Fire-scarred, historic Troy building set to be razed
Owner couldn’t find way to save landmark site of Hill’s Stationery
The burned-out four-story brownstone at 451 Broadway that once housed Hill’s Stationery and had nine apartments will be demolished Saturday a week after a fire destroyed much of the building, city officials said Friday.
“The building is scheduled for demolition ... expected to occur early Saturday,” said John Salka, a spokesman for Mayor Patrick Madden.
The estimated expense to raze the building, whose official address is 451-453 Broadway, is $370,000. The city is to pay for the expected work by Ditonno & Sons Demolition of Albany and then be reimbursed by the insurance company, according to documents filed with the City Council for action during its Finance Committee meeting Thursday.
The cause of the fire has been ruled “accidental in nature,” Fire Chief Eric Mcmahon said Friday.
The fire grabbed the Capital Region’s attention and was mourned as a tragedy in Troy where Hill’s Stationery had been a landmark business since it opened in 1920.
No one was injured during the three-alarm fire, which led to a recall of the city fire department’s entire complement and assistance from the Watervliet Arsenal and the cities of Albany and Watervliet fire departments.
At one point during the fire, four aerial ladder fire trucks were soaking the burning building with water from above. The structure is located at the southeast corner of Broadway and Williams Street Alley.
Building owner John Hill had explored numerous ways to save the building from demolition. Estimates to restore the historic building, which is believed to date from the 1890s, were put at a range of $4 million to $5 million with a cost of $300 per square foot.
Demolition was delayed as
Hill and his insurance company talked with the city to assess the damage to the building. Two
chimneys also had to be dismantled to prevent them from falling on an adjacent building.