Let’s Get Square Again!

by Don Rittner

For those readers over the age of thirty, the words "Franklin Square" bring back memories of a busy commercial area; it was a time when Troy was a bustling city of 70,000 people. Franklin Square was a city block filled with thousands of Trojans spending their money on everything from candy to furniture, enjoying a movie, eating Chinese food, or making a bank deposit.

Franklin Square was one of Troy’s busiest commercial centers and was located at the intersection of Grand, Fourth, River, and Federal Streets. It was connected to Chatham Square, the area that connected King to Federal and River. Passenger and freight trains ran down the middle of it on the way to Union Station. This block of hundreds of 19th century buildings ran north to Fulton Street where it met Third Street and the Market Block.

The Green Island Bridge and Franklin Plaza are the only remnants of the entire set of squares and even the bridge is a new one!

Yes, Virginia, Troy had shoppers - thousands of them. When I was a youngster in the 70’s, this was the time of year when you literally walked shoulder to shoulder - three deep - with fellow Trojans doing their Christmas shopping. At night the city was lit up like a Christmas Tree. Carollers went from store to store singing holiday cheer. Stores were open to midnight.

Let me give you an idea of what existed in that block (actually a triangle not really a square): 3 bars, 3 taxi stands, 3 manufacturers, 2 photo places, 6 furniture stores, 10 clothing stores, 2 jewelers, 3 candy stores, 5 department stores, 11 restaurants, 10 shoe stores, 1 theater, 2 drug stores, 1 bank, 2 book stores, 1 dancing school, and many other types of retail establishments and offices.

Then one day in the 70’s our politicians and business leaders thought it would be a good idea to tear it all down! Without beating a dead horse again, we have been suffering from that decision ever since. Why not reverse that stupid decision? Bring back Franklin Square!

Why not? Most of the area that comprised Franklin Square is vacant land except for a small motel, a failed restaurant, and a parking garage. Keep the garage, incorporate it and the motel into the new Square; demolish the box on the river - it prevents the extension of the proposed bike path anyway.

A brand spanking new Franklin Square would be state of the art retail, office, and living space - designed of course in 19th century scale to blend in with the surrounding city. In fact, if the city can find an architect with imagination, they could recreate the entire look and feel of the original one.

Here’s what I think should be in the new Franklin Square: Ben & Jerry’s, Macy’s, a Bass shoe outlet, Hiro’s, Toys’rUs, Sears, Border’s or Walden’s, Book Outlet, Kinko’s, Starbucks, J.C. Penny’s, CompUSA, A.C. Moore, Price Chopper, Troy Pub & Brew (satellite), OfficeMax, to name a few . I’m sure you have your own wish list, but you get the picture!

It’s my opinion that Troy needs a major booster shot not just a small vaccination to get it back to economic health. For every new business that moves in, two leave. By building a complete new city block, with all those amenities the MTV generation needs, it would entice national chains, yes, even a major department store, to come back to the city (and even encourage the redevelopment of our existing surrounding historic structures). Troy could use a catchy jingle to bring people into Troy to shop once again. Here’s one I wrote just for the occasion - sung to the tune of Yankee Doodle:

Or, perhaps the retailers could wear buttons, "It’s Hip to be (Franklin) Square," or some other corny slogan that always seem to be necessary with these projects.

Seriously folks, visitors to this city often tell me how much they like to walk around and look at Troy’s historic architecture. Ironic, since you can no longer even buy a pair of shoes in downtown Troy!