Is there a new look for one of Albany's oldest streets?

That's one of the questions what will be at the center of a public meeting this Thursday, September 6 about the future of Maiden Lane in downtown Albany. The city's planning department is bringing in a consultant to gather input toward using "urban design, lighting, and landscape architecture to create a visible gateway to Albany's waterfront from the City's downtown core." The city says it would like to hear from "residents, visitors, and businesses."

Specifically, the project will be looking at the area that includes Maiden Lane from Pearl to the pedestrian bridge over 787 to the waterfront, along with pieces of nearby Pine Street, the small wedge of a park between the two streets, and the chunk of Broadway there. Here's the request for proposals the city issued earlier this year. (There's also a clip from that below.)

The meeting is Thursday from 5:30-7:30 pm in the arcade of the Arcade Building at Broadway and Maiden Lane (488 Broadway).

Maiden Lane is one of Albany's very oldest streets, dating back to the mid 1600s when it was called Rom Street. (Why? Good question!) And it very often served as a way for people to get down the hill and over to the river.

Between the cobblestones, narrow width of the street, and all the (once more active) storefronts, Maiden Lane already has a real sense of place. And the corridor has take on a new feel lately with the renovation of a building that stretches from Pearl to James ("Maiden House") into apartments and storefronts.

Clip from city's RFP for Maiden Lane

Here's the RFP from early 2018.

The City of Albany is seeking to hire a landscape architecture / urban design / engineering team (hereafter referred to as the Consultant) to engage in a visioning and design process -- creating a visible gateway to Albany's riverfront from the City's core downtown area. This initiative is being made possible through grants from the NYS Department of State (DOS C1000205), Empire State Development Corporation (ESD Y437), and NYS Municipal Facilities Program Grants through Assemblyman John McDonald's office (SAM 6830).

Currently, the primary connection between the downtown and the riverfront is by way of a pedestrian bridge, located at the end of a service alley between the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) and the James T. Foley United States Courthouse (Courthouse), located respectively at 515 and 445 Broadway, in the City of Albany.

The area between these two buildings occupies a section of Maiden Lane, which is one of Albany's oldest streets--dating back to the Colonial era. Historically, Maiden Lane extended to the Hudson River where a rail bridge crossed the river. The rail bridge was removed for the construction of I-787 in the 1960s and in 2002 the Hudson Riverway Pedestrian Bridge was constructed to reconnect Albany's downtown to the Hudson River. Today, Maiden Lane runs from North Pearl Street and effectively ends, at Broadway. On a map, Maiden Lane continues between 515 and 445 Broadway, past the the stairs leading to the Hudson Riverway Pedestrian Bridge, and ending at the frontage road for Route I-787.

The entrance to this pedestrian bridge is set back from Broadway approximately 200 feet, making it difficult for many to see the bridge or discover this waterfront connection. In fact, the waterfront is largely obscured from many of the downtown streets, including Broadway and North Pearl Streets, two of the primary north-west downtown streets.

The focus area of this vision and design study will be from the intersection of Maiden Lane and North Pearl Street to the the top of the steps of the pedestrian bridge. This area includes the area between 515 and 445 Broadway, the intersection and crosswalks at Broadway and Maiden Lane, and the park bounded by Broadway, Pine Street, James Street, and Maiden Lane--often referred to as Maiden Lane Park or Jim DiNapoli Park.

The Consultant is expected to explore creative ways of utilizing signage, sculpture, materials, lighting, amenities, and other innovative ideas in a common or unifying motif that reinforces the waterfront in a way that helps to direct and naturally lead people to this great asset. The Consultant is expected to provide a final design and bid documents that are consistent with the City's overall budget for the project.

The Bottom Line

Is there a new look for one of Albany's oldest streets? That's one of the questions what will be at the center of a public meeting this Thursday, September 6 about the future of Maiden Lane in downtown Albany. The...