Most folks who grew up in the Capital District often joke about the area being culturally behind the rest of the nation by about 5 years. Recent events would make some suggest that a decade behind is closer to the truth. This certainly is true when it comes to historic preservation. Politicians have had their collective head in the sand when it comes to national drug store chains wanting to set up their ugly vanilla boxes at the head of almost every intersection into the collar city. And it seems it's only a matter of time before they get their wish. Eckerd is back for a second time to get the entrance to Waterford. They already have one there (with Price Chopper at 863 Second Ave.), and on the Watervliet side of the Congress Street Bridge, as well as 660 Hoosick and 79 Vandenburg Ave.

Over the last couple of years, communities have stood up to this drug store invasion. In 1999, Historic Albany Foundation, Preservation League of NYS, and the National Trust were instrumental in stopping Eckerd from demolishing historic School 10 in Albany. Guess what it is today? The Brighter Choice Charter School! Eckerd even pledged not to demolish any more buildings on the National Register. That was a good PR move, but means absolutely nothing. There are thousands of historic buildings that are not, nor ever will be, on the National Register. The simple fact that they are proposing to tear down the Riverside Club with Freihofer's shows you how insincere they are.

CVS withdrew a proposal to demolish the Chicago Milwaukee and Montrose Building in Portage Park neighborhoods after protests there. In Keene, NH, two 19th century workers housing were saved and moved because they approved a CVS and had no preservation ordinance to stop the demolition. In Memphis, Tenn., a Walgreen proposal to construct a new store in midtown Memphis was stopped dead. The Memphis City Council rejected the proposal outright; it felt the proposal infringed upon the residential character of the East Parkway area surrounding the site.

In St. Petersburg, Fla. CVS submitted a proposal for a new 10,880 square-foot drugstore on a half block of downtown St. Petersburg. The intersection is the gateway to the Old Northeast/North Shore area, the city's foremost historic residential neighborhood. The project required the demolition of the Allendale Apartment Building and two vernacular Craftsman style buildings. Preservationists hired an architect to negotiate between the neighborhood and CVS on the design of the new drugstore. CVS revised the site plan to protect all the threatened historic buildings.

In Westfield, N.Y., CVS purchased the Captain Stephen Storm House with the intent of demolishing it for an expansion of its existing, adjacent drugstore. The National Trust went into negotiations and CVS donated the house to the Landmark Society of Chautauqua County and allowed it to be moved to a new site. CVS agreed to front the cost of the move with the expectation that the Landmark Society and the National Trust would assist in raising funds to cover the costs of approximately $375,000. The National Trust raised $30,000, the Preservation League of New York State donated $2,000, and CVS generously contributed the rest. The Captain Storm House was successfully relocated to its new site on August 1, 2000. It has since been reinstated in the National Register of Historic Places.

So you see folks, there are many options here. There are alternatives to knocking down the Riverside Club and Freihofer's. There were alternatives to demolishing the DeFreest House in East Greenbush. There were alternatives to demolishing the historic homes and oilcloth factory on 112th and First Ave in the Burgh (displacing 5 houses, a church, an alley, a commercial building and 9 families), now in operation for another CVS drug store, which by the way, already exists on the Cohoes side. They will obviously close down the CVS on 5th Avenue when done, so we are not gaining anything.

The national chains will accommodate if they know that the leaders of a community are firm and united as the above examples demonstrate. It is what we are sadly lacking here. Eckerd tells us they are going to build their box the way THEY want it and the hell with all of you. If I remember correctly, Trojans don't like to be pushed around.