Bruce Dearstyne: Highlighting Albany’s Heritage

Albany is a historic city! Its website includes a history of the city. Kathy Sheehan, campaigning for Mayor in 2012, cited its “deep and palpable history” as one of its assets and one of the bases for its potential development in the future. As Mayor, she initiated the Albany Heritage Tourism Initiative and gave a very impressive talk on “Albany: Our History, Our Future,” emphasizing its potential for heritage tourism at the kick-off luncheon for New York History Month organized by the University Club in November 2014.

One of her key themes was connections — among Albany’s historical buildings, its history organizations such as the Albany Institute of History and Art, and state sites such as the State Museum and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site.

In October 2014, the city issued “A Heritage Guide to the Historic Capital City on the Hudson, Albany, NY” which highlights the city’s historic sites. In the Introduction to the booklet, Mayor Sheehan observed that “living in Albany, one of the things that never fails to move and inspire me is how rich in history our city and region are.” She restated her goal to promote “our historic and heritage resources” and returned to the theme of cooperation: “Luckily, there is so much going on in Albany on this front — so many groups and organizations and individuals already elbow deep in this work, fully dedicated to drawing out to the surface every facet of Albany’s history and exploiting it.”

Mayor Sheehan has lots of supporters. Rex Smith, editor of the Albany Times Union, in an editorial on December 16, 2014, entitled “Focus on What Sets Albany Apart”, reviewed the city’s historical assets and concluded that “Albany’s brand should be its heritage.”

Albany history experienced a setback of sorts earlier this year when lack of funding and support led to the replica of Henry Hudson’s Half Moon, which had been an educational venue for a quarter of a century, leaving our area and going to the Netherlands. But that could be remedied by construction of another replica, perhaps as part of a maritime museum in the Hudson adjacent to Albany (where the Slater, a World War II destroyer escort that the public can visit, is docked).

Albany has a lot of history and momentum to build on as it develops strategies for highlighting its heritage.

Two other perspectives — one showing the need and potential for stronger connections, and the other demonstrating an additional strategy — might be helpful as we consider the future of Albany’s heritage work.

The first is the work of Capitalize Albany Corporation, a not-for-profit that functions as the economic development arm of the city of Albany with a mission to create, retain, and attract businesses to the city. “Albany, New York’s history spans over three centuries, and it continues to build on that history today as a vibrant, thriving and modern city,” says Capitalize Albany’s website. But connecting heritage with state economic development funding is a challenge.

In July, Capitalize Albany released “The Impact Downtown Albany Playbook” an impressive 102-page document describing economic development prospects and needs, as part of the capital region’s planning to compete for one of three $500 million upstate New York State revitalization grants later this year. It’s mostly about housing, retail, and office space, but one of the themes is “where people come to explore new horizons.” Historic sites and structures are included in the plan. But the concept of infusing a sense of Albany heritage and history into revitalization initiatives is under-developed.

A source for guidance and inspiration in the connection between historic preservation and economic well-being is the work of Donovan P. Rypkema. One of his themes is that heritage tourism, while important, sometimes receive more attention than historic preservation in public policy and resource allocation decisions. Historic preservation relates more deeply to quality of community life and is an important factor in how businesses – and people – decide where to locate.  His recent study of Savannah entitled “Beyond Tourism: Historic Preservation in the Economy and Life of Savannah and Chatham County” included these key findings:

• Savannah’s historic districts comprise 8% of the city’s land area, 15% of its buildings; 16% of its population, 24% of its taxable value and 31% of its jobs.
• Just the work done using the federal historic tax credit has meant an average of 169 jobs and $7.5 million in labor income each year over the last 15 years.
• Historic districts are a particular attraction for jobs in the arts and culture and other knowledge industries.
• Small firms and start-up firms disproportionately choose to locate in Savannah’s historic neighborhoods.
• Property values in Savannah’s historic districts have outperformed the city as a whole.
• The “preservation premium” from that faster rate of appreciation provides nearly $10 million dollars each year to Chatham County, Savannah and the school district.
• The strategic investments of the Historic Savannah Foundation and the Savannah College of Art and Design have stabilized neighborhoods and served as a catalyst for additional investment.
• The measurable economic benefits of historic preservation are not just apparent in Savannah but significantly in Tybee Island as well, particularly in its Main Street district.

A second interesting perspective comes from about 1,000 miles south of Albany – St. Augustine, Florida. This is one of the few cities in the nation that even older than Albany. It was founded in 1565. Florida is particularly adept at celebrating and exploiting its history. During September 4 – 8, St. Augustine is celebrating the 450th anniversary of its founding. There is a long schedule of celebratory events. But one notable feature is that the celebration does not just focus on the long-ago establishment of the city.

Instead, it also features descriptions of the city’s historical development and influence. The official city commission that organized the event defined the goals: ” to share the important role St. Augustine played in the making of America, tell the story of St. Augustine’s 450 years of rich multicultural history and enduring people, and create engaging programs for residents and visitors alike.”

Albany, like so many other New York communities, has a lot to be proud of, celebrate, and commemorate. We need to keep identifying and discussing opportunities and strategies for engaging the public in imaginative ways.

Illustration: A view of North Pearl Street near State Street as it appeared around the turn of the 19th century by James Eights.