Troy

More than a dozen companies, staffed by young graduates of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and other schools, have set up shop in downtown Troy in the past few years.

Now, a company founded nearly 150 years ago is joining them.

Mosaic Architects on Friday held a ribbon-cutting at its new space on the top floor of the historic Frear Building, once home to Frear's Department Store.

Mosaic isn't new to Troy; it was founded here in 1865 by Charles E. Loth and operated under a series of names as partners came and went over the years.

It left Troy in 1920, first for Albany, then Rensselaer and, later, East Greenbush.

Troy, meanwhile, began to appeal to Mosaic's employees.

"A lot of our younger staff live in Troy," said Michael S. Fanning, a partner in the firm. "This helps us attract and retain talent."

It's an issue more companies nationwide are confronting.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that companies such as Motorola Mobility, now a Google subsidiary, and Yahoo Inc. are moving to, or expanding in, central cities.

Motorola lost one top recruit who balked at living in the Chicago suburb of Libertyville, but officials there said they expect recruiting to be easier after the company moves next February to downtown Chicago.

And Yahoo is adding space in downtown San Francisco to accommodate engineers who don't want to make the commute to its offices in Silicon Valley, the Journal reported.

At Mosaic, the idea of being in a city appeals to most employees.

"To be downtown where you can walk to lunch I even walk from home; it's very nice," said Kersten Lorcher, an associate at the firm.

He's lived in Troy since his graduation from RPI in the early 1980s.

The firm, which has just under 30 employees, has designed several area high-profile projects, including the $47.4 million science building at Hudson Valley Community College and the $51 million redesign and renovation of Troy Middle School.

And it has a long history in the area. It designed School 12 in South Troy, which housed the middle school while construction proceeded on the rebuilding project.

It also designed several area churches, including St. Patrick's in Watervliet, which was recently demolished to make way for a supermarket.

The Frear Building, owned by architect and developer David Bryce, has three shops that opened on the main floor at the corner of Third and Fulton streets earlier this autumn.

"The biggest advantage for us," said Fanning, "is to be in an urban environment.

"East Greenbush," he said, "was more friendly for automobiles than pedestrians."

eanderson@timesunion.com • 518-454-5323