Downtown Cohoes Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Downtown Cohoes Historic District takes up 35 acres (14.2 ha) of the city of Cohoes
, New York
, United States
. Many of the 165 contributing properties
date from the 1820-1930 period when the Erie Canal
and Harmony Mills
were the mainstay of the city's economy. It was recognized as a historic district
and added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. After years of neglect and decline
, it has recently started to see an upswing in business activity due to its historic character and the city's efforts to protect it.
It is a roughly triangular area encompassing most of the city's business district, along the axes of Ontario and Remsen streets. Most of its buildings are contributing properties
, with only a few late 20th-century intrusions; most of those are residential or commercial and in-use but they also include several churches, factories, a train station and the city hall. They range in architectural style
s from Federal to treamline Art Moderne
.
One building within the district, Cohoes Music Hall
, was listed on the National Register before the creation of the district. Another National Register listing, the Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
, was demolished
in 1998. A similar fate befell a church building designed by Richard Upjohn
after it burned
in 1894, but its rectory
survives.
Directly adjacent to this northeastern corner is the separately-designated Olmstead Street Historic District
, which includes the Ogden Mill and row houses built for textile workers, a short distance to the northeast. To the north and east flow the Mohawk
and Hudson
rivers, respectively.
Most of the land in the district is developed in the form of commercial and industrial buildings, with a few churches and Cohoes's city hall. There are some vacant lots on the edges, most notably the former canal bed at the northeast corner. The land is relatively level, reflecting the nearby river confluence
.
The main route through the district is NY 470
, which follows Ontario Street. It leads east to Troy
across the river via the 112th Street Bridge
and west to Colonie. The north-south routes 32
and 787
are located along the Hudson, just to the immediate east of the district.
along the Mohawk, the source of the town's name.
The construction of the canal from 1817 to 1832 changed that. There were less than 25 buildings in the current district before 1831, but industrialization had already begun with some mills along the Mohawk. One, the Cohoes Company, began building the smaller local canal system that would provide power to many of the early businesses.
By 1837 the canal had been so successful that the company spent five years acquiring land for and then building the newer Enlarged Erie Canal, to handle larger shipping. The route, and several locks, can still be seen and followed from the northeast corner of the district to Lock 18
near the western city limit. Main Street today follows the original canal bed. In the northern part of the city, former land of the original Erie Canal was reacquired in 1846 by the Cohoes Company for its local power canal system.
The canal's success led to the population of the town doubling in the 1840s, and a corresponding building boom. As a result the town incorporated
as a village, electing its first board in 1848. At this time most of today's streets were mapped and laid out. The district was the only developed area of town; it was surrounded by farmland. The railroad was built, further extending the reach of local industry and creating more jobs.
In the second half of the century, particularly once the Civil War
had ended, the textile
industry's growth in the town fueled another boom. The first mill, the Troy Manufacturing Co., was opened on Ontario Street in 1843. It was thought to be the first in the country devoted to manufacturing hosiery
and knit
products. It failed within a decade, but a new owner took over and Cohoes went from three mills in 1852 to 27 by 1886, employing 4,000 people. The thousand-foot (300 m) Harmony Mills
complex was the world's largest cotton
processing facility when it opened in 1872, and later came to be identified with the town.
The earlier growth expanded, and by 1870 11,100 had settled in the village. That year it reincorporated as a city. The new construction, and reconstruction and expansion of existing properties, brought new homes and churches to the downtown area. One of the latter, St. John's Episcopal Church, was designed by Richard Upjohn
, the architect of many of America's notable churches from that era, and built in 1870. It was destroyed by fire
a quarter-century later, and replaced by a newer building but its rectory
remains in use. The Music Hall, the district's best Second Empire-style
building, was opened in 1874.
Kansas
state architect J.C. Holland designed the Romanesque/Chateauesque
City Hall in 1896. It was complemented by the Romanesque Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
(since demolished), named by local benefactor Horace Silliman for his parents and opened the same year just across the street.
Downtown was mostly built out by the start of the 20th century, but there are still some notable bank buildings from that period in the contemporary Classical Revival
style. Construction slowed after World War I
, reflecting the decline of the industries that had fueled the city's growth in the previous century. The Mechanics' Bank and Cohoes Theatre, the latter designed and built in the 1930s (although not opened until 1941), are the only buildings downtown in the Moderne]] style.
The onset of the Great Depression
in the 1930s halted all construction and put an end to Cohoes' days as an industrial center. At the same time, it meant that no alterations would take place to existing buildings, leaving them intact (if often vacant and neglected) for when the district was added to the Register 50 years later. A planned revitalization in the 1970s and '80s to create an urban mall similar to those in Amsterdam
and Batavia
, which would have meant demolishing or altering many of the older buildings, was never fully implemented.
to its overall character. They include residences, commercial buildings (including some factories) churches, the city hall, post office and former train station.
The city has made some grants
available for facade restoration and improvements to the rental properties above the storefronts with the goal of promoting a mix of uses
among office, residential and retail. The Capital District Transportation Committee did a study that used the downtown historic district in its "Linkage" program as one of three "corridors" in Cohoes in which it recommended changes that could be made to stimulate redevelopment.
Within three years during the 2000s the value of construction projects with city issued building permits increased almost fivefold. Many of the businesses that have located in the city have been niche and specialty retailers
. By 2006, there was over a million dollars in private investment downtown. A Rite Aid
was built on the lot
at the west edge of the district known as Bush's Block, on the site of the former Victor Carrybag building. In 2007 the city began hosting a farmers' market
on Remsen Street during growing season.
To ensure that new construction preserves
the character of the historic district, the city has enacted a "historic overlay district" within its zoning
code which includes all the city's historic areas. The code requires that any new construction or redevelopment affecting an exterior or interior space visible from outside be approved by the city's Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board, to ensure that contributing properties '"historic features [will be] altered as little as possible."
Cohoes, New York
Cohoes is an incorporated city located at the northeast corner of Albany County in the US state of New York. It is called the "Spindle City" because of the importance of textile production to its growth. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 16,168...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Many of the 165 contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
date from the 1820-1930 period when the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
and Harmony Mills
Harmony Mills
Harmony Mills, in Cohoes, New York, United States, is an industrial district that is bordered by the Mohawk River and the old Erie Canal. It was listed as Harmony Mills Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and it was further declared a National Historic Landmark...
were the mainstay of the city's economy. It was recognized as a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
and added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984. After years of neglect and decline
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
, it has recently started to see an upswing in business activity due to its historic character and the city's efforts to protect it.
It is a roughly triangular area encompassing most of the city's business district, along the axes of Ontario and Remsen streets. Most of its buildings are contributing properties
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
, with only a few late 20th-century intrusions; most of those are residential or commercial and in-use but they also include several churches, factories, a train station and the city hall. They range in architectural style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
s from Federal to treamline Art Moderne
Streamline Moderne
Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...
.
One building within the district, Cohoes Music Hall
Cohoes Music Hall
Cohoes Music Hall is located at 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, New York, United States. It is a four-story brick building in the Second Empire architectural style. Built in 1874, it is considered the best example of that style in the city , with an unusually decorative front facade.In 1971 it was...
, was listed on the National Register before the creation of the district. Another National Register listing, the Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church was a historic Presbyterian church located at Cohoes in Albany County, New York. The complex was built in 1896–1897 and consisted of a church, a church house, and a manse. The Romanesque style church was a square structure constructed of brownstone and brick...
, was demolished
Demolition
Demolition is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures, the opposite of construction. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use....
in 1998. A similar fate befell a church building designed by Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
after it burned
Structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various residential buildings ranging from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments and tower blocks, or various commercial buildings ranging from offices to shopping malls...
in 1894, but its rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
survives.
Geography
The district is bounded by Oneida Street on the north and the former Delaware and Hudson Railroad (now CSX) tracks on the east. On the west it takes the form of an irregular diagonal beginning at the intersection of Columbia and Remsen streets at the southeast, cutting through the middle of several blocks, and ending at Ontario and Olmstead streets in the northeast.Directly adjacent to this northeastern corner is the separately-designated Olmstead Street Historic District
Olmstead Street Historic District
The Olmstead Street Historic District is located along two blocks of that street in Cohoes, New York, United States. It is a microcosm of the city's economy at its peak in the mid- to late 19th century, consisting of a former textile mill complex, a filled-in section of the original Erie Canal, and...
, which includes the Ogden Mill and row houses built for textile workers, a short distance to the northeast. To the north and east flow the Mohawk
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
and Hudson
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
rivers, respectively.
Most of the land in the district is developed in the form of commercial and industrial buildings, with a few churches and Cohoes's city hall. There are some vacant lots on the edges, most notably the former canal bed at the northeast corner. The land is relatively level, reflecting the nearby river confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
.
The main route through the district is NY 470
New York State Route 470
New York State Route 470 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at an intersection with NY 9R just west of the Cohoes city limits in Colonie. The eastern terminus is at a junction with U.S. Route 4 in Troy...
, which follows Ontario Street. It leads east to Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
across the river via the 112th Street Bridge
112th Street Bridge
The 112th Street Bridge is a bridge that carries New York State Route 470 across the Hudson River in New York. It connects Van Schaick Island in the city of Cohoes with the Lansingburgh neighborhood of Troy. The original bridge was built in 1922 and demolished in 1995. The newer version was...
and west to Colonie. The north-south routes 32
New York State Route 32
New York State Route 32 is a north–south state highway that extends for through the Hudson Valley and Capital District regions of the U.S. state of New York. It is a two-lane surface road for nearly its entire length, with few divided and no limited-access sections. From Harriman to Albany,...
and 787
New York State Route 787
New York State Route 787 is a state highway in Albany County, New York, in the United States. It is a superhighway extension of I-787, continuing northward from the underpass at exit 9 for NY 7 near Green Island to downtown Cohoes at NY 32...
are located along the Hudson, just to the immediate east of the district.
History
From its settlement in the 17th century through the years after independence, Cohoes was a quiet farming community inhabited by a few families of Dutch descent. When outsiders came to Cohoes, it was to see the Cohoes FallsCohoes Falls
Cohoes Falls is a waterfall on the Mohawk River shared by the city of Cohoes and the town of Waterford, New York, United States. Discovered by the indigenous Mohawk tribe, the falls were originally called Ga-ha-oose, which is believed to mean "The Place of the Falling Canoe." Cohoes historian...
along the Mohawk, the source of the town's name.
The construction of the canal from 1817 to 1832 changed that. There were less than 25 buildings in the current district before 1831, but industrialization had already begun with some mills along the Mohawk. One, the Cohoes Company, began building the smaller local canal system that would provide power to many of the early businesses.
By 1837 the canal had been so successful that the company spent five years acquiring land for and then building the newer Enlarged Erie Canal, to handle larger shipping. The route, and several locks, can still be seen and followed from the northeast corner of the district to Lock 18
Lock 18 of Enlarged Erie Canal
Lock 18 of the Enlarged Erie Canal is located off North Mohawk Street in Cohoes, New York, United States. It is made of stone blocks 3 by 2 by 1.5 feet in size, roughly in length, laid in a random ashlar pattern...
near the western city limit. Main Street today follows the original canal bed. In the northern part of the city, former land of the original Erie Canal was reacquired in 1846 by the Cohoes Company for its local power canal system.
The canal's success led to the population of the town doubling in the 1840s, and a corresponding building boom. As a result the town incorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a village, electing its first board in 1848. At this time most of today's streets were mapped and laid out. The district was the only developed area of town; it was surrounded by farmland. The railroad was built, further extending the reach of local industry and creating more jobs.
In the second half of the century, particularly once the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
had ended, the textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
industry's growth in the town fueled another boom. The first mill, the Troy Manufacturing Co., was opened on Ontario Street in 1843. It was thought to be the first in the country devoted to manufacturing hosiery
Hosiery
Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
and knit
Knitting
Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
products. It failed within a decade, but a new owner took over and Cohoes went from three mills in 1852 to 27 by 1886, employing 4,000 people. The thousand-foot (300 m) Harmony Mills
Harmony Mills
Harmony Mills, in Cohoes, New York, United States, is an industrial district that is bordered by the Mohawk River and the old Erie Canal. It was listed as Harmony Mills Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and it was further declared a National Historic Landmark...
complex was the world's largest cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
processing facility when it opened in 1872, and later came to be identified with the town.
Richard Upjohn
Richard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
, the architect of many of America's notable churches from that era, and built in 1870. It was destroyed by fire
Structure fire
A structure fire is a fire involving the structural components of various residential buildings ranging from single-family detached homes and townhouses to apartments and tower blocks, or various commercial buildings ranging from offices to shopping malls...
a quarter-century later, and replaced by a newer building but its rectory
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
remains in use. The Music Hall, the district's best Second Empire-style
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
building, was opened in 1874.
Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
state architect J.C. Holland designed the Romanesque/Chateauesque
Châteauesque
Châteauesque is one of several terms, including Francis I style, and, in Canada, the Château Style, that refer to a revival architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the...
City Hall in 1896. It was complemented by the Romanesque Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church
Silliman Memorial Presbyterian Church was a historic Presbyterian church located at Cohoes in Albany County, New York. The complex was built in 1896–1897 and consisted of a church, a church house, and a manse. The Romanesque style church was a square structure constructed of brownstone and brick...
(since demolished), named by local benefactor Horace Silliman for his parents and opened the same year just across the street.
Downtown was mostly built out by the start of the 20th century, but there are still some notable bank buildings from that period in the contemporary Classical Revival
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
style. Construction slowed after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, reflecting the decline of the industries that had fueled the city's growth in the previous century. The Mechanics' Bank and Cohoes Theatre, the latter designed and built in the 1930s (although not opened until 1941), are the only buildings downtown in the Moderne]] style.
The onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in the 1930s halted all construction and put an end to Cohoes' days as an industrial center. At the same time, it meant that no alterations would take place to existing buildings, leaving them intact (if often vacant and neglected) for when the district was added to the Register 50 years later. A planned revitalization in the 1970s and '80s to create an urban mall similar to those in Amsterdam
Amsterdam (city), New York
Amsterdam is a city located in Montgomery County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 18,620. The name is derived from the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands....
and Batavia
Batavia (city), New York
Batavia is a city in Genesee County, Western New York, USA, located near the middle of Genesee County, entirely within the Town of Batavia. Its population as of the 2000 census was 16,256...
, which would have meant demolishing or altering many of the older buildings, was never fully implemented.
Significant contributing properties
All but ten of the 175 properties within the district are considered sufficiently historic to be contributingContributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to its overall character. They include residences, commercial buildings (including some factories) churches, the city hall, post office and former train station.
Residential
- 2-4 White Street, a 1820s Federal style frame house, is one of the few pre-industrial buildings in the district and among the oldest houses in Cohoes.
- Van Auken House, 115 Mohawk Street. This was the home of textile executive David Van Auken, a brick Second Empire home with exceptional Eastlake detailOrnament (architecture)In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
, a touch rare in Cohoes, built in 1873. - St. John's Episcopal Church Rectory, 169 Mohawk Street. A brick and stone hipped-roofedHip roofA hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
building designed in 1870 by Richard UpjohnRichard UpjohnRichard Upjohn was an English-born architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the...
's firm in the Victorian Gothic style, it survives the parent church, destroyed in an 1894 fire.
Commercial/Industrial
- 205 Remsen Street. Three-story, six-bayBay (architecture)A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
building with dentil moldingMolding (decorative)Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
erected in 1840s during canal boom is the largest Federal-style building remaining in the district. - Carter Block, 57-63 Remsen Street. 1850 building with square pilasterPilasterA pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s, friezeFriezethumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
, modillioned corniceCorniceCornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
and parapetParapetA parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
railing is the best Greek RevivalGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
building in district. - Cohoes Savings Bank, 75 Remsen Street. Well-developed Beaux-Arts bank building built in 1904 and expanded 19 years later.
- Cohoes Music HallCohoes Music HallCohoes Music Hall is located at 58 Remsen Street in Cohoes, New York, United States. It is a four-story brick building in the Second Empire architectural style. Built in 1874, it is considered the best example of that style in the city , with an unusually decorative front facade.In 1971 it was...
, 58 Remsen Street. The one outstanding Second Empire building in the district, dating to 1874 and listed on the National Register in its own right in 1971. Four-story brick building with mansard roofMansard roofA mansard or mansard roof is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterized by two slopes on each of its sides with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper that is punctured by dormer windows. The roof creates an additional floor of habitable space, such as a garret...
, hood moldings, stone coursesCourse (architecture)A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
and marble storefront is one of the most ornate and best-preserved commercial facades in the district. - Cohoes Theatre, White and Remsen streets. Only major building in district in Moderne]] style, with typical overhanging multiple hipped roof.
- Delaware and Hudson Railroad Station, 127 Canvass Street. Well-preserved 1883 Queen AnneQueen Anne Style architectureThe Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
building - Troy Manufacturing Mill, 302 Ontario Street. Four-story gableGableA gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d mill was the first textile mill in the city when built in 1843 and possibly the first mill in the country that manufactured hosieryHosieryHosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose...
and knitKnittingKnitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...
products.
Institutional
- City HallCohoes City HallCohoes City Hall is located at 97 Mohawk Street in the city of Cohoes, New York, United States. It combines elements of the Chateauesque and Romanesque Revival architectural styles popular when it was built in 1896. J.C...
, Ontario and Mohawk streets.Romanesque/ChateauesqueChâteauesqueChâteauesque is one of several terms, including Francis I style, and, in Canada, the Château Style, that refer to a revival architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the...
building designed by J.C. Holland in 1896 has long been a city landmark. Features grey limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
in smooth-coursed ashlarAshlarAshlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
alternating with bands of more rougher facing, conicalCone (geometry)A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
-roofed round towers and ornamental crests and finialFinialThe finial is an architectural device, typically carved in stone and employed decoratively to emphasize the apex of a gable or any of various distinctive ornaments at the top, end, or corner of a building or structure. Smaller finials can be used as a decorative ornament on the ends of curtain rods...
s. - St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church, 107 Ontario Street. Large brick Romanesque church, built in 1860s, has an enclosed garden. Originally had a 200 feet (61 m) spireSpireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
that collapsed during an 1875 storm. - St. John's Episcopal Church, now the Cohoes Public Library, 169 Mohawk Street. Incorporates remaining manseManseA manse is a house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by, a minister, usually used in the context of a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist or United Church...
from destroyed Richard Upjohn design.
Demolished
- Silliman Memorial Presbyterian ChurchSilliman Memorial Presbyterian ChurchSilliman Memorial Presbyterian Church was a historic Presbyterian church located at Cohoes in Albany County, New York. The complex was built in 1896–1897 and consisted of a church, a church house, and a manse. The Romanesque style church was a square structure constructed of brownstone and brick...
, Ontario and Mohawk streets. Facing city hall and built the same year, this Romanesque Revival sandstone structure was an excellent example of the style. It was listed on the National Register in 1971 but was demolished in 1998.
Preservation and renewal
The historic buildings have been attractive to some redevelopers as the city continues efforts to recover from the decline of its major industries and redefine itself as a bedroom community for Albany. "The revitalization of Remsen Street is the keystone to the City's future success", said a 2002 city plan for improving and revitalizing downtown. It recommended a $3.1 million plan to improve the streets and lighting in the district, with an emphasis on preserving or restoring its historic character.The city has made some grants
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
available for facade restoration and improvements to the rental properties above the storefronts with the goal of promoting a mix of uses
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
among office, residential and retail. The Capital District Transportation Committee did a study that used the downtown historic district in its "Linkage" program as one of three "corridors" in Cohoes in which it recommended changes that could be made to stimulate redevelopment.
Within three years during the 2000s the value of construction projects with city issued building permits increased almost fivefold. Many of the businesses that have located in the city have been niche and specialty retailers
Retailing
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
. By 2006, there was over a million dollars in private investment downtown. A Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
was built on the lot
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
at the west edge of the district known as Bush's Block, on the site of the former Victor Carrybag building. In 2007 the city began hosting a farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
on Remsen Street during growing season.
To ensure that new construction preserves
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
the character of the historic district, the city has enacted a "historic overlay district" within its zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
code which includes all the city's historic areas. The code requires that any new construction or redevelopment affecting an exterior or interior space visible from outside be approved by the city's Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board, to ensure that contributing properties '"historic features [will be] altered as little as possible."