TROY, N.Y. — In a project called Renaissance 150, the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall is updating for its 150th birthday in 2025.
The currently budgeted $14.5 million project will add a cultural and community center to the second floor, create a state-of-the-art recording studio, redo the main lobby, and update the entire building’s HVAC system. “We knew we needed a place to host show-related activities,” Troy Savings Bank Music Hall Executive Director Jon Elbaum said after the announcement Tuesday.
“But how do we make that work financially? So it has to be a flexible space, right? So we can do community events, celebrations, weddings, those kinds of activities.” The project is an undertaking, Elbaum said and though they have a tentative finishing date at the end of 2025, he and Lisa Henderson, a member of the construction team from Duncan and Cahill Inc., said the historic building has plenty of surprises.
They’re currently in the “site prepping” phase, he said with official construction starting at the end of the summer. The Music Hall celebrates 150 years in 2025 and several speakers at Tuesday morning’s presentation said these upgrades allow the building to reach its full potential. With the air conditioning upgrades, Elbaum said they will be able to expand their season and keep the visitors and performers safe and healthy.
Currently, they run programs from October through mid-May — a shorter window than they used to have when Elbaum started and he sugg.
