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Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority Advances Sale of Massry Center for the Arts to Hudson Valley Community College

The Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority (ACPHLA) today announced that the required 90-day statement period has concluded for the sale of the Massry Center for the Arts, 1002 Madison Avenue, to the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation, clearing the way for the transaction to close.

ACPHLA also announced that the 90-day statement periods have concluded for three additional former College of Saint Rose properties that will be acquired by Albany County: St. Joseph Hall, 985 Madison Avenue; Moran Hall, 979 Madison Avenue; and the Michelle Cuozzo Borisenok House, 1020 Madison Avenue. Those transactions will also now proceed to closing.

The latest milestone follows the previously announced agreement for Hudson Valley Community College to take over the Massry Center, preserving the prominent Madison Avenue facility for educational, cultural and community use.

To mark the transition, Albany County, the ACPHLA and Hudson Valley Community College will hold a ceremonial key handoff at the Massry Center in October. The ceremony will recognize the completion of the transfer and the beginning of a new chapter for the facility under Hudson Valley Community College’s stewardship. Additional details about the event will be announced ahead of the ceremony.

“Each property we move toward closing represents another important step in bringing the former Saint Rose campus into its next chapter,” said Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy. “The Massry Center is a tremendous community asset, and we’re proud to see its future secured with Hudson Valley Community College. With these transactions moving forward and the County preparing to acquire three additional properties, we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to put this campus back to productive use in a way that strengthens Pine Hills, the City of Albany and our entire region.”

Hudson Valley Community College previously announced plans to operate the 46,000-square-foot, LEED Gold-certified Massry Center as a regional hub for arts, education, performance and community engagement. The Hudson Valley Community College Foundation will acquire the property, with Hudson Valley operating the facility.

The planned acquisition is supported by a $1 million gift pledge from the Massry family to the Hudson Valley Community College Foundation, helping to secure the future of the center as an arts and educational resource.

“Reaching this point in the acquisition process brings us one step closer to welcoming students and the community to the Massry Center under Hudson Valley Community College’s stewardship,” said Dr. Michael S. Brophy, President of Hudson Valley Community College. “We are grateful to Albany County, the Albany County Pine Hills Land Authority and the Massry family for their partnership and commitment to preserving this extraordinary facility. We look forward to building on its legacy and creating new opportunities for education, the arts and community engagement in Albany.”

The Massry Center was constructed on the Saint Rose campus in 2008 as a dedicated home for music and the arts. The facility includes performance, rehearsal and instructional spaces and was built to LEED Gold standards.

Albany County plans to use the three properties for governmental operations. At 985 Madison Avenue, the County Legislature intends to relocate its legislative chambers and staff offices, with additional space for county departments and divisions. The County plans to use 979 Madison Avenue for office space, with the possibility of centralizing security there, and 1020 Madison Avenue for County and Authority office and meeting space.

The transactions follow other progress in transitioning former Saint Rose properties to new ownership and uses, including the transfer of Centennial Hall to the University at Albany earlier this year.

“The progress we’re seeing across the former Saint Rose campus reflects the careful work that has gone into finding responsible, long-term uses for these properties,” said Alison Walsh, ACPHLA board chair,. “The Massry Center is a great example of how these buildings can continue serving the community, and the County’s acquisition of these additional properties will help bring even more of the campus back into active, productive use.”

ACPHLA was established as a public benefit authority to acquire, manage and redevelop the former College of Saint Rose campus following the college’s closure at the end of the 2023-24 academic year. It is overseeing the transition of nearly 27 acres of property in the heart of Albany, with a focus on economic development, neighborhood stability, community engagement and viable long-term uses for the former campus.