Troy Savings Bank
Encyclopedia
Troy Savings Bank, now owned by First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG) is a bank
in Troy
, Rensselaer County, New York
, U.S.A.. It is notable for having a music hall
constructed on the second floor above the bank itself, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which is renowned for its acoustics
and includes a huge Odell
concert organ.
The Troy Savings Bank was founded in 1823 and moved to its current location in 1870. The plans for the new building included a music hall on the upper floor.
In the early years of the 20th century the Music Hall featured performances from artists such as Lillian Nordica
, Henri Vieuxtemps
, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Albert Spalding
, Sergei Rachmaninoff
, Myra Hess
and Jose Iturbi
. In the 1930s and 1940s, artists including Vladimir Horowitz
, Yehudi Menuhin
and Artur Rubenstein played there. It was a usual stop for a musician on a tour around America.
Apparently not up to modern building codes, there was long a tradition that prior to each performance the Fire Marshal
would come out on stage and announce "There is absolutely no smoking
in the Hall. If you have to smoke, you can hit the streets at half time."
Following World War II
, Troy
's wealth declined and so did the bank's. Many public initiatives were begun to save the bank (and thus the music hall) from closure. Ideas included establishing a Museum of Industrial and Folk Art downstairs and renting the Hall itself to the area's many colleges. In 1989 the building was declared a National Historic Landmark
. It is also a contributing property
to the Central Troy
Historic District.
, the gold-rich city-state
, its namesake, Troy evolved to a somewhat similar rich status — or as others contend, Troy, New York owes certain of its municipal design scheme eg, its world-renown Troy Music Hall aka Troy Savings Bank to its civil-leaders’ admiration of the similarly, exceedingly erudite and highly prosperous Venetian Republic model(s) ie, those cities of the terra-ferma aka Veneto
eg, Vicenza
.
Troy’s most distinguished buildings’ designs share in the design legacy of their antecedents, to whom they often bear sticking, if little known today, similarities to eg, Vicenza's Opera House aka Basilica Palladiana
and for that matter it closely resembles Brescia
's somewhat more ornate Opera House as well as for Troy’s other civic buildings’ decidedly Italianate ie, Italian Renaissance
design heritage: Troy Public Library
and Troy Court House.
That reflects a stalwart social consciousness held among Troy's citizens, wrought of the decades’ long industrial, scientific and mercantile innovation and prosperity, which led, too, in a like vein to those historical achievements facilitated by and realized by the Maritime Republics aka Maritime republics along more ancient water trade routes. However, in Troy, New York's incarnation, the mighty Hudson and Mohawk rivers play their part, as does the Erie Canal
and its lesser tributary canal systems, and later the railroads that linked Troy to the rest of the Empire State
, New York City
to the south, and Utica, New York
, Syracuse, New York
, Rochester, New York
, Buffalo, New York
and the myriad of emergent Great Lakes
' cities of other states in the burgeoning United States … substituted analogously for the Adriatic Sea
and its Bosporus
waterways, for the ancient Spice Trade aka Spice trade
and Silk Trade routes: as detailed for the Economic History of Venice aka Economic history of Venice
.
It can be little wonder that Troy’s neo-classical and scores of other outstanding building styles represent a community’s culture that valued learned minds among its citizenry. Obvious is that Trojan’s held erudition and historical awareness, as to what comprises a great civilization, in the highest regard. Early on, indeed, Trojans had placed great emphasis on education. That predilection is witnessed in the numerous centers for higher learning and advanced degrees — for both men and women, and the civic leaders who were the drivers for those changes and institutions as well as the local citizenry that supported them — known today as these (all in one small city … along a the mighty Hudson River.
of Yonkers, New York
, and originally installed in the home of New York City
financier William Belden. The original purchase price of the instrument was $12,470. The Troy Savings Bank purchased the organ from Mr. Belden in 1889 and the instrument was installed in the Music Hall during the months of August through October, 1890. The first notes from the Odell Opus 190 in the Hall were heard on October 20, 1890. The organ was maintained in usable condition until the 1960s, at which point it fell into disrepair.
In early 2006, an effort was mounted to restore the organ after decades of neglect. Under the impetus of the Organ Historical Society
and under the direction of organ builder S.L Huntington & Co. of Stonington, Connecticut, a crew of volunteers worked over the course of several weeks to restore the organ to playable condition. The instrument was featured during the Organ Historical Society's 2006 convention.
In 1979, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Revitalization Committee was founded by private citizens. With the bank's support and additional funding from the city
and county for its administration, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Corporation was founded. A not-for-profit organization which still leases the Hall from the bank, it began its ownership with a performance by the Benny Goodman Band
in 1980. There followed a corporate re-structuring and buyout and, in 1999, the Troy Savings Bank converted to a public corporation. On January 16, 2004, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. acquired Troy Financial Corporation, the holding company for the Troy Savings Bank, and Troy Commercial Bank.
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
in 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...
, Rensselaer County, 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...
, U.S.A.. It is notable for having a music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
constructed on the second floor above the bank itself, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which is renowned for its acoustics
Acoustics
Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...
and includes a huge Odell
J.H. & C.S. Odell
J.H. & C.S. Odell is the pipe organ building firm founded by John Henry and Caleb Sherwood Odell in New York City in 1859. To date the firm has built over 640 pipe organs, which can be found all over the world, though the majority of the firm's work can be found in the Northeast United...
concert organ.
History of the bank and music hall
In the early years of the 20th century the Music Hall featured performances from artists such as Lillian Nordica
Lillian Nordica
Lillian Nordica was an American opera singer who had a major stage career in Europe and her native country....
, Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri Vieuxtemps
Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century....
, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Albert Spalding
Albert Spalding (violinist)
Albert Spalding was an American violinist and composer.-Biography:Spalding was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1888. His mother, Marie Boardman, was a contralto and pianist. His father, James Walter Spalding, and uncle, Hall-of-Fame baseball pitcher Albert Spalding, created the A.G...
, Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
, Myra Hess
Myra Hess
Dame Myra Hess DBE was a British pianist.She was born in London as Julia Myra Hess, but was best known by her middle name. At the age of five she began to study the piano and two years later entered the Guildhall School of Music, where she graduated as winner of the Gold Medal...
and Jose Iturbi
José Iturbi
José Iturbi was a Spanish conductor, harpsichordist and pianist. He appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s, notably playing himself in the 1943 musical, Thousands Cheer and in the 1945 film, Anchors Aweigh...
. In the 1930s and 1940s, artists including Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
, Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
and Artur Rubenstein played there. It was a usual stop for a musician on a tour around America.
Apparently not up to modern building codes, there was long a tradition that prior to each performance the Fire Marshal
Fire Marshal
A fire marshal, in the United States and Canada, is often a member of a fire department but may be part of a building department or a separate department altogether. Fire marshals' duties vary but usually include fire code enforcement and/or investigating fires for origin and cause...
would come out on stage and announce "There is absolutely no smoking
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
in the Hall. If you have to smoke, you can hit the streets at half time."
Following World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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...
's wealth declined and so did the bank's. Many public initiatives were begun to save the bank (and thus the music hall) from closure. Ideas included establishing a Museum of Industrial and Folk Art downstairs and renting the Hall itself to the area's many colleges. In 1989 the building was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
. It is also a contributing property
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...
to the Central Troy
Historic District.
Design Legacy & Antecedents
Akin to IliumIlium
-Places:* Ilion or, Latinized, Ilium, another name for the legendary city of Troy, hence the title of Homer's Iliad*Ilium , an ancient city in Epirus...
, the gold-rich city-state
City-state
A city-state is an independent or autonomous entity whose territory consists of a city which is not administered as a part of another local government.-Historical city-states:...
, its namesake, Troy evolved to a somewhat similar rich status — or as others contend, Troy, New York owes certain of its municipal design scheme eg, its world-renown Troy Music Hall aka Troy Savings Bank to its civil-leaders’ admiration of the similarly, exceedingly erudite and highly prosperous Venetian Republic model(s) ie, those cities of the terra-ferma aka Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
eg, Vicenza
Vicenza
Vicenza , a city in north-eastern Italy, is the capital of the eponymous province in the Veneto region, at the northern base of the Monte Berico, straddling the Bacchiglione...
.
Troy’s most distinguished buildings’ designs share in the design legacy of their antecedents, to whom they often bear sticking, if little known today, similarities to eg, Vicenza's Opera House aka Basilica Palladiana
Basilica Palladiana
The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, north-eastern Italy. The most notable feature of the edifice is the loggia, which shows one of the first examples of the what came to be known as the Palladian window, designed by a young Andrea...
and for that matter it closely resembles Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
's somewhat more ornate Opera House
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
design heritage: Troy Public Library
Troy Public Library
The Troy Public library is the main public library building in the city of Troy, New York, and is located across the street from Russell Sage College in downtown Troy. It has two other branches, the Lansingburgh branch and the Sycaway branch. Both branches were temporarily closed in January 2009....
and Troy Court House.
That reflects a stalwart social consciousness held among Troy's citizens, wrought of the decades’ long industrial, scientific and mercantile innovation and prosperity, which led, too, in a like vein to those historical achievements facilitated by and realized by the Maritime Republics aka Maritime republics along more ancient water trade routes. However, in Troy, New York's incarnation, the mighty Hudson and Mohawk rivers play their part, as does 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 its lesser tributary canal systems, and later the railroads that linked Troy to the rest of the Empire State
Empire State
The Empire State is the official nickname of the U.S. state New York. It may also refer to:*Empire State Building, skyscraper in New York City, one of the tallest buildings in the world*Empire State Plaza, state office complex in Albany, New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to the south, and Utica, New York
Utica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
, Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
and the myriad of emergent Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
' cities of other states in the burgeoning United States … substituted analogously for the Adriatic Sea
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
and its Bosporus
Bosporus
The Bosphorus or Bosporus , also known as the Istanbul Strait , is a strait that forms part of the boundary between Europe and Asia. It is one of the Turkish Straits, along with the Dardanelles...
waterways, for the ancient Spice Trade aka Spice trade
Spice trade
Civilizations of Asia were involved in spice trade from the ancient times, and the Greco-Roman world soon followed by trading along the Incense route and the Roman-India routes...
and Silk Trade routes: as detailed for the Economic History of Venice aka Economic history of Venice
Economic history of Venice
Venice, situated at the far end of the Adriatic Sea, gained large scale profit of the adjacent middle european markets. So did the fact that the town belonged to the Byzantine Empire. Along with increasing autonomy it gained far reaching privileges in both Empires...
.
It can be little wonder that Troy’s neo-classical and scores of other outstanding building styles represent a community’s culture that valued learned minds among its citizenry. Obvious is that Trojan’s held erudition and historical awareness, as to what comprises a great civilization, in the highest regard. Early on, indeed, Trojans had placed great emphasis on education. That predilection is witnessed in the numerous centers for higher learning and advanced degrees — for both men and women, and the civic leaders who were the drivers for those changes and institutions as well as the local citizenry that supported them — known today as these (all in one small city … along a the mighty Hudson River.
History of the Odell Opus 190 Organ
The organ at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall was built in 1882 as Opus 190 of J. H. & C. S. OdellJ.H. & C.S. Odell
J.H. & C.S. Odell is the pipe organ building firm founded by John Henry and Caleb Sherwood Odell in New York City in 1859. To date the firm has built over 640 pipe organs, which can be found all over the world, though the majority of the firm's work can be found in the Northeast United...
of Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
, and originally installed in the home of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
financier William Belden. The original purchase price of the instrument was $12,470. The Troy Savings Bank purchased the organ from Mr. Belden in 1889 and the instrument was installed in the Music Hall during the months of August through October, 1890. The first notes from the Odell Opus 190 in the Hall were heard on October 20, 1890. The organ was maintained in usable condition until the 1960s, at which point it fell into disrepair.
In early 2006, an effort was mounted to restore the organ after decades of neglect. Under the impetus of the Organ Historical Society
Organ Historical Society
The Organ Historical Society is an international organization primarily composed of pipe organ enthusiasts and those who enjoy its music, and professional restorers. The main activities of the Society include promoting an active interest in the organ and its builders, particularly those in North...
and under the direction of organ builder S.L Huntington & Co. of Stonington, Connecticut, a crew of volunteers worked over the course of several weeks to restore the organ to playable condition. The instrument was featured during the Organ Historical Society's 2006 convention.
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in modern times
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and county for its administration, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Corporation was founded. A not-for-profit organization which still leases the Hall from the bank, it began its ownership with a performance by the Benny Goodman Band
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
in 1980. There followed a corporate re-structuring and buyout and, in 1999, the Troy Savings Bank converted to a public corporation. On January 16, 2004, First Niagara Financial Group, Inc. acquired Troy Financial Corporation, the holding company for the Troy Savings Bank, and Troy Commercial Bank.