A Restoration that Makes the Case

Originally published in the Troy’s Treasures column* of the Record Newspapers on Sunday, January 22nd, 2012

While appreciating the variety of Troy’s well known historic buildings on Second Street, Fifth Avenue, and Washington Park, it can also be worthwhile to explore some of Troy’s other gems which can be found by looking around a corner here and there.

For example, let’s take peek at the renovation of 261 Liberty St., only a few blocks from Washington Park, which was completed in the spring of 2011. The project was undertaken by veteran house restorer Judy Meyer, who lives in Troy and has restored several other historic houses in the city; this being her latest undertaking.

There seems to be no existing record of its birth date, but there is a deed on record of the sale of this house in April 1842, so we know it was built some years before this date. Since it is Greek revival in style, we can probably peg its construction somewhere in the mid 1830s.

Local residents will undoubtedly remember what it looked like before Meyer bought it as they watched in amazement as workmen began to remove siding and structures which had been added over the past years. Neighbors will tell you that it was looking pretty needy at that time. More than a few were scratching heads wondering what would happen with this neglected façade on the busy corner of Third and Liberty as layers of the outer shell were moved to reveal a handsome presence which had not been seen for more than half a century.

In those days just about all wooden buildings employed post and beam construction. When it was under renovation, visitors could see the large wooden posts at the corner of the building which supported heavy horizontal beams to make the basic frame of the house. The frame was then stabilized by diagonal members in each corner which were held firmly in place by mortise and tenon joints quaintly secured by wooden pegs. Greek revival employed vertical columns (or posts) in the façade as well, representing a building style which was a fundamental principal of ancient Greek and Egyptian architecture.

The restoration of this house at 261 Liberty St. certainly helps to make the case for why it is important to restore our older buildings. In addition to preserving the fine craftsmanship of another era and the jump-out-at-you classiness of our local old growth timber, there is the quality and scope of the restoration itself which added insulation, new plumbing, and electrics for the best of modern living. But most importantly, 261 is an articulation of housing which has served the people of Troy as home and hearth for over two centuries. It is not easy to quantify a dimension like this, but it is, after all, a plus factor in identifying the architectural treasures of Troy as one reason for the unique urban personality of our city.

Written by JR Pattison, a former resident of Troy’s Pottery District.

* “Troy’s Treasures” is a project of the Troy Rehabilitation & Improvement Program (TRIP), Inc.