W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus
Encyclopedia
The W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus is an office park
in western Albany
, New York
, United States
that houses sixteen New York State Government
office buildings. The land totals roughly 330 acres (133.5 ha) and over 3 million square feet (280,000 m²) of office space, and about 7,000 state employees work there. The campus was built during the 1950s and 1960s in a suburban, car-oriented style bordered by an outer ring road that cuts the campus off from the surrounding neighborhoods. The campus is flanked by Washington Avenue to the north, Western Avenue to the south, University at Albany to the west, and New York State Route 85
to the east. With its own steam generation power plant for cooling and heating (Building 17) the campus is mostly self-sufficient.
W. Averell Harriman
to offer more parking and easier access for state employees. Prior to this the land was part of the Albany Pine Bush with the Albany Municipal Golf Course to the west where the University at Albany is today. The first building (Building 1, Department of Civil Service) was built in 1956, and 2, 9, and 17 were completed by the early 1960s, but most of the buildings were built in the mid-late 1960s under Governor Nelson Rockefeller
. In 1964 the Division Headquarters Building (Building 22) of the New York State Police
was built in the campus, marking the first time that the administrative and headquarters support services were consolidated in the same building, three years later the State Police Academy (Building 24) was built next door. The latest building, the State Police Forensics Center (Building 30), was built in 1994. In 1987 less than 2 acre (0.809372 ha) on Brevator Street was given at no charge to the city of Albany for use of a new fire station, Engine 10. This increased coverage for the western part of the city, including the Harriman Campus and University at Albany.
Starting with Governor Hugh Carey
in the 1970s, policy has been to relocate workers from the Harriman Campus and other suburban settings to the various downtowns of the Capital District
; Albany, Schenectady and Troy
. The plan continued under governors Mario Cuomo
and George Pataki
; Pataki signed into law in 1998 the $235 million Albany Plan that further sped up the process and included privatizing the campus after moving the majority of state workers to other locations. From 1995-2005 over 13,364 state workers were relocated around the Capital District, including moving the 1,400 New York State Department of Transportation
workers from the Harriman Campus to a renovated 50 Wolf Road in Colonie
(the former New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
headquarters).
The Harriman Research and Technology Development Corporation (HRTDC) was established in 2004 as a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation
and has been tasked with the redevelopment of the campus. Originally envisioned in 2003 as a bold move to completely eliminate the ring road, demolish the existing buildings, and construct a hotel, commercial, residential, and high tech office space all integrated with the surrounding neighborhoods. The Harriman Campus once included land north of Washington Avenue and south of Interstate 90
. In 2006 Columbia Development purchased 12.6 acre (5.1 ha) of surface-parking north of Washington Ave for $4.2 million to add to its growing Patroon Creek Corporate Center. Buildings 1 and 1a were slated to be demolished in 2006 as part of that Albany Plan, {but the Buildings were only gutted, and are still there, albeit empty, as of July 2010} funded with the proceeds from the parking lot sale to Columbia Development.
That far-reaching plan however was scrapped by Governor Elliot Spitzer in 2007. Two very different proposals were put forth, one by the Howard Group that kept to the original idea of integration, retail, and residential space and demolition of existing structures, the other by Columbia Development. Columbia Development's proposal, which would keep the state office buildings and privatize the land putting it back on the tax rolls piecemeal as tenants were lined up, was the one chose by the HRTDC. Residential development would take a smaller role as would retail. The ring road would also stay unless land requirements would require moving it, but not until tenants were definitely lined up for space. The campus would remain apart and segregated from the surrounding neighborhoods. Columbia Development will begin with just a five to 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) parcel in the northwest corner of the campus and has a one year window starting in 2010 to market it for development. The neighboring University at Albany has petitioned for a transfer of 3.3 acre (1.3 ha) from the Harriman Campus to the university in order to build a new dormitory
, the HRTDC has agreed to the concept though the actual transfer is under the purview of the Office of General Services (OGS), the state agency that acts as landlord for state-owned property, since the OGS Commissioner John Egan is also the chairman of the HRTDC this is not likely to be a problem.
Plans to relocate state workers and privatize the campus have seen a further reversal as time has passed. Recently 200 employees of the Office of Real Property Services have been moved from downtown Albany to the campus, as well as plans for a new 3-story building to house a laboratory for 50 workers of the Department of Agriculture. Preliminary plans also call for a $100 million data center for the Department of Technology.
in Building 7A at the campus. The University at Albany's Small Business Development Center has an office on-site to provide consulting, training, and other services. The University also has its College of Computing and Information at the incubator. Other tenants are the New School of Radio and Television, Petrolab (a division of Ametek
), Applied Visions, Inc., and Breonics (a bio-medical research firm).
. As originally built it was to accommodate 400 people for up to two weeks, during the late 1990s it received a $1 million renovation to house the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) in response to concerns over the Y2K bug. It has been brought to full-operation twice: once on January 1, 2000 to monitor the Y2K bug, and then again after the September 11th attacks.
s. Peak traffic counts on all six lanes of the ring road is approximately 4,000 vehicles per hour. The highest volume of traffic entering the campus ring road is from the Crosstown Arterial (NY 85).
The Capital District Transportation Authority
(CDTA) runs public transit lines through the campus connecting it to the surrounding region. OGS runs an internal shuttle to bring employees from parking lots to buildings.
The Building 17 Campus Power Plant produces steam that is piped to all the buildings through a duct-system. It is used for heating during the winter and is used to generate chilled water for cooling from April to October. Electricity is delivered to the campus by National Grid
.
The New York State Police Troop G serves the needs of the campus. The city of Albany's West Station supplements the state police presence as needed. Fire protection is provided by the city of Albany's Engine 10 fire station on Brevator Street.
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
in western Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, 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...
that houses sixteen New York State Government
Government of New York
As in all 50 states, the head of the executive branch of the government of New York is a Governor. The legislative branch is called the Legislature and consists of a Senate and an Assembly. Unlike most states, New York electoral law permits electoral fusion; thus New York ballots tend to show a...
office buildings. The land totals roughly 330 acres (133.5 ha) and over 3 million square feet (280,000 m²) of office space, and about 7,000 state employees work there. The campus was built during the 1950s and 1960s in a suburban, car-oriented style bordered by an outer ring road that cuts the campus off from the surrounding neighborhoods. The campus is flanked by Washington Avenue to the north, Western Avenue to the south, University at Albany to the west, and New York State Route 85
New York State Route 85
New York State Route 85 is a state highway in Albany County, New York, in the United States. It is long and runs from County Route 351 and CR 353 in Rensselaerville to Interstate 90 exit 4 in Albany. It also has a loop route, NY 85A, which connects NY 85 to...
to the east. With its own steam generation power plant for cooling and heating (Building 17) the campus is mostly self-sufficient.
History
The campus was planned in the 1950s by GovernorGovernor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
W. Averell Harriman
W. Averell Harriman
William Averell Harriman was an American Democratic Party politician, businessman, and diplomat. He was the son of railroad baron E. H. Harriman. He served as Secretary of Commerce under President Harry S. Truman and later as the 48th Governor of New York...
to offer more parking and easier access for state employees. Prior to this the land was part of the Albany Pine Bush with the Albany Municipal Golf Course to the west where the University at Albany is today. The first building (Building 1, Department of Civil Service) was built in 1956, and 2, 9, and 17 were completed by the early 1960s, but most of the buildings were built in the mid-late 1960s under Governor Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
. In 1964 the Division Headquarters Building (Building 22) of the New York State Police
New York State Police
The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not...
was built in the campus, marking the first time that the administrative and headquarters support services were consolidated in the same building, three years later the State Police Academy (Building 24) was built next door. The latest building, the State Police Forensics Center (Building 30), was built in 1994. In 1987 less than 2 acre (0.809372 ha) on Brevator Street was given at no charge to the city of Albany for use of a new fire station, Engine 10. This increased coverage for the western part of the city, including the Harriman Campus and University at Albany.
Starting with Governor Hugh Carey
Hugh Carey
Hugh Leo Carey was an American attorney, the 51st Governor of New York from 1975 to 1982, and a seven-term United States Representative .- Early life :...
in the 1970s, policy has been to relocate workers from the Harriman Campus and other suburban settings to the various downtowns of the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
; Albany, Schenectady and 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...
. The plan continued under governors Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
and George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
; Pataki signed into law in 1998 the $235 million Albany Plan that further sped up the process and included privatizing the campus after moving the majority of state workers to other locations. From 1995-2005 over 13,364 state workers were relocated around the Capital District, including moving the 1,400 New York State Department of Transportation
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S...
workers from the Harriman Campus to a renovated 50 Wolf Road in Colonie
Colonie (village), New York
Colonie is a village in Albany County, New York, USA. The population was 7,793 at the 2010 census.The village of Colonie is within the town of Colonie...
(the former New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for the conservation, improvement, and protection of natural resources within the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1970, replacing the previous Conservation Department...
headquarters).
The Harriman Research and Technology Development Corporation (HRTDC) was established in 2004 as a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation
Empire State Development Corporation
The Urban Development Corporation, doing business as Empire State Development Corporation is a public authority of the state of New York in the United States that has financed and operated several ambitious state projects by issuing tax exempt bonds....
and has been tasked with the redevelopment of the campus. Originally envisioned in 2003 as a bold move to completely eliminate the ring road, demolish the existing buildings, and construct a hotel, commercial, residential, and high tech office space all integrated with the surrounding neighborhoods. The Harriman Campus once included land north of Washington Avenue and south of Interstate 90
Interstate 90
Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...
. In 2006 Columbia Development purchased 12.6 acre (5.1 ha) of surface-parking north of Washington Ave for $4.2 million to add to its growing Patroon Creek Corporate Center. Buildings 1 and 1a were slated to be demolished in 2006 as part of that Albany Plan, {but the Buildings were only gutted, and are still there, albeit empty, as of July 2010} funded with the proceeds from the parking lot sale to Columbia Development.
That far-reaching plan however was scrapped by Governor Elliot Spitzer in 2007. Two very different proposals were put forth, one by the Howard Group that kept to the original idea of integration, retail, and residential space and demolition of existing structures, the other by Columbia Development. Columbia Development's proposal, which would keep the state office buildings and privatize the land putting it back on the tax rolls piecemeal as tenants were lined up, was the one chose by the HRTDC. Residential development would take a smaller role as would retail. The ring road would also stay unless land requirements would require moving it, but not until tenants were definitely lined up for space. The campus would remain apart and segregated from the surrounding neighborhoods. Columbia Development will begin with just a five to 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) parcel in the northwest corner of the campus and has a one year window starting in 2010 to market it for development. The neighboring University at Albany has petitioned for a transfer of 3.3 acre (1.3 ha) from the Harriman Campus to the university in order to build a new dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
, the HRTDC has agreed to the concept though the actual transfer is under the purview of the Office of General Services (OGS), the state agency that acts as landlord for state-owned property, since the OGS Commissioner John Egan is also the chairman of the HRTDC this is not likely to be a problem.
Plans to relocate state workers and privatize the campus have seen a further reversal as time has passed. Recently 200 employees of the Office of Real Property Services have been moved from downtown Albany to the campus, as well as plans for a new 3-story building to house a laboratory for 50 workers of the Department of Agriculture. Preliminary plans also call for a $100 million data center for the Department of Technology.
Buildings
| Building | Tenant | Floors | Constructed | Proposed future use' |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/1A | Formerly Department of Civil Services | 3 | 1958/1970 | Already demolished |
| 2 | Department of Correctional Services New York State Department of Correctional Services The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision or NYSDOCCS is the agency of New York State responsible for the care, confinement, and rehabilitation of approximately 63,000 inmates at 71 correctional facilities funded by the State of New York. The department employs... |
3 | 1958 | Demolish |
| 3 | Cafeteria, credit union | 1 | 1964 | Restaurant/retail |
| 4 | Campus Children's Center- Day Care | 3 | 1964 | Office/R&D |
| 5 | Empty (Formerly Department of Transportation New York State Department of Transportation The New York State Department of Transportation is responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in the U.S... ) |
7 | 1963 | Office |
| 7/7A | Agriculture and Markets (7) Harriman Business Center Incubator (7A) Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (7A) Office of Counter Terrorism (7A) Office of Cyber Security (7A) Office of Interoperable Emergency Communications (7A) |
3-9 | 1963/1972 | Office/R&D |
| 8/8A | Department of Taxation of Finance New York State Department of Taxation and Finance The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is a core agency of the US state of New York. It is headquartered in Building 8/8A at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany.... |
8/1 | 1964 | Demolish |
| 9 | Department of Taxation and Finance | 4 | 1961 | Office |
| 12 | Department of Labor | 5 | 1963 | Demolish |
| 17 | Steam generation power plant (Campus Power Plant) | 1 | 1960 | As is |
| 18 | Office of General Services, CRU/Graphics Campus management and security |
1 | 1965 | As is |
| 21 | Department of Education Records Center | 1 | 1967 | As is |
| 22 | New York State Police New York State Police The New York State Police is the state police force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state of New York. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature, in response to the 1913 murder of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County, which at that time did not... |
1964 | As is | |
| 24 | New York State Police Academy | 1967 | As is | |
| 30 | New York State Police Forensics Center | 1994 | As is | |
Harriman Business Center Incubator
The Harriman Business Center is a business incubatorBusiness incubator
Business incubators are programs designed to accelerate the successful development of entrepreneurial companies through an array of business support resources and services, developed and orchestrated by incubator management and offered both in the incubator and through its network of contacts...
in Building 7A at the campus. The University at Albany's Small Business Development Center has an office on-site to provide consulting, training, and other services. The University also has its College of Computing and Information at the incubator. Other tenants are the New School of Radio and Television, Petrolab (a division of Ametek
AMETEK
AMETEK, Inc is a manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with headquarters in the United States and over 80 manufacturing sites worldwide....
), Applied Visions, Inc., and Breonics (a bio-medical research firm).
State Emergency Management Office
Below the Harriman Campus is a two-story underground bunker designed to withstand a nuclear attack, adjacent to the State Police Headquarters. This bunker was built over 40 years ago to assure continuation of the government of the state of New York in case of an emergency during the Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. As originally built it was to accommodate 400 people for up to two weeks, during the late 1990s it received a $1 million renovation to house the State Emergency Management Office (SEMO) in response to concerns over the Y2K bug. It has been brought to full-operation twice: once on January 1, 2000 to monitor the Y2K bug, and then again after the September 11th attacks.
Infrastructure
Of the roughly 330 acres (1.3 km²) that comprise the Harriman Campus about 155 of them (45%) is open-space, the rest is buildings, roads, sidewalks, and parking lots. Two ring roads surround the main portion of the campus. The outer road is a three lane one-way traveling counterclockwise and has thirteen access points to NY 85, I-90, Brevator Street, Western Avenue, and Washington Avenue. The inner road is a three lane one-way traveling clockwise and allows access to campus buildings and parking lots. The roads are connected by several one-way Texas U-turnTexas U-turn
A Texas U-turn, or Texas Turnaround, is a lane allowing cars traveling on one side of a one-way frontage road to U-turn into the opposite frontage road . These are typically controlled by a yield sign, allow traffic to bypass the two traffic signals, and avoid crossing the highway traffic at-grade...
s. Peak traffic counts on all six lanes of the ring road is approximately 4,000 vehicles per hour. The highest volume of traffic entering the campus ring road is from the Crosstown Arterial (NY 85).
The Capital District Transportation Authority
Capital District Transportation Authority
The Capital District Transportation Authority is a public benefit organization that provides transportation in the Capital District of New York State...
(CDTA) runs public transit lines through the campus connecting it to the surrounding region. OGS runs an internal shuttle to bring employees from parking lots to buildings.
The Building 17 Campus Power Plant produces steam that is piped to all the buildings through a duct-system. It is used for heating during the winter and is used to generate chilled water for cooling from April to October. Electricity is delivered to the campus by National Grid
National Grid plc
National Grid plc is a multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom and northeastern United States and it is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the world.National Grid is listed on...
.
The New York State Police Troop G serves the needs of the campus. The city of Albany's West Station supplements the state police presence as needed. Fire protection is provided by the city of Albany's Engine 10 fire station on Brevator Street.
Activities
The New York State Office of General Services’ Special Events Office puts on craft shows, a farmer's market, and noon-time food vendors in a central courtyard at the campus. A memorial garden in memory of the September 11th attacks is located near Buildings 8 and 9. Unofficial activities that take place (and are not actually permitted) are jogging, bird-watching, dog-walking, and on the ring road- road races.External links
- Emporis entry for Harriman Research and Technology Park, including separate entries for Buildings 5, 7A, and 8.