"Diana S. Waite has created a meticulously researched and clearly presented history of an architecturally significant section of one of the Hudson Valley''s great cities . Clearly the time and thought given [to] this magnificent study of downtown Troy represents a profound commitment to educating the public." -- Hudson River Valley Review ".a deep dive into the built environment of the city . Waite''s book is also richly illustrated with photos, drawings and floor plans of elements of Troy''s history that are irretrievably lost. There is no hand-wringing in the book, but its exhaustive and clear-eyed inventory of what remains and what has been lost is an object lesson in historic preservation." -- CivMix "Diana Waite doesn''t waste any time or print to get straight to the human interest that lies at the heart of the study of architectural history in The Architecture of Downtown Troy .
she has produced a readable, well-illustrated history that should be read by anyone who values an understanding of American architectural history." -- Traditional Building "Diana Waite has labored long to bring us the architectural history of Troy, which is said to have one of the most perfectly preserved downtowns in the United States. Great architects designed some of the city''s impressive buildings--Richard Upjohn, Leopold Eidlitz, Marcus T. Reynolds; but so did architects fairly early in their careers--such as George B. Post, who did the iconic flatiron Hall building on First Street, and the very visible Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. The book is also a wistful tour of the lost past--truly magnificent structures and sumptuous interiors that fell to the wrecking ball. And here are the stories behind major landmarks--such as the Approach staircase up to RPI (or down to Troy); the struggle to raise a monument at the center of the city to Troy''s fallen soldiers from three wars; and the complex installation of six major Tiffany windows in St. Paul''s Episcopal Church.
The book is abundantly illustrated, with maps, and written in lively narrative style. Ms. Waite often quotes newspaper accounts of construction as it was happening, which vivifies her history." -- William Kennedy "Urban economist Edward L. Glaeser proclaims cities the triumph of humanity, both the ultimate expression of human culture and the engine that has propelled human progress. In this insightful and beautifully illustrated book, Diana Waite tells the story of one exceptional, mostly nineteenth-century example: Troy, New York. Troy is a rare gem, largely unspoiled by the forces that turned so many of America''s towns into wastelands of asphalt. As architects, planners, and policymakers struggle to define a twenty-first-century world that kicks the habits of our fossil-fuel-addicted modernity, that rediscovers how to make places for people, that builds strong communities, studying places like Troy takes on entirely new relevance.
The Architecture of Downtown Troy paints a picture of the evolution of a historic town that provides valuable lessons for building the world of tomorrow." -- Carl Elefante, 2018 President, The American Institute of Architects "Diana Waite''s history of Troy''s downtown buildings describes the importance and diversity of this city''s distinctive architecture. Her clear narrative of Troy''s nineteenth-century growth, fires, early twentieth-century expansion, and its engagement of nationally recognized architects is excellent and supported by voluminous photographs. Troy is fortunate that twentieth-century ''urban renewal'' occurred in a corner of the central business district, leaving intact so much of the city''s well-designed commercial, educational, and residential buildings. This new book presents an accurate, readable, and cohesive history of Troy. It is a must read." -- Matthew Bender IV "The pleasure of Troy isn''t discovering a single old building, but finding yourself lost among dozens of them. You may feel as if it were 1880, and you were strolling home to Washington Park, perhaps just for a change of collar.
" -- New York Times.