-08T10:32:00.003-05:00

TODAY - Monday, February 8th at 3 PM.

According to attorney George Carpinello, the Court has granted a request for oral argument on the matter of the Fort Orange Club's request to demolish property on 118-120 Washington Avenue to expand their parking lot. The hearing will be held at the Justice Building on State Street (the modern building at the end of the Empire State Plaza, almost directly across from the Capitol) Appellate Division, 7th Floor, Courtroom 3 at 3:00 p.m. on February 8th.

The hearing will be held in open court so anyone can attend but, obviously, the only people who will be speaking will be the attorneys for the parties.

If you have questions or need more information, call Susan Holland, executive director at Historic Albany Foundation, 465-0876 extension 11.

A lot of hostility in the blogosphere ...

2010-01-23T17:40:00.004-05:00

Check out some of the 56 comments on the Times Union website in response to the approval of the Fort Orange Club's application to demolish the historic buildings at 118-120 Washington Avenue.

http://blog.timesunion.com/realestate/fort-orange-club-receives-ok-to-demolish/1133/

There are some really ill-informed bullies out there.

Club, city board sued

2010-01-23T17:38:00.001-05:00

Historic group seeks to save two Washington Avenue buildings from demolition

By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Business writer
First published: Saturday, January 23, 2010

ALBANY -- The two Washington Avenue buildings are humble -- but they're at the center of a fight between the city's most prestigious club and its leading historic preservation group.

That fight was extended Friday, when Historic Albany Foundation filed suit against the private Fort Orange Club and the city's planning board, claiming a demolition permit issued for the buildings is in violation of a new city ordinance.

The planning board issued that permit Thursday -- apparently agreeing with the Fort Orange Club's contention that the structures at 118 and 120 Washington Ave. have neither historical nor architectural value.

But Historic Albany says the city ordinance requires that more than historic value be weighed allowing a demolition.

The group says the demolition ordinance, passed in November, mandates that the board consider whether the buildings can be rehabilitated or if razing them would be an improvement for the surrounding neighborhood, among other requirements.

"All of the factors weigh in favor of denial of the demolition permit," Historic Albany says in the filing with state Supreme Court in Albany.

Conditions attached to the demolition permit likely would have prevented the immediate razing of the structures. Fort Orange, for example, can't proceed until it secures a parking lot permit, and it also must have site plan and Historic Resources Commission approval for the proposed design of its lot.

Nevertheless, Historic Albany on Friday asked the court for -- and received -- a temporary restraining order preventing the buildings' demolition.

"We didn't want to take any chances," said Historic Albany attorney George Carpinello said. "We wanted an order in place."

Fort Orange attorney Robert Sweeney could not be reached for comment. The club previously has suggested its plan should not be covered by the requirements of the demolition ordinance, because it sought to raze the buildings before the city enacted the law.

Fort Orange wants to demolish the buildings to replace parking lost to an athletic club it's building elsewhere on its property near the Center Square neighborhood. The club says the landscaping and fencing it plans will be more attractive than the existing buildings.
"The overall effect, we think, will be an enhancement to lower Washington Avenue," Larry Wilson, an architect hired by Fort Orange, told the planning board.

Some observers will likely wonder what the fuss is about. The buildings are hardly the grand structures usually at the heart of preservation battles.

But Historic Albany does not agree that the buildings have no historic value, noting that they date to the 1830s. The argument, however, did not sway the planning board on Thursday.
Said Raymond Joyce, the board's chairman: "Being old does not, in and of itself, mean historic."

Fort Orange Club receives demolition approval

2010-01-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

By CHRIS CHURCHILL, Staff writer
Last updated: 11:52 a.m., Thursday, January 21, 2010

ALBANY -- The Fort Orange Club this morning won the right to demolish two Washington Avenue buildings that have been at the center of a long historic preservation fight.
The club, which wants to demolish the 19th-century buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave. for parking, argued that the buildings have little historic and architectural value. And the majority of Planning Board members apparently agreed with that assessment.

"I don't believe there's any charm about these two structures," Raymond Joyce, the board's chairman, said this morning. "Being old does not, in and of itself, mean historic."

Robert Sweeney, attorney for the club, said after the meeting that he did not know when the buildings, which are empty, would be demolished. The leader of the Historic Albany Foundation, which led the campaign to save the structures, said the group is still hopeful the buildings could be saved.

"We're weighing our options," said Susan Holland, executive director of the nonprofit. (But) I'm very disappointed in the verdict. Very."

During this morning's meeting, representatives from the Fort Orange Club said the landscaping they have planned along Washington Avenue would be an improvement over the existing buildings and stressed that the prestigious private club needs the parking room because of its recent construction.

"This project is not about demolishing a building for a parking lot," said Larry Wilson, an architect hired by Fort Orange. "It's about replacing the parking lot that is being lost."

After backing away from the demolition plan in 2008 following public backlash, the Fort Orange Club renewed its effort to raze the buildings last November, when it asked state supreme court to compel the city to grant a permit for demolition. The court refused to do so.

The city's Common Council in November passed an ordinance requiring the property owners seeking to raze buildings get planning board approval, leading to the Fort Orange Club's appearance before the board today.

The demolition permit for the Washington Avenue building comes with conditions: Fort Orange can't raze the Washington Avenue buildings into it secures a parking lot permit and has site plan and Historic Resources Commission approval for its proposed design.

See a rendering of the Fort Orange Club's plans and comment on the planning board's decision at Real estate: Places & Spaces

Group Makes Another Pitch to Save Buildings

2010-01-02T12:28:00.001-05:00

But Fort Orange Club steadfast about need for demolition

JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST STAFF WRITER
Section: Capital Region, Page: D1

Date: Thursday, December 31, 2009

ALBANY -- Architects for Historic Albany Foundation offered three plans Wednesday to solve the Fort Orange Club's parking shortage without demolishing two 19th century buildings a block from the Capitol.

The proposals were presented as preservationists and neighbors called on the Planning Board to withhold its blessing to the proposal to raze the buildings next to the Washington Avenue clubhouse.

But representatives of the 129-year-old private institution, which for generations has had ties to Albany's political and social elite, renewed their contention that the buildings have no special historic or architectural value and that rehabilitating them now that they've been prepared for demolition would be prohibitively expensive.At issue was a part of the planned $4.75 million expansion of the club's athletic facilities, which calls for the demolition of 118-120 Washington Ave. to add a handful of parking spaces and reconfigure driveway access to improve safety.

Club President Herb Shultz told the five-member board that Fort Orange needs to adapt to remain competitive, citing parking problems that have also contributed to the decline of the Washington Avenue YMCA, now facing closure.

The club's application marked the first time the Planning Board has been asked to consider a demolition permit -- with many to come in the wake of a new ordinance designed to boost public airing of demolition requests, which were previously reviewed by the building department largely without public input.

The Fort Orange Club's request represents not just the first but a special case. The ordinance was passed Nov. 16, 10 days after the club asked the building department for the permit.

Anticipating the new law, however, the building department referred the application to the Planning Board, prompting the club to sue -- a lawsuit later dismissed by a state judge who ruled the club acted too soon.

Opponents of the demolition have accused the club of trying to squeeze its application in under the old law. The club counters that its plans have been known since 2008 and that its most recent effort to seek a demolition permit were known in City Hall for weeks before the application was filed, even before the new ordinance was introduced. The council, they contend, acted rashly and illegally to avert the demolition.

Central to the debate of the future of the buildings is their historic value. The club contends the two structures, dating to the 1820s or 1830s, have been changed so much over the years that they maintain little to none of their architectural and historic significance.

Preservationists say any analysis of the buildings' value that focuses primarily on the structures alone, and not their part of the streetscape close to the Capitol, is flawed.

"We're not talking about Penn Station here," said Martin Daley, a city resident and planner by training, "but we are talking to about a building that contributes to this city in that it exists."

John Mesick, an architect for the club, pointed out that the buildings sit at the end of a row of continuous buildings, not in the middle of it. Their removal, therefore, would be less glaring and would better showcase the historic clubhouse at 110 Washington Ave., Mesick said.

The "greater good of the city would be served" by allowing the club to expand its lot and build a "historically appropriate" brick and wrought-steel fence with landscaping to shield the lot from the street, Mesick said.Douglas Bucher, a principal with John G. Waite Associates, the firm that prepared the alternative site plans for Historic Albany, criticized that logic.

"If we take down the building at the end of the a block, and we continue to do that, then we don't have a block," Bucher said.

George Carpinello, an attorney and past president of Historic Albany, said the reason the two buildings are at the end of the block is because the club razed 116 Washington Ave. in the 1980s, claiming it would address parking needs.

"We don't solve the parking problem downtown by demolishing downtown," Carpinello said.

But club attorney Bob Sweeney said all standards required by the council ordinance have been met.

Planning Board Chairman Raymond Joyce Jr. said a decision will come at a future date.

Fort Orange Plan Going to Board

2010-01-02T12:24:00.002-05:00

Planners to hear club's request for permit to demolish two buildings

JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST STAFF WRITERSection: Capital Region, Page: B7

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2009

ALBANY -- The Fort Orange Club's quest to demolish two Washington Avenue buildings -- delayed last month by a state judge and a new city ordinance -- will go before the Planning Board this morning.

The meeting marks the first time the board will consider a demolition permit request -- now required under the new ordinance, passed by the Common Council Nov. 16, that significantly increases public airing of the requests.

The club's application to raze two 19th-century buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave., adjacent to its clubhouse, was made 10 days before the measure was approved, when the building department still had the sole authority to issue the permits.

But the department, anticipating the council's action and in light of public protest over the proposal in 2008, referred the Fort Orange Club's application to the Planning Board anyway, prompting the club to sue.

A state Supreme Court judge later dismissed that suit on the grounds that the club didn't yet have cause to mount a legal challenge because the city had merely referred its request to the Planning Board, not denied it.

The club has reserved its right to appeal that decision but has not filed a challenge to the judge's order.

"We'll wait to see what the decision is from the city," said Sal Ferlazzo, an attorney representing the 129-year-old club, which argues the buildings have no historic value and which hopes to use the space for additional parking as it expands its athletic facilities. "If certain action occurred, there'd be no reason to perfect the appeal."

Preservationists have opposed the club's demolition plan since it was first publicly proposed in 2008, contending the buildings are part of lower Washington Avenue's historic streetscape and that their loss would further diminish the urban feel of the stretch just a block from the state Capitol.

The Historic Albany Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the preservation of the city's historic buildings, asked Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi to issue a temporary restraining order against the demolitions -- a point that became moot when he refused to grant the club's demand that the city issue a permit.

Last summer, amid public outcry, the club temporarily shelved the demolition plans but renewed them this fall as the new ordinance loomed on the council's agenda.

In the weeks since, Historic Albany has been in discussions with the club to reach a solution that will satisfy both sides, said Executive Director Susan Holland.

"We're trying to work out keeping the building with just as many (parking) spots, so we've been out there measuring and drawing," Holland said.

While the Fort Orange demolition application is the first to reach the Planning Board, at least two others have been referred by the building department, said Director Nick DiLello.

One of the other applications came from the Brighter Choice Foundation, which is in the process of building a new charter middle school between Elk and Sherman streets, DiLello said.

The new ordinance, proposed by 6th Ward Councilman Richard Conti, requires demolition permit requests for buildings not located in historic districts, or not in imminent danger of collapse, to be reviewed by the Planning Board -- and for the applicant to submit detailed plans about what it hopes to do with the property next. Requests to demolish buildings in historic districts already receive greater scrutiny.

The Planning Board meets at 9 a.m. in City Hall.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

Judge puts brakes on Albany demolition

2009-11-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

Historic Albany enters bid to save buildings Fort Orange Club wants razed

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
First published: Wednesday, November 11, 2009

ALBANY -- A state Supreme Court judge issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday barring demolition of two Washington Avenue buildings near the Capitol as the Historic Albany Foundation started a legal effort to save them.

But an attorney for the Fort Orange Club, the 129-year-old Washington Avenue landmark that hopes to use the space for additional parking, dismissed the significance of the order, noting the private club has no plans of razing the buildings until its own dispute with the city is resolved.

The club sued the city Friday after officials declined to immediately issue a demolition permit and instead forwarded its request to the Planning Board. Without a permit, the club cannot legally tear down the 19th-century office buildings at 118-120 Washington Ave.

"This would prevent an illegal act," attorney Sal Ferlazzo said of the judge's order, "and certainly we have no intention of committing an illegal act."

Historic Albany's entrance to the legal fray was only the first of several developments Tuesday surrounding the demolition plan and a proposed ordinance prompted by the club's earlier efforts to raze the buildings that would boost city oversight of demolition.

Hours after the order, the Common Council's planning committee unanimously forwarded the ordinance -- which would require Planning Board review of all non-emergency demolitions not in historic districts -- to the full council for passage on Monday.

But the committee's approval came with an amendment that would also impose a moratorium on all non-emergency demolitions between the date of the ordinance's passage and the date it becomes effective, 30 days later. It was not immediately clear how that would affect the Fort Orange Club's demolition application, which was submitted last week.

A second attorney for the club, however, warned lawmakers that the proposed ordinance is not only illegal under state law but would act as a wet blanket to economic development at a time when the city can ill afford it. "This is a heck of a thing in this economy and in this city to be doing something like that," the attorney Bob Sweeney told the committee.

Historic Albany Executive Director Susan Holland stressed the importance of the city's historic fabric and questioned whether parking for members of a private club qualifies as economic development. Holland was involved in efforts last year to spare the buildings. The club halted those plans amid public outcry and received zoning permission to pursue expansion of its athletic facilities.

The committee approved the measure despite lingering questions about how it will be implemented and -- more basically -- what legal definition of a building will be used.

Historic Albany is arguing that state law requires greater environmental review because the buildings are adjacent to the Center Square/Hudson Park Historic District and eligible to be in a historic district on Washington Avenue.

Buildings in historic districts cannot be demolished without the consent of the city's Historic Resources Commission.

"As you tear down buildings and put up parking lots, you lose the context, the historic context," the group's attorney George Carpinello said.

State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi set a Friday deadline for legal papers and will render a decision sometime after that.

Building issue to get day in court

2009-11-10T11:45:00.002-05:00

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
First published: Tuesday, November 10, 2009

ALBANY -- As the city and the Fort Orange Club head to court today, an attorney for the 129-year-old private club said its request to demolish two Washington Avenue buildings is not a reaction to a proposed ordinance that would make it more onerous to do so.

The city reacted to the club's request on Friday for a permit to demolish 118-120 Washington Ave. by referring the matter to the Planning Board -- a move that in turn prompted the club later that afternoon to ask a state Supreme Court judge to force the city to issue the permit.

Currently, the city's Department of Buildings and Codes is not required to make such a referral.
"We simply want nothing more, nothing less, than the current law applied to this facility," said Sal Ferlazzo, the attorney representing the club, which for more than a century has been a cultural institution and symbol of wealth in the city.

"The Fort Orange Club is a strong proponent of historical preservation," Ferlazzo said, "and the intent behind the renovations is to restore the campus-like original setting from 1812, when the building was first constructed."*

The Common Council is currently debating an ordinance that would require non-emergency demolitions -- that is, the razing of buildings not deemed a danger to public safety -- to first receive the blessing of the Planning Board.

The proposal, introduced last month by 6th Ward Councilman Richard Conti, was at least partially in response to the club's attempt to raze the two 19th-century buildings adjacent to its clubhouse last year to make way for an expanded athletic facility and additional parking, sparking strong public opposition.

Club officials later halted the demolition plans and received zoning approval for the rest of the project but never committed to not tearing the buildings down.

In that way, Ferlazzo noted, "it appears that the law was a reaction to this application, as opposed to our application being a reaction to the law."

The council's planning committee is scheduled to discuss the proposed ordinance at 5:30 p.m. today at City Hall, just hours after both sides are due in court before state Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi at 2 p.m.

In its lawsuit, the club alleges its project manager from Sano-Rubin Construction met with Nicholas DiLello, director of building and codes, on Nov. 4 to review all the requirements to obtain a demolition permit.

But after the club completed those requirements, the suit alleges, DiLello instead referred the request to the Planning Board rather than grant the permit. DiLello cited the downtown location and proximity to a historic district.

"The long and short of it is the current law is crystal clear that the permit should be granted," Ferlazzo said.

Conti countered that if the court sides with the club, it sets a "significant precedent" that the city has no discretion so long as basic requirements are met.

"Nipper could come down," Conti said, referring to the landmark RCA dog on top of a Broadway building. "Should their rationale prevail, then there's absolutely no protection for anybody unless you're in a historic district."

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

* This claim was refuted by architectural historians in July, 2008.

Club turns to judge in demolition effort

2009-11-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Fort Orange members want city to issue permit so it can raze buildings

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer
First published: Saturday, November 7, 2009

ALBANY – The Fort Orange Club asked a judge on Friday to compel the city to give it a permit to demolish two Washington Avenue buildings -- the same two buildings the private club halted plans to raze last year amid sharp public backlash.

The move by the club comes as the Common Council is considering an ordinance that would make it more onerous for property owners to demolish buildings that are not an immediate threat to public safety, including filing plans about what they plan to do with the land next.

The measure, sponsored by 6th Ward Councilman Richard Conti, was at least partially in response to the firestorm over the club's plans to tear down 118-120 Washington Ave. to make room for an expanded parking lot and add squash courts and a weight room.

The buildings, which are actually on the site of the club's land at 110 Washington between Dove and South Swan streets, became a rallying point for neighborhood groups and preservationists who contended the buildings had historic value.

Amid the public outcry, club officials amended their plans to exclude the parking lot but warned that celebrations that the buildings had been spared were "premature." The buildings date to the early 19th century and were previously used as office space.

On Friday morning, the club submitted paperwork for a demolition permit with the city's Department of Buildings & Codes, said Director Nicholas DiLello.

Shortly after 4 p.m., Assistant Corporation Counsel Jeffery Jamison was summoned to the chambers of acting state Supreme Court Justice Gerald Connolly, where he was served with a petition in which the club asks the court to compel DiLello to issue the permit, Jamison said.

Both Jamison and DiLello said they did not know whether the club's action was a response to Conti's proposed ordinance.

Even if it isn't, DiLello said, he's referring the application to the Planning Department -- as Conti's ordinance would require -- anyway.

Citing the building's location on a major downtown thoroughfare near the Capitol and proximity to the Center Square/Hudson Park Historic District, "we thought it would be appropriate for the Planning Board to review this application," DiLello said.

Conti said a section of city code states that DiLello is "authorized and empowered" to make additional rules and regulations and said he believes DiLello was seizing that authority to make the referral.

Sal Ferlazzo, an attorney representing the club, could not immediately be reached for comment Friday evening. James M. Flaherty, its general manager, also could not be reached.

Jamison said the demolition permit application has been not denied, which could be significant in the context of the legal action.

Connolly signed an order to show cause ordering both sides to be in court in Albany on Tuesday, just hours before the council's planning committee is scheduled to review the ordinance in preparation for potential approval on Nov. 16.

Among other things, the ordinance would require land owners to get all zoning approvals for a new project before the buildings it will replace are torn down.

That's what hung up the club's prior attempt to raze the buildings.

The city could have issued the demolition permits without public input but the Zoning Board of Appeals had to approve the plans for a parking lot.

"The point is that it demonstrates why I'm proposing the ordinance and why you need a transparent review that sets the decision against some objective standards that relate to what's appropriate," said Conti, who got wind of the plans Friday.

If approved, the ordinance would take effect 30 days after passage.

Conti said rumors were circulating that the club planned to conduct the demolitions over the weekend. If true, it would have coincided with the Historic Albany Foundation's gala fundraiser scheduled for Saturday night at the Cathedral of All Saints, just a stone's throw away on South Swan Street.

"We're going to fight to keep the buildings up," said Susan Holland, Historic Albany's executive director.

Holland, who said her organization is working to create the Lower Washington Historic District, which would include the buildings, said she sensed something was coming, but not so soon.

If the buildings were in a historic district, their demolition would fall under the review of the city's Historic Resources Commission.

"No one was more surprised than me when my phone started to light up," Holland said as she prepared for the gala. "I was like, 'Really? Today?'"

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.

Grant to fund study of lower Washington Avenue

2009-10-09T18:02:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends and Neighbors --

During the summer of 2008, you may have participated in the Neighborhood FORUM in 118-120 Washington Avenue, you may have submitted a letter to the BZA or testified to oppose the demolition of these buildings, or you may have written a letter to the editor of the Times Union.

Whatever you did personally, we - collectively - made it very clear to the City of Albany that we didn't think it was a good idea to trade sound urban fabric for parking lots. As a result of our advocacy and resulting political pressure, the Fort Orange Club withdrew its request for a demolition permit, and has pursued an alternative plan for its desired building expansion.

However, without the protections afforded by historic district designation, the threat of demolition continues to loom for these and other buildings.

Now, in a happy intersection of my vocation and my avocation, I am delighted to invite you to attend a special announcement one week from today (details are pasted below).

The Preservation League of New York State (my employer) will present a grant to Historic Albany Foundation to complete an intensive-level cultural resources survey of the two blocks of Washington Avenue between Lark and South Swan Streets.

Hopefully, the cultural resource survey will provide sufficient documentation of the 30 grand 19th-century rowhouses interspersed with early 20th-century commercial buildings, as well as a few remaining modest early 19th-century houses -- like 118-120 Washington Avenue -- to secure historic district designation for these two blocks.

I hope you will join us to celebrate this important milestone in our efforts to keep Albany's historic streetscape from being chipped away one building at a time.

Cheers,
Colleen

=================

WHEN: Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Iron Gate Café - Courtyard; 182 Washington Avenue, Albany

WHO:

Erin Tobin, Regional Director; Technical and Grant Programs, Preservation League of New York State
Susan Holland, Executive Director, Historic Albany Foundation

WHAT: The Preservation League will present a $7,500 Preserve New York Grant for an intensive-level Cultural Resources Survey of the south (even-numbered) side of lower Washington Avenue between Lark and South Swan Streets in Albany.

Credit where credit is due ...

2008-09-25T15:46:00.000-04:00

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

2008-09-25T15:27:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-25T15:15:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-25T15:09:00.004-04:00

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

2008-09-23T09:57:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-09-22T17:18:00.007-04:00

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

2008-09-22T17:12:00.002-04:00

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

2008-09-11T12:47:00.003-04:00

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

2008-09-10T12:29:00.001-04:00

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

2008-09-04T15:00:00.008-04:00

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

2008-08-14T13:19:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-24T14:27:00.002-04:00

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

Forum on Fort Orange tonight

2008-07-15T10:41:00.003-04:00

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!

2008-07-10T16:19:00.004-04:00

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

2008-07-09T09:53:00.002-04:00

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

Knocking down buildings would hurt downtown

2008-07-08T16:38:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-08T16:12:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-07-02T15:44:00.003-04:00

*** 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

2008-07-01T11:30:00.001-04:00

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

2008-07-01T11:29:00.001-04:00

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!

2008-06-26T13:00:00.004-04:00

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?

2008-06-19T10:23:00.006-04:00

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

2008-06-19T10:18:00.001-04:00

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.

2008-06-17T16:24:00.001-04:00

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

Fort Orange - site plan

2008-06-17T16:23:00.001-04:00

site_plan_modified - Upload a Document to Scribd

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

2008-06-17T15:58:00.001-04:00

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

2008-06-17T15:55:00.002-04:00

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

2008-06-17T15:30:00.002-04:00

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.

2008-06-17T15:18:00.003-04:00

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

2008-06-17T10:26:00.003-04:00

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

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

BZA to Meet 6/25 - Info Being Posted

2008-06-16T17:04:00.005-04:00

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

2008-06-16T17:04:00.001-04:00

CDTA letter[1] - Upload a Document to Scribd

Area Variance request #2 by Fort Orange Club.

2008-06-16T17:01:00.002-04:00

Request for Area Variance - streetscape design.

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

Area Variance request #1 by Fort Orange Club

2008-06-16T17:00:00.002-04:00

Request for area variance - rear yard setback.

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

Please join your neighbors ...

2008-06-10T14:25:00.002-04:00

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.

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