America had just won its freedom from England and there was a feeling of great democratic spirit throughout the country. Why not name their city after the country and cultural influence that created democracy ¯ Greece? Moreover, a few years later, Greece herself was fighting for independence from the Turks (1821-30) and the young America was sympathetic to their cause. Troy was not alone in the adoption of the classics in name and style either. Many other cities in New York State followed suit: Athens, Attica, Ithaca, Ilion, Marathon, Syracuse, and Delphi to name a few. Around 1818, this classical influence started showing up in architecture as well and the Greek Revival Period (1818-1850) is considered the first truly national style in America.

So in honor of these classical roots, let's look at some of the features and buildings of Troy that reminds us of our early beginnings.

One of the most famous Greek literary stories of the Trojan War is Homer's Iliad. The Iliad is about the wrath of Achilles at the action of Agamemnon, and describes the story of his withdrawal from the war. The Iliad was the inspiration for the archaeological work of Heinrich Schliemann in 1871, who discovered the site of Troy at Hissarlik, in modern Turkey. Our city is named after that fabled city, which was rebuilt several times.

The well-known Cummings architectural firm of Troy designed the Ilium Building, on the corner of Fulton and Fourth Streets. Ilium is another name for Troy. There are two geomorphic rises in Troy. Prospect Park, located between Congress and Hill Streets rises 240 feet above sea level. It was named Mt. Ida, which is the home of Zeus, the principal god of the Greeks. The other is Mount Olympus, l00 feet above sea level and located between Rensselaer, Vanderhyden, River and Sixth. Actually 5th Avenue now runs through it. Mount Olympus is the highest peak in Greece and home of all the Greek Gods. In 1823, an octagonal building sat on top of our Mount Olympus serving cordials and beverages until it burned in 1830.

The Lyceum was the name of the school outside Athens where Aristotle taught (335-323 BC). A Lyceum is a hall in which public lectures, concerts, and similar programs are presented. The Troy Lyceum of Natural History was organized in 1818 and was the first society of its kind. Many of the artifacts they collected were disbursed later to RPI and the Troy Library. St Peter's Lyceum was located on Hutton and Fifth Ave. St. Peter's Church created it in 1885 as a social and athletic club.

Apollo Lodge, a Masonic lodge created in Troy on June 16, 1796, was named after the Greek God of music, medicine, and poetry.

Apollo Hall was located in a building on the southeast corner of Congress and River Streets. The hall was used by the Troy Turn Verein, a German fraternal society, and organized on August 8, 1852 (reorganized on Sept 30, 1885). They met on Wednesday evenings in the hall.

The Athenaeum building was located on First Street between River and State. It was built by the Troy Savings Bank in 1845 and torn down recently for a parking lot. It was named for The Athnaion, a Greek temple to Athena.

Greek influence didn't end in the 19th century either. During the first quarter of the 20th century, Greek immigrants found their way to Troy and opened restaurants throughout the city. Two such examples are the Famous Lunch on Congress St, and Hot Dog Charlie's in the Burgh, both still serving customers.

The Approach was a grand entrance to the city from RPI when it was built in 1908 in Greek style. The Ionic columns and lit staircase were built on the site of the former RPI main campus building which burned in 1904.

Perhaps the most lasting examples of our fascination with the classics is in the architecture that bears the Greek name. Beginning in the 1820's, American architects were influenced by design books filled with buildings that were loosely based on ancient Greek temples. Probably the best lasting examples were made in government buildings, but it worked its way right down to the single family dwelling and Troy has quite a few examples.

One the more interesting examples of Greek Revival architecture is called Cottage Row, a grouping of three small Greek Temple like homes that were built on the east side of Second Street between Liberty and Washington Streets around 1840. Designed with Ionic porticoes (A porch or walkway with a roof supported by columns) and built by carpenter Norton Sage, this Greek Triplet was written up in The Cultivator, an Albany magazine in 1843, and even included an engraving of the homes. Each of the homes were separated from each other by a garden screen. Sage lived in the middle house and sold the other two. Aside from the removal of the garden screens, replacement of the columns on one of the homes, and the erection of a three-story building between two of them, Cottage Row still exists as it did 159 years ago.

You have seen other examples of these little Greek Temples scattered throughout the city. 274 8th Street was the 1840 home of Luther McCory, a merchant. Charles Lindley, a clerk at the Troy Daily Whig lived at 163Third Street, in 1844. Joseph C Taylor, a coppersmith lived at 356 Third Street in 1838. John B. Lull lived at 549 6th Avenue (Lansingburgh) around 1840. John Moray lived at 819 Third Ave (Lansingburgh) around 1845. Daniel Hudson, a tanner and furrier lived at 358 Third Street around 1844. Many of these homes still exist and stand out from the surrounding homes like a, well, like a Greek temple.

Perhaps the most impressive example of Greek architecture now belongs to Russell Sage College. The First Presbyterian Church on the southwest corner of Sage Park was built in 1836. It 's the oldest church building, of this denomination, in the city although it no longer functions in that capacity. It is designed in Greek Doric Order similar to temples such as the temple of Poseidon at Paestum, and the Parthenon in Athens.

How many of these Greek temples still exist in Troy? You tell me! Your assignment is to find other examples of Greek influence in architecture or names in Troy and send it to me. The person who finds the most unusual or best example will get a copy of my Troy or Lansingburgh book.

©1999 Don Rittner Got history? Send it along to drittner@aol.com or PO Box 50216, Albany, NY 12205. Don is the author of Images of America ¯ Troy, and Images of America ¯ Lansingburgh (Arcadia Press). He is the owner of The Learning Factory in Albany.