Uncle Sam Memorial at Prospect Park
This tour starts off in the beautiful Prospect Park at the Uncle Sam Memorial. The park is a great spot to have a picnic or go on a nature walk. There are many different attractions at this park including basketball courts, handball courts, tennis courts, and disc golf. This is the starting point of the tour for a couple reasons. Firstly, you can have a great view of the city and the Hudson River. Secondly, there is a newly renovated Uncle Sam Memorial, and the city of Troy absolutely loves Uncle Sam who lived and worked there. The full list of the attractions at the park is: 14 tennis courts, 4 handball courts, 2 Basketball Courts, Disc Golf Course (18 holes), Fitness Court, Playground, Picnic Areas, Softball Field, Soccer Field, Comfort Station, Picnic Pavilion, Splash Pad, and the Nature Trail (Garnet Douglass Baltimore Trail).
St. Johns Episcopal Church
The tour progresses to its first of two beautiful Episcopal churches in the city. St. John’s Episcopal church was built in 1856. This building was designed and built by Henry Dudley, and the building is a Stone Gothic Revival design. Inside the church there are remarkable stained glass windows. Perhaps the most impressive is the "Vision of the Holy City" a beautiful piece designed and built by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The church also has an impressive steeple, which has an 11-chime bell. This amazing building is listed on the National Registrar of Historic Places. Address: 146 1st St, Troy, NY 12180
Troy Public Library
This building was completed in 1897 and is listed in the National Registrar of Historic Places. This building is absolutely beautiful, and was designed by the New York City architectural firm Barney and Chapman. On the outside you can the classic Italian Renaissance style, while on the inside there are beautiful stained glass windows and marble floors. Beyond that, this library is the home of many different local archives and records. This library is not only just visually beautiful to look at, but if you really want to dive into the local history of Troy and Albany than this library will be incredibly interesting to you. Address: 100 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180
Rensselaer County Supreme Courthouse
The Rensselaer County Supreme Courthouse is a beauitful historical landmark located in the center of Troy, NY. This courthouse is a symbol of authority and dignity, as well as a representation of justice. This courthouse was built in 1894-98, and is a Classical Revival courthouse that was designed by Marcus F. Cummings & Son. This is a contributing property to the Central Troy Historic District, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. This building is very beautiful but it is also very significant historically. Address: Franklin St, Troy, NY 12180
Sage Park with Emma Willard Statue
Emma Willard was an unbelievably important pioneer in the advancement of womens education in our country. Emma Willard's most notable achievement was the founding of the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, in 1821. This school became known as the Emma Willard School in her memory, and was the first educational institution in the United States completely dedicated to the education of women in the United States. Emma Willard's vision was to provide young women with an education equivalent to that of their male counterparts. Emma Willard School is a stunning school which is in Troy, but is not downtown so it is not included on this tour. If interested, the address for this school is 285 Pawling Ave. The Sage Park is on the campus of Russell Sage College, which was built by Olivia Slocum Sage, an 1847 graduate of Troy Female Seminary (Emma Willard School). This bronze statue was created by Alexander Doyle in 1895 and serves as an important reminder of Emma Willard and her tremendous acheivements in the advancement of womens education in the United States. Address: 51 Congress St, Troy, NY 12180
Hart Cluett Museum
The Hart Cluett Museum is operated by Historic Rensselaer County, which is a not-for-profit educational organization that was established in 1927. The mission of this organization is to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life. This organization collects, preserves, studies, interprets, and makes accessible a wide range of objects and documents. The Hart Cluett Museum is in downtown Troy in the Historic District, and is two 19th-century houses next to each other. This mansion has a Federal-style architecture and was built in the early 1920s. This building was home to many different notable figures over the years. Some of the most notable owners were Amos Eaton who founded Rensselaer Polytechnic Instutute (RPI) and was later owned by the Cluett Family who gained their wealth through Cluett, Peabody & Co. Shirt Collar Manufacturing Company. This building is beautiful to look at and also has many different historically significant artifacts and exhibits. Address: 57 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180
Paine Castle
The Paine Castle was built in 1896 by John Welles Paine who was a wealthy attorney. This building cost roughly $800,000 in 1896, which is equal to $25 million in 2023. This building was considered "The Grandest House in Troy" and it still might be considered that to this day! There have been many different uses for this mansion throughout the years some of them being a private residence, a college administrative building, a movie set, and a fraternity house. There have been different movies and TV series filmed inside this building as well. The castle was used in the filmin of Martin Scorsese's movie "The Age of Innocence", starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer. More recently, the castle was used for the filming of the HBO series "The Gilded Age". This house has a lot of different history and is one of the most beautiful and notable houses in the entire city. Address: 49 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180
St, Pauls Episcopal Church
This stunning church was built in 1827 by Richard Upjohn, and was designed with a Gothic Revival style. The church has unbelievable Tiffany stained glass windows. The interesting part about this church is that not only are the windows Tiffany, but most of the whole church is. There are Tiffany pews, columns, stenciling, wallpaeper, and carvings. The actual design of the altar rail for this church is such a masterpiece that it is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This church is absolutely massive and inside it is breathtaking. St. Paul's is considered to be the only totally integrated Tiffany-designed interior in the United States, all but three windows were executed by the Tiffany Studios. This church is so visually stunning that it is considered a cornerstone of Troy. Address: 58 3rd St, Troy, NY 12180
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
The Troy Savings Bank was founded in 1823, and operated from smaller offices until 1870. In 1870, the bank decided to move its offices to a different location in Troy. To show appreciation to the community, Troy Savings Bank decided to build a music hall where the bank offices used to be. The building was built in the year 1875, and was designed by George Brown Poste. Since then the music hall has been a staple of the area with well-known musicians coming to town to perform frequently. At the time it was built the music hall cost $435,000, today that equates to over $10 million. Another interesting fact about this music hall is that it has the largest 19th century concert organ in original condition. The music hall was also very important in the local economy. The music hall attracts visitors, which creates foot traffic that helps the local businesses. This music hall also contributed to the revitalization of the downtown Troy area throughout the late 20th century.Address: 30 2nd St, Troy, NY 12180
Soldiers and Sailors Monument
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a massive monument dedicated to honoring the soldiers and sailors who fought in the Revolutionary War. This monument is absolutely huge, coming in at 93-feet high and weighing over 500 tons. The monument was designed by the architectural firm Fuller & Wheeler. The stone was from Frederick & Field, out of Quincy, Massachusetts. The figure on top of the monument was made by James E. Kelly, but the actual sculpture was made by the Henri-Bonnard Bronze Company out of New York City. This monument was officially dedicated September 15, 1891. Something interesting about this monument, is that there is actually a mistake on it that was never corrected. During the Revolutionary War, it is accepted that the "Turning Point of the American Revolution" was on October 17, 1777 when British General John Burgoyne surrendered at the Battle of Saratoga. However, due to an oversight made in 1891 the committee in charge of the monuments construction put Burgoyne's surrender date as June 28, 1778. Even though this monument was erected almost 150 years ago, this mistake has never been corrected. Address: Monument Square, Troy, NY 12180
Uncle Sam Statue
Sam Wilson was born in Massachusetts before the American Revolution had reached that colony. Sam Wilson joined the revolution movement when he was a teenager, towards the end of the war. As he got older, he relocated to Troy where he worked as a meat packer. During the War of 1812, Sam Wilson was contracted with supplying meat to troops from New York and New Jersey. The barrels of meat would be stamped "US", which was meant to mean United States. However, many soldiers who knew Sam Wilson said the "US" stood for "Uncle" Sam Wilson, and the nickname stuck. While Uncle Sam was a real person, over time he became somewhat of a legend. Uncle Sam became more of a character, and he embodied the United States. Uncle Sam was often used in political cartoons, posters, and other forms of visual media to portray a sense of American identity and nationalism. Because of Sam Wilson's ties to Troy, the city and community absolutely loves him. There are many different historical sites in Troy about Uncle Sam, and this is the second one on this tour alone! This statue was completed on October 18, 1980, This aluminum statue is 12-feet tall and was made by a local sculptor and professor at RPI named George Kratina. Address: River St, Troy, NY, 12180
Vietnam War Memorial
The Rensselaer County Vietnam War Memorial was created in 1991. This memorial was paid for privately, and it stands in Troy's Riverfront Park. There are 3 main elements to this memorial. On the first part, there is a bunker which has the 45 names of the county's men who lost their life during the war. Then, there is a 10 foot tall bronze statue of three American Soldiers. Their uniforms and equipment represent the 3 branches of service throughout the Vietnam War. Then, there is an anchir chain of 40 links. Each link cost $1,000 and were dedicated to a person, place, or event in the war. This memorial is much newer than most of the other things on the tour. It is important for communities to continue to honor and remember historic and important events, and this is an example of a memorial being built recently in Troy. Address: River St, Troy, NY 12180
W & LE Gurley Building
William Gurley and Lewis E. Gurley founded the W & LE Gurley Company in Troy in 1852. The company specialized in manufacturing and supplying precision instruments for civil engineers. The company is still active today and is operating in the original building from 1862. This company made the first all aluminum transit for the 1876 Philadelphia Exposition. Gurley instruments are highly acclaimed and trusted by many civil engineers to build many major structures. This building is especially interesting because it has been incredibly important for the local economy for over 150 years now. This building was added to National Registrar of Historic Places in 1970. Address: 514 Fulton St, Troy, NY 12180
Louis Rubin Memorial Approach
The Louis Rubin Memorial Approach provides one of the best views of the city of Troy possible. Louis Rubin was a businessman who lived in Troy. He was the founder of Troy News Company which is now called the Rubin Periodical Group. This group sells newspapers in New York, Vermont, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and California. Rubin was also extremely generous with his money and contributed to Troy a lot. Rubin was a benefactor of Troy's Samaritan Hospital, and he established a cardiac care unit. He bought a surgical laser, and with his wife, created the Hortense and Louis Rubin Dialysis Center. He donated over $1 million to the dialysis center. This grand Approach was renovated in 1994, when the Louis and Hortense Rubin Foundation raised the funds to rebuild the staircase. The approach was completed and officially reopened in 1999. This staricase symbolizes the connection between the city and the prestigious and important college RPI. This approach is a very important link between the college and the city, and a college tradition is when freshman students are greeted on the approach by the President of RPI during the first week of classes.
