Can you imagine Boston without its Freedom Trail? Boston, a city with not one but two convention centers, is well aware that its history is its most valuable resource and it has masterfully preserved and marketed every step of the 2.5-mile trail of 16 significant sites.
And then there's Albany — where the group, Partners for Albany Stories, a collaboration of 12 local historical, cultural and preservation organizations, was recently overlooked in its efforts to secure funding from the Capital Region Economic Development Council.
CREDC had $220 million at its disposal for regional economic development, but it failed to fund the $900,000 requested by PAS for renovation projects at seven key historical sites and to aid in the formation of a unified and innovative plan to attract business and tourism to Albany through the advancement of the city's history.
Meantime, the Albany Convention Center project could be sparking back to life again with a final price tag of around $300 million. Yet, if this downtown complex ever sees the light of day, what will attract business travelers and tourists to Albany if not its historical and cultural resources, which are a vital part of our nation's historical narrative?
The convention center will not be the city's ultimate economic fixer-upper. Instead, Albany's authentic treasure is its cache of extraordinary heritage sites and architectural jewels. Albany's future lies in the preservation and cultivation of its past.
KATHRYN LINHARDT
Albany