Troy’s architectural heritage takes center stage at Archtober

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Happy Thursday, Capital Region! Today, Karley chats with Barb Nelson, the exec director of TAP, the nonprofit community design center, about their celebration of Troy’s architectural history—Archtober.

Plus, it’s a packed weekend of foodie events, fall fests, and shopping extravaganzas. Be sure to check out our Weekend Guide before heading out!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Archtober celebrates Troy’s architectural legacy

Regular readers of The 518 know that we have a thing for Troy. We love walking around downtown, whether it’s during the Saturday farmers market or the monthly Troy Night Out. A big part of the city’s appeal is its concentration of historic buildings, gorgeous 19th-century storefronts, and cast-iron facades.

But Troy’s architectural treasures haven’t survived into 2025 by accident.

This October, the city that has fought hard for its architectural soul is celebrating with Archtober, a month-long festival that brings design out of the drafting room and into the streets.

"Instead of trying to bring the community to us, we get to go wherever they are," says Barb Nelson, TAP's executive director. It's on brand for an organization that's spent 55 years in the trenches of neighborhood preservation.

The calendar of events is packed: yoga in unexpected spaces, "TAPpy Hours" at downtown architecture firms, trivia hosted by local favorite Hannah Cushing, and hard hat tours of Troy Music Hall and Proctor's Theater mid-renovation. 

The month wraps with a party at Collar Works, a recent TAP project that embodies exactly what the nonprofit does best—transforming community spaces.

Founded in 1969 by what Barb calls "a bunch of hippies"—architecture students, professors, activists, and neighborhood residents—TAP has left its fingerprints on Troy's most recognizable landmarks: the Rice Building, the Castle, Troy Public Library, the Music Hall.

“We’re most proud of our neighborhood preservation work,” she says. “Helping low and moderate-income homeowners and small nonprofits keep their buildings safe, healthy, and intact. That’s what sustains communities.”

Troy’s transformation has been slow and steady. Barb traces it back to the 1960s and ’70s, when local residents pushed back against demolition and disinvestment. “People think it happened overnight, but it’s taken decades of work, luck, and perseverance,” she says. “Troy has always been a place where creative, determined people come together to make things better.”

She ticks through the decades: grassroots organizations fighting redlining and demolition in the '60s and '70s. The Troy Livability Campaign in the '90s, championing historic buildings through posters and open houses. Historic tax credits spurring renovations in the 2000s. And the farmers market, now drawing huge, consistent crowds every Saturday.

This year's Archtober, supported by Troy IDA, Architecture+, Mosaic Associates, Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation, and other local firms, is driven by the belief that design matters in everyday life.

“Architects and engineers shape the built environment within the framework of safety laws,” Barb says. “But we aim for more. Healthy communities need beauty and connection too… Good design helps people feel connected, secure, and seen.”

The deets: Archtober: Troy Edition is happening all month long, ending Nov. 1. Check out the full schedule of events. We’re especially excited for Saturday’s walking tour of Troy (10:30-11:30a), led by the Hart Cluett Museum. It’s free, but be sure to register!

Homespun Occasions makes your event even more memorable with festive live music from our talented band and dance calling to get your crowd on their feet! We bring the musicians and the experienced dance instructor, you bring a group ready for an awesome time, whether they’re school kids or wedding guests.

We have years of experience leading groups through a variety of dances, including square, contra, and international folk dancing. Our programs can be personalized to fit your event, and make it exactly what you want for your special day.

Get in touch today to raise the barn—with or without a real barn! Rediscover the time-honored tradition of community dancing.

🌮 Another prominent Mexican restaurant in Albany is closing its doors, citing a lack of business. First it was El Loco Cafe, a Lark Street neighborhood staple for nearly 42 years. Now it’s Ama Cocina, just off North Pearl St. The restaurant said in a Facebook post that it’s closing after 10 years in business. “Albany is having problems,” says co-owner Brian Viglucci. “There aren’t enough events to bring people into the city.” [Times Union]

🍅 This is not a great week for Capital Region restaurants. UnBEETable, the high-concept all-vegan restaurant, arcade and bar, announced that it will close on Oct. 18. Owner Chelsea Heilmann says the decision is largely driven by the need for work-life balance. “I don’t want this to discourage anyone from opening a business, especially a vegan one.” [News10]

🐟️ In better restaurant news, Tori Taiyaki, a counter-serve restaurant featuring mostly Japanese street food, is now open at Colonie Center. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped waffle cake filled with sweet or savory fillings. At the Oct. 18 grand opening (11:30a-1p), get a free taiyaki with a purchase of a bubble tea. [News10]

✊ Shirey Archie Jr., who kept a silent vigil on local street corners with a sign that read “Stand Against Racism," died in 2023. Archie’s legacy continues to this day with vigils held every first Saturday of the month in Albany, Troy, and Delmar. This Saturday at noon, the City of Albany will unveil a new sign in his honor at the corner of Central Avenue and Watervliet Avenue, where he often kept vigil. Learn more about Archie in this TU obit.

⭐️ 🫒 Taste your way around the world at the Saratoga International Flavorfeast! Sat, 11a–4p, $2 samples. Take a look at this year’s participating restaurants.

⭐️ 🥣 Still hungry? Roll over to Troy Chowderfest! With a slight chance of rain in the forecast, it should be an appropriately damp and gray day for some good chowdah. Sun, 12–5p, $2 per cup.

⭐️ 🎨 Saturday is also the annual Troy Open Studios. Spend the day connecting with artists, right where the magic happens. Sat, 1–5p, free.

⭐️ 💀 Shop til you drop this Saturday. Your first stop is at the wonderful Vintage Roundup—it’s the last one for 2025! Later that evening, drop into the Albany Twilight Market at the charming Washington Park Lakehouse. Rather take a day trip, but still want to find killer deals? Catch a fair wind to Beacon for the yearly Citywide Yard Sale, and be sure to get over to the Hudson River Sloop while you’re there!

⭐️ 🍁 Autumn is a special time at Mabee Farm, when the scent of the blacksmith’s forge mingles with crisp air, colorful foliage, and the season’s bounty. The annual Fall Fest celebrates all things autumn with loads of family-friendly fun—pony and boat rides, crafts, a petting zoo, live music, and local beer—plus more than 60 artists and crafters offering their handmade goods. Sun, 11a–3p, $10 suggested donation.

⭐️ ⛴️ Honorable mention: Celebrate the bicentennial of the Erie Canal at the Clifton Park Canal Fest. There will be a parade down Riverview Road to the firehouse, plus a whole bunch of events on Sat & Sun, including wagon rides to Lock 19, colonial craft demonstrations, and walking tours.

🎟️ MORE WEEKEND EVENTS

🖼️ On View: Saturdays and Sundays only: Pick up a good book and check out drawings of UFOs, robots, drag queens & more cartoonish chaos by renowned Albany artist Kevin Bruce at one of our favorite bookstores, Urban Aftermath.

🎬️ The Renaissance Black Film Festival returns to Albany with a plethora of screenings, panel sessions, and parties.

✏️ Archtober is a month-long celebration of architecture and design in Troy; led locally by TAP Inc. and inspired by NYC’s own month-long architecture festival.

🅾️ The O+ Festival in Kingston from Oct 10-12, headlined by Kool Keith and featuring many other performers, is about more than music. It lets performers “share art with the public in exchange for a wide variety of services donated by doctors, dentists, masseuses, and other complementary care providers.” Learn more.

🍁 It’s the second weekend of West Mountain’s Fall Festival in Queensbury. Meanwhile, Gore Mountain hosts its own Harvest Fest this weekend.

TODAY

☁️ 🖌️ Join a cloud gazing puff & paint at Context Collective or a check out the poetry reading at Paper Moon.

🐅 Drop into the Tang Museum and catch a panel discussion rooted in the archival exhibit, Up to Us: Black Dimensions in Art, 1975–Tomorrow.

FRIDAY

💀 Murder at Cherry Hill is an annual horror walk that tells the tale of a notorious murder that occurred at Cherry Hill, leading to two sensational trials and Albany’s last public hanging. Various dates.

🎃 On Saturday, there’s a big ol’ Pumpkin Party at Cherry Hill with all kinds of pumpkin-related activities for the kiddos. Free while supplies last!

SATURDAY

🛋️ Can’t bear to throw out that lamp that doesn’t even light? Schlep it over to the HAF (Historic Albany Foundation) Repair Shop and go home happy.

🍻 Hangar on the Hudson invites you to its Oktoberfest, featuring live music, Germanic delights, and beer, of course.

🛍️ Stuyvesant Plaza’s Autumn Fest features sidewalk sales, family-friendly activities, and fall treats.

🛼 The always-fun Albany Allstars Roller Derby are back at the Armory.

🚶🏻Stroll through history this Saturday, with Path Through History 2025: Albany County History Tour at the Ten Broeck Mansion.

🎷The Arch Stanton Quartet puts on a music and spoken word performance inspired by the great 20th century novel, "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles. Free, at the Colonie Library.

🍁 The Maple Ski Ridge in Schenectady is hosting its Annual Fall Festival.

🍎 The 2025 Apple vs Pumpkin Fall Throwdown at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls features food trucks, craft vendors, free pumpkin painting, bounce houses and a flea market.

🍺 Get to Glensville for Oktoberfest at Max410 at the Watersedge.

🚂 Take the Saratoga Corinth & Hudson Railway to a private Oktoberfest at LaMothe Landing Farmhouse in Corinth.

🎼 The Schenectady-Saratoga Symphony Orchestra is kicks off its season with a concert featuring Strauss, Beethoven, and Bernstein at Skidmore’s Zankel Music Center.

SUNDAY

🎸 Get your rockabilly blues on with The Lustre Kings and the Nighthawks at Hangar on the Hudson.

🚗 Pull up to the Way We Were Car Show on Front Street in charming Ballston Spa.

🍎 Nine Pin hosts its 10th Cider Sunday event at Samascott Orchards in Kinderhook, featuring—you guessed it—apple picking, food trucks & live music.

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