Drugstores: Riverside Club & Freihofer’s Bakery
New YorkThe Threat
Eckerd received approval from the Troy planning board in February 2000 to demolish two adjacent historic structures—the Riverside Club, and Freihofer’s Bakery—to construct a new store. However, the project’s permit expired before construction began, and the community, which had opposed the plan, hoped it was now dead. But that December Eckerd returned to the planning board with a proposal for a slightly smaller store at the same location.
The Riverside Club and Freihofer’s Bakery overlook the Hudson River where the Erie Canal and the Mohawk River merge. The buildings stand at the gateway to Troy’s Lansingburgh neighborhood, and the Village of Waterford Historic District is nearby. Freihofer’s currently owns and uses the two buildings for office sand storage, but plans to move to a new, larger facility.
The 1895 Riverside Club was once a popular rowing and social club. It is a rare and preeminent example of Shingle-style architecture and features pine-paneled walls, a second floor ballroom, and a curving staircase housed in a turret. The bakery, built in 1913 and operated by Freihofer’s ever since, has a curving brick façade and a gallery of arched windows trimmed in masonry. More than location connects the two buildings: the company’s Freddie Freihofer Show, a popular children’s’ television program form 1949-1966, was broadcast from the Riverside Club ballroom.
The Preservation Effort
Leading the opposition to Eckerd’s proposal was the Historic Action Network, a group of volunteers dedicated to community preservation. Formed in February 2000 in response to the demolition of another neighborhood landmark, the Water Commissioner’s Mansion, the Historic Action Network’s efforts included participation in the planning process, lobbying of city planners and officials, legal action against Eckerd and the developer, historic research—which uncovered an 1861 newspaper article proving the lot had once been a burial site—and creation of an alternative reuse design. The Preservation League of New York State also played a key role, coordinating the gathering and dissemination of information and, with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, urging the State Historic Preservation Office to determine the eligibility of the buildings for listing in National Register of Historic Places. The National Trust encourage Eckerd to build at another site or reuse the bakery building; the company replied that the bakery was not suitable for reuse because of it age, size, design, condition and materials.
The Troy Planning Commission considered Eckerd’s second proposal much more carefully than its first. This shift may have been in part because the city plans to build a Greenway Trail along the Hudson, and a new drugstore would compromise the character of the area. In November 2002, the Planning Commission asked Eckerd’s developer to complete a draft Environmental Impact Assessment and a feasibility study for the adaptive use of the two structures. The city planed to have a public hearing on the study in January 2003, then review the project for three to four months. The developer responded by submitting just a one-page document.
The Result
In January 2003, Eckerd told the developer to withdraw its proposal. Currently, the Historic Action Network is working to find a new owner for the buildings, and reuse proposals include a restaurant, a social club, and a storage facility for rowing equipment. Although no viable solution has been identified yet, the long-term commitment of the community saved these historic structures.
For more information contact:
Marilyn Fenollosa/Cristina Prochilo
National Trust Northeast Office
Boston, MA
617-523-0885
