‘Gilded Age’ seeking great heights
HBO cameras ready to roll again in Troy for Season Two
Location scouts for HBO’S “The Gilded Age” have scoured city rooftops seeking a perch to re-create crowds watching the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge as the city prepares for the filming of scenes for Season Two in August.
Washington Park stood in for New York City’s Madison Square Park in 1882 when the Statue of Liberty’s torch was recreated for the premiere season of “The Gilded Age” using a combination of a wooden base and computer-generated graphics. Now it appears the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge on May 24, 1883, will provide another historic anchor for Julian Fellowes’ 19th-century dra
matic series.
Kathy Sheehan, historian for Troy and Rensselaer County, said the scouts were out on the roof of the Hart Cluett Museum at 57 Second St. checking out possible views to re-create the dramatic event of the opening of the first bridge to span the East River. During season one, there were frequent references to taking the ferry to Brooklyn from Manhattan.
“There is going to be a Brooklyn Bridge scene,” Sheehan said Wednesday.
The city has had conversations with the production company for “The Gilded Age” and is waiting for additional information about the start of filming and what will be needed, said Deputy Mayor Chris Nolin.
The Hart Cluett Museum, which has served as a filming location, as well as a source of historic information for production designers, scouts and other staff, is embarking on its second round of walking tours that feature the buildings and locations in Troy that stood in for 1882 New York City in the nine-part series. Downtown Troy’s Gilded Age architecture has survived relatively intact making it a desired spot for filming.
“People are very excited to actually see where the cast was,” Sheehan said about the reaction to private tours she recently gave for groups of retired teachers.
Sheehan will kick off spring and summer tours of “Gilded Age” filming locations May 19 with a lecture at the museum followed by the first tour May 21. There is a waiting list for the current tours, but more tours will likely be added. Information about the tours is available through the museum website at hartcluett.org or by calling 518-272-7232, Ext. 18.
The Emma Willard School has scheduled five tours for its June class reunions and Russell Sage College also has planned tours that Sheehan said she will be leading.
“The Gilded Age” was filmed in Troy in May and June 2021 when people were emerging from COVID -19 isolation. The walking tours will focus on the first season’s shooting locations.
“It was fun to go out and see what was happening,” Sheehan said about the crowds that showed up along Second Street, Broadway and Monument Square to watch the actors and crew members at work.
That enjoyment, Sheehan said, is spilling over to people who have attended the private tours and saw the inside of The Castle at 49 Second St., whose interiors and exterior could be seen during the show.
Oakwood Cemetery was also used for filming, and Monument Square transformed into a Manhattan shopping district. The Rensselaer County Court House, the Troy Public Library main branch, and homes on Second and Third streets stood in for Brooklyn and Manhattan residences.
Some property owners have been told their homes will be used in the second year for filming. Plans call for a return to The Castle. In addition, a church and residences around Albany’s Washington Park are to be filming sites. Location scouts have also been in Saratoga County to look for spots.