Tickets Still Available for City Hall Gershwin Celebration!

Musical party to benefit landmark
Gala at Albany City Hall will aid with restoration work for St. Joseph's Church building

By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer
First published: Thursday, July 27, 2006
Times Union

ALBANY -- A series of summer parties aimed at raising funds to repair a landmark Arbor Hill church will be making a stop at City Hall.

Committee 150, which has set a $150,000 fundraising goal for St. Joseph's Church, will host a party Friday themed on the music of George and Ira Gershwin, said committee co-founder Colleen Ryan.

"With each party, each open house and each discussion, we hope that people will begin imagining the possibilities for this magnificent structure," she said. The group, which started in May, so far has raised about $23,000 through various parties.

In 2003, the city gave the Historic Albany Foundation ownership of the 141-year-old neo-Gothic church, which had been closed nearly a decade earlier by the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese. The roof was in danger of collapse because leaks had rotted a key supporting pillar.

Earlier that year, the city took ownership of the church from Lark Street restaurateur Elda Abate through eminent domain, saying the building was in danger of falling down.

So far, the foundation has spent about $100,000 on repairs, said Ryan, but more work remains, including restoration of ornate stained glass windows.

The City Hall party, scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., will feature Kevin Cole, called by the Chicago Tribune "the best Gershwin pianist in America today."

The following day, Cole is scheduled to perform at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with the Philadelphia Orchestra and guest conductor Marvin Hamlisch.

Tickets start at $50 per person, and can be purchased by calling the Morgan State House at 427-6063.

[Co-hosts of the event are Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings; Anders Thomson, senior vice president and director of commercial real estate finance for New York State for Citizens Bank; Charles Kuhtic, owner of the Morgan State House, an urban inn in Albany; and J.M. L. Huffman, J.D., a Financial Planner with Met Life Financial Services.]

Food, decorations and entertainment will be handled by Dale Miller, a certified master chef at Jack's Oyster House; Brad Junco of Capital Wine & Spirits; Seagroatt Floral; and Hugh Murphy of Clark Music in Latham, which is donating use of a Steinway piano.

Other sponsors include Complete Party Rentals, Designs by Douglas, McCadam Cheese, Spoonful Catering, Classical Recording Service -- Daniel Czernecki, Vinci/Weigel Beverage Center, Experience and Creative Design and RK Designs.

A raffle will be held for a vacation package at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa in Lake Placid. In addition, original artwork depicting St. Joseph's Church, as well as signed prints, will be available for purchase.

To learn more about Committee 150, or to sign up to plan and host a party, visit http://committee150.blogspot.com or call 462-1900.

Brian Nearing can be reached at 454-5094 or by e-mail at bnearing@timesunion.com.

Summertime ... And the Livin' is Easy ...

Mayor Jennings, Business Leaders to Co-Host “Summertime with Gershwin” Party for Committee 150

ALBANY, 7/18/2006 – On Friday, July 28 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Albany’s historic City Hall rotunda will take on the ambience of a Manhattan apartment during the heyday of legendary creative geniuses George and Ira Gershwin.

Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings; Anders Thomson, senior vice president and director of commercial real estate finance for New York State for Citizens Bank; Charles Kuhtic, owner of the Morgan State House, an urban inn in Albany; and J.M. L. Huffman, J.D., a Financial Planner with Met Life Financial Services are joining forces to present Summertime with Gershwin, a fundraising party for Committee 150.

The party will feature entertainment from Kevin Cole, who the Chicago Tribune calls “the best Gershwin pianist in America today.” Cole will perform A Gershwin Celebration at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center with The Philadelphia Orchestra and guest conductor Marvin Hamlisch the following evening at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $50 per person, and can be purchased by calling The Morgan State House at 518-427-6063. Proceeds will benefit Committee 150, a citizens’ campaign to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the former St. Joseph’s Church, and to raise $150,000 to continue stabilization work on the once-endangered building.

“This event continues the commitment that the City of Albany has made to preserve and restore the former St. Joseph’s Church,” said Mayor Jennings. “Since 2001, when the City began emergency stabilization work, to 2003, when we transferred ownership of the building to Historic Albany Foundation, we have known that this structure was too important to lose. I’m proud to support the efforts of Committee 150, whose members are coming up with fun and creative ideas for fundraisers that highlight the best of Albany.”

Upcoming events include a New England Style Clambake, a benefit softball game, and a Splashdown for St. Joe’s featuring a chartered trip on the Albany Aqua Duck.

According to co-host Charles Kuhtic, this party demonstrates the enthusiasm of the local business community to protect and celebrate Albany’s unique historic architecture. “From Dale Miller, Certified Master Chef at Jack’s Oyster House; to Brad Junco at Capital Wine & Spirits; to Seagroatt Floral; to Hugh Murphy of Clark Music in Latham, who is donating the use of a Steinway Piano for the evening, local businesses and professionals have responded very generously to our request for support of Committee 15o.” Additional business and individual sponsors include: Complete Party Rentals; Designs by Douglas; McCadam Cheese; Spoonful Catering; Classical Recording Service – Daniel Czernecki; Vinci/Weigel Beverage Center; Experience and Creative Design; and RK Designs.

Guests at Summertime with Gershwin will have the opportunity to participate in a raffle for a getaway package at the Mirror Lake Inn Resort & Spa in Lake Placid. In addition, original artwork depicting St. Joseph’s Church, as well as signed prints, will be available for purchase.

Through events, raffles and donations, Committee 150 has already raised more than $15,000. A challenge grant from prominent investment counselor Candace King Weir, owner of C.L. King & Associates Inc., which matches each $2 raised with $1 additional, brings the total to date to over $23,000 – 15% of their goal. The campaign began in May and is slated to end in the fall.

“It’s not too late to join Committee 150 and support the stabilization of the former St. Joseph’s Church,” said Colleen Ryan, who co-founded the Committee with Elizabeth Griffin. “With each party, each open house, and each discussion, we hope that people will begin imagining the possibilities for this magnificent structure.”

For information about the stabilization project at St. Joseph’s, contact Erin Tobin at Historic Albany Foundation at www.historic-albany.org or 518-465-0876 x 12. To learn more about Committee 150, or to sign up to plan and host a party, visit committee150.blogspot.com or leave voice mail at 518-462-1900.

Historic church now has a future

First published: Friday, July 7, 2006
by Fred LeBrun

Slowly, cautiously, we can uncross our fingers over the fate of Albany's historic St. Joseph's Church.

After teetering on the brink of crumbling destruction for years, this gem of Albany architecture has been brought back. The efforts of Mayor Jerry Jennings' administration, the Historic Albany Foundation and a host of concerned citizens has pulled off a resurrection few believed would really happen.

We won't say it too loudly just in case, but it appears St. Joseph's is saved. It is, at least, stabilized and safe enough for regular public open houses and tours.

What a turnaround.

In December 2001, Troy consulting engineer Russ Reeves warned then-owners Mario and Elda Abate that a key internal column supporting the roof and sustaining two main walls was in "a dynamic mode of failure." Reeves added bluntly that "this is a dangerous situation. I am uncertain if the building can be safely stabilized at this point."

Because of Reeves' startling evaluation, then-Public Safety Commissioner Jack Nielsen soon condemned the building, clearing the way for the city to take the church from the Abates by eminent domain. That action is technically still in the courts, although long dormant.

Scaffolding went up immediately inside the church, and emergency repairs began on the failing column and roof. Over time, internal repairs became more sophisticated, increasingly with an eye for the enduring. Eventually and appropriately, ownership and responsibility were transferred to the Historic Albany Foundation.

Great credit goes to the city for spending the money needed upfront to save the building rather than tear it down, even when there was no assurance of recouping expenses. The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation later came through with a $300,000 matching grant that is still active.

The apparent saving of St. Joseph's, integral to the cultural history and contemporary skyline of the city, may be the most significant act of historic preservation that I've witnessed in nearly 40 years of covering Albany. An enormous testament to what can be accomplished when city government and an inspired citizenry go whole hog toward a worthy goal.

This Sunday, St. Joseph's, off Clinton Avenue a block up the hill from the Palace Theatre, will host an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Come witness the resurrection, and view a historic exhibit about the church and the neighborhood.

Not that St. Joseph's is anywhere near being free and clear of controversy, or even guaranteed prosperity.

Foremost, there's the money needed for further restoration and maintenance. Unfortunately, major fundraising for St. Joseph's has not been as robust as the physical work to preserve it.

Although a grass-roots effort called Committee 150 is in the throes of trying to raise $150,000. The brainchild of Elizabeth Griffin, former executive director of the Historic Albany Foundation, and former Historic Albany board President Colleen Ryan, the idea is for 150 citizens to donate $1,000 each or somehow raise that much through parties or some creative venture. Ideas run from clambakes to Gershwin Garden parties to raffles. Check their Web site at www.committee150.blogspot.com.

And secondly, what remains totally up in the air is what St. Joseph's will be used for. That, maintains Historic Albany's Erin Tobin, "is not for us to decide." Not now, anyway. For the moment, the focus remains solely on making sure a saved piece of Albany history stays that way.

Fred LeBrun can be reached at 454-5453 or by e-mail at flebrun@timesunion.com.

Erin & Roger's Red White & Blue 4th!

Red White & Blue 4th of July

The rain held off through the fireworks, and a good time was had by all at Erin & Roger's Committee 150 Party!

Best of all, they brought in $965 more than $1,000 for the stabilization of the former St. Joseph's Church, with additional pledges still to be collected.

If you're planning a party this summer, it's very easy to make it a Committee 150 party ... leave voice mail at 518-462-1900, or send an email to committee150@verizon.net to find out how you can join us on Committee 150!