Cohoes Music Hall
The front facade of the National Bank Building on Remsen Street in Cohoes. The Cohoes Music Hall occupies the third and fourth floors. This Second Empire-style building was built in 1874 and features a green marble cladding along the exterior of the first floor.
Walking into the Cohoes Music Hall feels a bit like stepping back in time. Opened in 1874, it is the fourth-oldest operational music hall in the United States, with many of the original architectural features. During a recent visit, Mark Thaler, a Cohoes native and project architect, noted that “this building is part of a continuum. You can feel the people who were here through the generations.”
Much of the original architectural details inside the theatre have been preserved.
“You can feel the people who were here through the generations.”
The Music Hall occupies the third and fourth stories of the Cohoes National Bank Building, an ornate Second Empire-style brick building that anchors Remsen Street — the city’s main drag. In the Music Hall’s heyday of the late-19th century, many of the top performers of the day graced its stage, from Buffalo Bill Cody to Sarah Bernhardt. The performance space was shuttered around 1905, and no one would set foot in the theatre for over 60 years. The City of Cohoes had long been prosperous because of its prolific textile industry and its location along the Erie Canal. But as with many industrial centers, the City experienced significant decline by the mid-20th century. Suffering from substantial disrepair, the Bank transferred ownership of the building to the City of Cohoes in 1968.
The National Bank Building could easily have been demolished, but the city rallied to save it. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and plans were developed for a major restoration project. They were determined to bring the Music Hall back to life.
On the left you see an original painted panel that adorned the Music Hall ceiling at its opening in 1874. It features a bust of William Shakespeare flanked by two angels. The panel suffered from significant damage and was removed in the 1970s, with the imagery recreated on the restored ceiling. The original panel can be seen on display in the lobby and inside the theatre (right) you can look just above the stage to see the recreation.
Timing was on the Music Hall’s side. The late-1960s and early-1970s saw an increased interest in historic preservation because of the excitement surrounding the United States Bicentennial in 1976. And according to Theresa Bourgeois, Director of Operations for the City of Cohoes, the people of Cohoes were especially enthusiastic about celebrating their own history and investing in their built environment. With widespread community support and over $1 million raised in funding, the Cohoes Music Hall reopened in 1974 with a performance of Dion Boucicault’s London Assurance — the same production that opened the theatre 100 years earlier.
“The Cohoes Music Hall is a gem in need of polish.”
On December 17, 2021, Architect Mark Thaler was able to examine the exterior walls, roof, and chimney to assess their conditions prior to completing his review. These three photos show the lift being used to access these upper portions of the building exterior. The third photo shows people inspecting the chimney along with a close up look at the cornice along the roof line that reads “National Bank Building.”
Coming up on its 150th anniversary in 2024, (and the 50th anniversary of its initial restoration), the City of Cohoes is committed to restoring the Music Hall once again. The hall has been in active use since it reopened in the 1970s, but it has suffered from deferred maintenance and careless alterations. In 2021, the League awarded the City of Cohoes a New York State Council on the Arts-funded Preserve New York grant to help fund a comprehensive Building Condition Report. The report is currently being completed by Lacey Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation, LLP and it will set project priorities as they move forward.
Cohoes Mayor William Keeler (left) stands with Architect Mark Thaler (right) in front of the Cohoes National Bank Building. The Cohoes Music Hall sign can be seen just behind Mark .
As Cohoes Mayor William Keeler put it, “The Cohoes Music Hall is a gem in need of polish.” One of the most striking features of the Music Hall is the elaborately painted ceiling. The ceiling was a major focus of the building’s initial restoration in the 1970s, and it is in need of attention once again. The Building Condition Report is paying particular attention to the roof and building envelope, with water infiltration along the roof line an obvious problem.
From the ornate ceiling to the elaborate woodwork and original curved turquoise seating, the Cohoes Music Hall is a time capsule in the best way. So many original features remain intact, but it is still a place for people to gather, to see shows and hear live music. In 2020, the City of Cohoes adopted “Honor the past, explore the present, inspire the future” as their city motto. Places like the Cohoes Music Hall embody this mentality. It is a place where the past is very much alive — right alongside the joy of its present and future use.