Restoring History in Downtown Troy
Bette & Cring’s Building Division is providing general contracting services for the restoration and modernization of two historic buildings (547 and 558 River Street) in Downtown Troy. B&C is proud to partner with its sister company, First Columbia, that is developing the adaptive-reuse projects to transform two industrial buildings into an apartment/commercial complex and an affordable grocery store.
547 River Street, a 68,000 square-foot office space, will be converted into 72 residential units – more than half of which will be designated low-income units. Interior renovations will create over 40,000 square-feet of commercial space, featuring an exterior, glass-enclosed rock-climbing wall and gym. Walking paths, electric vehicle charging stations and improved parking will also be constructed.
558 River Street, a 20,000 square-foot building, will be transformed into Bargain Grocery – an affordable grocery store that offers fresh, healthy food. The revamped building will feature a glass vestibule, a two-story loading dock addition, a community prep kitchen and additional food storage.
In the early 19th century, Troy, NY was home to a wide range of industries, such as brickmaking, paper mills, woolen mills, and carriage and chair factories. By the mid-1800s, Troy was largely dominated by two manufacturing industries: the iron and steel industry and the cuff and collar industry.
According to Preservation Studies, a shirt, collar and cuff business – Miller, Hall & Hartwell – moved into the newly built, five-story building located at 547 River Street in 1880. The building was utilized for the collar factory’s production, material storage, packaging, shipping and administration. By circa 1915, the cuff and collar company had acquired 558 River Street, which was utilized as a box manufacturing factory to aid the distribution of its textiles.
The Miller, Hall & Hartwell cuff and collar factory was one of the largest establishments of its kind in the nation and employed thousands of workers in a half-dozen branch factories across three states.
By the 1920s, fashion began to shift in favor of full shirts without detachable pieces. The cuff and collar manufacturers of Troy struggled. Not only did the demand for their products diminish, the Great Depression also adversely effected the company’s profitability. Despite efforts to consolidate, reduce overhead and expand their still-fashionable brands of textiles, the company failed in 1943.
Miller, Hall & Hartwell sold the properties located at 547 and 558 River Street in 1946.
547 River Street had various owners and functions after the collar factory left. The 68,000 square-foot facility was home to a furniture company from 1949 until the mid-1990s. Later, a local developer purchased 547 River St. and converted the building into office space. By 2006, our sister company – First Columbia – purchased the facility and leased it to the Rensselaer County Department of Social Services, among other services, which remained as the building’s most recent use.
A dressmaker bought 558 River Street from the collar factory in 1946. A variety of textile companies occupied the space in the following years including Royal Undergarment, Troy Collar Co., and Standard Manufacturing Co., until the most recent use of the building as a beauty supply store.
Despite the buildings’ disparate owners and purposes over the last century, 547 and 558 River Street still read as early 20th century manufacturing facilities. The buildings boast abundant windows, shipping bays, fire walls, and an open floor plan with exposed post and beam structure.
Bargain Grocery and the apartment/commercial space will offer renovated features while respecting the original character of the buildings. Original hardwood floors will be refinished and preserved; existing windows will be restored and resealed; columns will remain freestanding in almost all locations; concrete floors will be retained and repaired, among other restoration tasks.
The adaptive-reuse projects are expected to be completed by June of 2024.
References
170 Florida Street, Buffalo, NY 14208
Photography
“Slidewell Collars,” 1909 advertisement. (Source: “Goodbye to Collar Annoyances,” Missoulian, January 28, 1909, 5).
“Miller, Hall & Hartwell Building,” 547 River Street, circa 1886 prior to the construction of an addition in 1891. (Source: “Arthur James Weise, The City of Troy and Its Vicinity [Troy: E. Green, 1886] 274).
Google (2024) Airbus, Maxar Technologies, New York GIS. Available at: http://maps.google.com (Accessed: 26 February 2024).