Gawking at the Quackenbush Building, the next home of the Tech Valley Center of Gravity
The Tech Valley Center of Gravity -- the makerspace/startup space -- officially cut the ribbon on its plans to renovate the historic (and enormous) Quackenbush Building in downtown Troy.
So of course we had to stop by for a look.
There are a bunch of photos above in large format -- click or scroll all the way up.
TVCOG is currently located in a space on the first floor of the Uncle Sam parking garage. But even though it's just a year old, the org says its already outgrown the space. Thus the plans for the Quackenbush Building, a 52,000-square-feet space that dates back to the mid 1800s and has a long history as a retail space.
Like the space, the plans are big. TVCOG is aiming to convert the first floor and basement to makerspace along the lines of what it has now -- filled with all sorts of tools and equipment for members to invent and build things. The upper floors will be dedicated to expanding the second part of the TVCOG's mission: to help cultivate and grow startup businesses -- the org says it's already involved with more than 20. The second floor will host a range of shared services -- accounting, legal, HR, and so on -- on which startup businesses will be able to draw. And the third and fourth floors will provide space for these businesses. (There's also a plan to partner with HVCC to include those floors in the START-UP NY tax-free program.)
TVCOG is turning out to be an interesting model for this sort of startup development because it doesn't fit the template of the many other similar efforts, which are often connected to universities. It's a stand-alone org that's currently run by a team of volunteers headed up by former RPI official Laban Coblentz and other experienced nerds. (Though we hear that it will be looking to hire a full-time executive director in the the not-too-distant future.) Money for the expansion is coming from a variety of sources, including $550k from the latest round of state Regional Economic Development Council awards.
The projected completion date for the building conversion is this November.
Earlier on AOA:
+ Tech Valley Center of Gravity
+ Almost $83 million for Capital Region economic development projects (with a map)
Find It
Quackenbush Building, future home of Tech Valley Center of Gravity
Broadway and Third Street
Troy, NY 12180
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.
Comments
Super story. Super pictures.
... said Marshall Hoffman on May 29, 2014 at 7:18 PM | link
What an amazing amount of light! Shopping there must have been a day-long excursion.
... said KatherineSass on Jun 4, 2014 at 10:21 AM | link
Wow! I'm a little late to the party, as I had no idea this wonderful historic building was being renovated. Fantastic!
... said Ellen on Jun 5, 2014 at 5:24 PM | link
Just got this on eBay - 11 interior shots of the Quackenbush dry goods store. They covered those great windows almost entirely with shelves of merchandise! Date is likely 1908-1914, but hope to find clues in the fashion or technology to narrow that.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/59114309@N00/sets/72157646926409923/
... said bathonhudson on Nov 14, 2014 at 8:30 PM | link