Overhaul underway

Deteriorating structure will undergo roof, limestone arch fixes throughout this summer

Cohoes City Hall to undergo $310,000 worth of repairs.

Towering over the city and surrounding countryside with its large Stars and Stripes flying 24 hours a day, the 125-yearold, five-story Cohoes City Hall bell tower looks rock solid.

It isn’t.

Leaks, the deteriorating slate roof and the occasional piece of limestone arch lintel falling off the tower has led Mayor Bill Keeler, with the Common Council’s backing, to begin $310,000 worth of repairs expected to start in late June and be complete by summer’s end.

It’s the start of a multiyear overhaul of the historic City Hall expected to cost $3 million. This year’s work is partially funded by a $250,000 state grant secured by Assemblyman John T. Mcdonald III, D-cohoes, a former mayor. Keeler said the

rest of the money will come from $3 million in savings the city expects by switching its 1,800 street lights to LED lighting.

One day last week, Keeler held up a chunk of the lintel arch that fell off the bell tower in 2018. Repairs were made to prevent other pieces from falling off. This particular section of lintel is to be replicated and the tower made whole.

The center of city government was built in 1895 and dedicated in 1896. The 15-by-18 foot U.S. flag floats atop a 40-foot-tall flagpole. The flag and tower top are an iconic sight over the confluence of the Hudson and Mohawk rivers.

“Our City Hall is a magnificent building,” said Keeler, whose office is in the first floor’s northwest corner.

City Engineer Garry Nathan said it will take a 110-foot tall boom to lift workers high enough to repair the slate roof of the bell tower at the southwest corner.

“Some of the slate is the original 1895 slate. With slate, the life expectancy is 90 years. We’re well past that,” Nathan said.

This round of restoration work will deal with roof issues around City Hall’s north dormer, the bell tower and the area between the bell tower’s east side and the building’s south dormer.

Keeler said it is time to properly care for the building, a cornerstone of the Downtown Cohoes Historic District, which covers 35 acres and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Photos by Paul Buckowski / Times Union Cohoes Mayor Bill Keeler holds a large piece of stone that fell off the bell tower section of the Cohoes City Hall roof, seen in the background, on Thursday. Cohoes will begin $310,000 in repairs this month that should be completed by the end of summer.

Aviewofthe slate roof on Cohoes City Hall is in need of emergency repair, due to broken or missing slate tiles. A $250,000 state grant will defray some repair costs for this year.