Founded in 1895, Albany Felt Company opened its doors along Broadway in Menands, NY. The Albany Felt Company prospered in the decades that followed, ultimately expanding its facilities over 14.45 acres employing hundreds of Albany area residents at its peak. In 1969, through the acquisition of Appleton Wire out of Wisconsin and Sweden’s Nordiska Maskinfilt, […]
In 1867, shortly after the discovery of rich beds of limestone in Howes Cave, New York, the Howes Cave Lime & Cement Company established a cement plant and limestone quarry on Industrial Drive. In 1898, the Helderberg Cement Company acquired the property, and in 1925, it merged with Security Cement & Lime Company forming the […]
Union College, a private liberal arts institution, was founded in 1795 in Schenectady, New York. Union College was the first college chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York. In 1813, Union College became the first comprehensively planned college campus in the nation, and therefore a milestone in the history of […]
In order to support the War of 1812, the Watervliet Arsenal, an arsenal of the United States Army, was established in 1813 in Watervliet, New York. In 1887, the arsenal became America’s “Cannon Factory,” because it was the U.S. Army’s first large caliber cannon manufacturer. Adjacent to the Hudson River, the arsenal occupies 143 acres […]
Founded in 1844, in order to train educators, the Normal School in Albany evolved from a two year program to a four year program in 1890, and eventually became known as the New York State College for Teachers in 1914. In 1962, the college formally became a part of the State University of New York […]
Clinton L. Bateholts, a pioneer in the field of plastics, founded Specialty Insulation Manufacturing Company in 1910, in Hoosick Falls, New York. Specialty Insulation’s first plant was located on Water and Superior Streets and was known locally as the Rubber Works. The plant eventually moved to a larger facility on Center Street where workers manufactured […]
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the nation’s oldest technological university. It was founded as the Rensselaer School in Troy, New York, in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer. In the 1850s, Rensselaer expanded its objectives, becoming a polytechnic institution. In 1861, the Institute’s name was changed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The college currently enrolls about 7,000 undergraduate […]
Constructed over a period of 32 years between 1867 and 1899, the New York State Capitol Building was the most expensive government building of its time, with a total construction cost of $25 million at its completion. Located between Washington and State Streets in Albany, New York, the State Capitol Building houses the chambers of […]
In 1938, Owens Corning, formerly known as Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation, was established from the joint partnership of two major American glasswork companies, Corning Glass Works and Owens-Illinois. Owens Corning, which is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, was the first company to manufacture fiberglass insulation. This material quickly became the most popular form of home insulation, and […]
In 1946, the United States Government initiated a contract with the General Electric Corporation (GE) in order to establish a facility committed to the research and development of electrical generation by means of nuclear energy. The federal government constructed the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (KAPL) on the bank of the Mohawk River in Niskayuna, New […]
The Liquid Carbonic Corporation, originally known as the Liquid Carbonic Company, was established in 1888 in Terre Haute, Indiana. For over 50 years, Liquid Carbonic concentrated on the production and supply of carbon dioxide and equipment related to soda fountain and soft drink bottling. In 1914, Liquid Carbonic introduced a low-pressure filling system for bottled […]
In 1947, General Electric (GE) constructed a silicone manufacturing facility on an 800-acre site in Waterford, New York. The GE Waterford plant manufactures silicone compounds used in various applications, including building materials, automotive parts, aerospace components and cosmetics. During its peak production years during the 1960s and 1970s, GE Waterford employed over 1,000 people. In […]
The W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus was constructed during the 1950s and 1960s in order to provide office space for various departments of the New York State government. Located between Washington and Western Avenues in Albany, New York, the State Campus consists of fifteen buildings on 330 acres of land, and it hosts […]
In 1886, Thomas Edison moved the Edison Machine Works from New York City to Schenectady, New York because of lower labor costs and land prices. The Edison Machine Works merged with several other Edison companies in 1889, forming Edison General Electric. A merger with the Thomson-Houston Electrical Company in 1892 created the General Electric Company […]
In 1966, General Electric constructed a plant in Selkirk, New York, in order to manufacture thermoplastic molding compound. The GE Selkirk plant consisted of nearly forty buildings on 700 acres of land, and it employed around 500 people. In 2007, Saudi Basic Industrial Corporation (SABIC) acquired the Selkirk facility, and it was renamed SABIC Innovative […]