Drugstores: A Success Story at School 10
New YorkThe Threat
In March of 1999 the City of Albany, NY proposed to sell a historic former school building and adjacent parking lot at the corner of North Lake and Central Avenues. Eckerd Drugs indicated an interest in the site for a new 11,000 square foot drugstore. The city negotiated with a development corporation on the sale of the property for $850,000. The project called for the demolition of the historic school to make way for eight to ten parking spaces.
School 10 was constructed in 1889 and designed by Albert Fuller; Albany’s leading architect at the turn of the century, Fuller also designed the city’s former YWCA building, the Masonic Temple, and the former Harmanus Bleeker Library. The three-story, Romanesque-style building was owned by the city and remained in good condition well into the twentieth century. The city invested approximately $250,000 in repairs for a period of ten years during its vacancy in the 1990s, including new, historically appropriate windows and special wiring for Internet access. The building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Preservation Effort
The Historic Albany Foundation lobbied heavily for the preservation of the school and developed three alternative site plans that would allow the construction of the drugstore while preserving School 10. The Council of Albany Neighborhood Associations, the Albany Historic Resources Commission, and the regional chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians all supported the preservation of the building. In addition, many community groups expressed their concern that the construction of a new drugstore at the busy intersection would seriously hinder the pedestrian element of the town.
Due to existing zoning laws, the developer required a variance for the drugstore’s drive-through window and signage. Heightened media attention on the issue in June of 1999 resulted in the developer withdrawing the application for a public hearing until later that summer. At the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, a number of neighborhood organizations spoke out against the proposed demolition. Before the final hearing the Preservation League of New York and the National Trust arranged a meeting with Eckerd’s corporate leadership to address the issues laid forth by the local preservation and community groups. In May of 2000, Eckerd withdrew its proposal for this site.
The Result
After the drugstore proposal was dropped, plans for the adaptive reuse of the schoolhouse gained momentum. A charter school bought the building in the summer of 2001 for $500,000 and agreed to a seven million-dollar restoration. School 10 is reopened today and thriving as a school --its original use -- in downtown Albany. This success story speaks well to the teamwork and combined partnership formed at the local, state, and national levels to help save this historic resource. The ultimate success of this project lies in the fact that the school has been reopened and remains a viable part of the Albany community.
For more information contact:
Historic Albany Foundation
Albany, NY
518-465-2987
