Demolition Alert: Former Colonie Village School
The brick schoolhouse that has sat prominently at 1653 Central Ave in Colonie for roughly 90 years will soon be no more than a memory. The demolition of this school is expected this week and will purportedly be replaced by a newly constructed storage facility. Unfortunately, this story is all too familiar. Schoolhouses across the state and nation have long found themselves “declared obsolete” — discarded, demolished, or replaced by bigger, more modern schools or alternate development.
This photo taken in October 2020 shows the Colonie Village School building from Central Avenue with construction fencing surrounding the front parking lot.
Constructed c. 1926, the Colonie Village School was District 20 in the Town of Colonie. The site on which this building stands has a long history in education. The current building replaced a four-room schoolhouse from the early 20th century, which had itself replaced a one-room 19th-century schoolhouse. The present building remained a school until 1976 when the school board decided to close the school, sending children to the Saddlewood and Forest Park Schools. Subsequently, it became home to community programs such as the Colonie Youth Center, Head Start, a South Colonie school district after-school program, and the Lisha Kill Senior Citizens Club. In 2016, the Village sold the property to Goldstein Realty Holding for $1.78 million.
Fast Fact:
Did you know the schools on Central Avenue were serviced by a system of underground concrete tunnels? Constructed in the late 1920s, they allowed children safe passage to multiple schools by avoiding vehicle traffic, including the Colonie Village School. The last of the surviving tunnels was demolished in 1982.
School tunnel along Central Avenue, archival photo provided by the Colonie Town Historian
This project only came to our attention through a recent newspaper article, and we regret we were not aware of this situation sooner. Nevertheless, we are pursuing a National Register Eligibility determination with the State Historic Preservation Office, to evaluate the historic importance of this former school, since none had previously been completed. Further, we are looking into the Village’s State Environmental Quality Review Act process to ensure proper procedures were followed for this project.
Click here to read our letter to the Village of Colonie Planning Commission.
The value of older buildings and their contribution to our communities is often overlooked. Inarguably, the quality of materials in older structures is far higher than that of new construction. We need to look more carefully at adaptive reuse of historic buildings and acknowledge the wide range of benefits of reuse versus demolition, including:
The retention of historic and architectural character that cannot be replicated
Continuity with the existing streetscape and historic connection to the neighborhood
Sustainability — “the greenest building is the one already built”
Often less expensive to rehabilitate or adaptively reuse an existing building than buying new
Potential for subsidies such as grants or state and federal tax credits
When a district no longer wishes to use a school building, adaptive use can be a better alternative than demolition. Despite the many schoolhouses lost, we appreciate the surviving ones that have been so gracefully repurposed for modern use. Drop us a line to share your favorite adaptively used schoolhouses with us. Here are a few of interest:
River House Project in Hudson repurposed an abandoned 1903 schoolhouse. Photo of the building’s front facade by James Autery.
River House Project | Hudson
Build Date: 1903
Historic Use: Elementary school
Interim Use: Converted to a textile assembly factory, which required modification for equipment that ultimately left the building in need of significant work.
Current Use: The space was customized for use by professionals in film, media, design, and innovation.
27 Western Ave | Albany
Build date: 1901
Historic Use: Public School #12 was designed by architects Albert W. Fuller and William Arthur Wheeler. This building replaced the original school building built on this site in 1858 by renowned Albany architects Woollett and Ogden, which sadly was destroyed by a fire in the late 19th century.
Current Use: Market Rate Housing.
St. Casimir’s | Albany
Build date: 1905
Historic Use: St. Casimir’s parochial school designed by the architecture firm of Marshal and Henry Emery.
Current Use: Affordable housing and community services for the homeless, operated by the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless.
Holley Gardens | Village of Holley, Town of Murray
Build date: 1930-31
Historic Use: Holley High School designed by architect Carl Ade.
Interim Use: It was converted to an industrial facility in 1975, and abandoned in the 1990s.
Current Use: 41 affordable apartments to seniors and new village offices.
School Three | Corning
Build date: c. 1909
Historic Use: Grade School until 1955.
Interim Use: At one point used for community college classes, then lay vacant for years.
Current Use: Converted to condos in 1994.
Corning Free Academy | Corning | 1999 League Seven to Save
Build date: 1922
Historic Use: Corning Free Academy, designed by architect Howard Greenley. This school replaced the former 1873 school that existed one block from this site.
Current Use: 58 luxury apartments and townhomes.
We need your help to advocate for the retention and reuse of historic schoolhouses (and other historic buildings) in your community. Your local officials need to hear why these buildings are important to YOU.
Sources:
Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS), New York State Historic Preservation Office
Franklin, Kevin. Historian, Town of Colonie. From the historic archives of Colonie. 2020.
”Colonie Selling Community Center”, Times Union, 2016.