Welcome to Mount Ida Preservation Hall

Mount Ida Preservation Hall, a cherished landmark in our community at 548 Congress Street, stands as a testament to our commitment to historical preservation and community enrichment.

Operated by the Mount Ida Preservation Association (MIPA), a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, our mission is twofold: to safeguard the historical treasures of the Mount Ida neighborhood, and to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive community by providing space, services, and support for both residents and visitors.

Our core undertaking is the restoration and revitalization of Mount Ida Preservation Hall, transforming it into a welcoming hub for art, history, and neighborly connection.

Mount Ida Preservation Hall is being lovingly restored and reimagined as a fully active community and arts center — one that celebrates our neighborhood’s heritage while building a more connected and creative future.

We envision a space that is not just preserved, but alive:

• A Performance Hall offering seasonal music, theater, and performance art
• Gathering Spaces that remain affordable and accessible for events, workshops, and celebrations
• A Commercial Kitchen that supports local food entrepreneurs and community meals
• A Scenic Overlook Deck offering a peaceful view of the Poestenkill Gorge for all to enjoy

To make this vision real, we are restoring the building in phases, guided by practicality, funding, and community input. Sometime objectives multiple phases will be pursued in tandem as opportunity arises. We are actively pursuing grants with New York State Preservation League

Phase 1: Secure the Building (Mostly complete)

• Stabilize the steeple’s rock masonry
• Repair roof damage
• Seal and repair the eaves
• Install drainage infrastructure to protect the foundation

Phase 2: Open the Performance Hall (In progress)

• Obtain Certificate of Occupancy
• Upgrade heating system
• Renovate bathrooms
• Restore plaster throughout sanctuary
• Install emergency exit signage
• Upgrade lighting for events and performances

Phase 3: Restoration

• Install protective Plexiglass over stained glass
• Repoint and stabilize exterior masonry
• Repaint and repair exterior woodwork and trim
• Refinish flooring, paint plaster
• Create a fully accessible bathroom and entrance

Phase 4: Create the Scenic Waterfall Overlook

• Construct a counter-levered deck with public access overlooking the Poestenkill Gorge

History of the Hall

The Free Church of the Ascension was erected in 1869-70 by Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Farnam, who were owners of the property where it was built. Mr. Farmam’s business was the Excelsior Knitting Mills on the Poestenkill (adjacent and utilizing the dam impounding Beldon’s Pond {Ida Lake}). The Church was designed by Marcus Fayette Cummings and built by Finnerton and Ellis as masons, and Thomas Cordwell as carpenter, and built as a chapel of the Episcopal Church.

It is an important historical and architectural element of the Ida Hill District as surveyed and outlined ca. 1979-81. It was declared eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, agreed to by the City of Troy and the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation [SHPO].

It is important as representing the history and architecture of the Mt. Ida Hill neighborhood, and is an excellent example of the work of Architect Marcus Fayette Cummings (1836-1905.) Cummings was one of Troy’s most known architects, and likely the most prolific architect practicing in Northeastern New York in the period ca. 1862-80. Cummings established a practice in Troy following the devastating 1862 fire, and kept an office in Troy the rest of his life, later with his son, Frederic Cummings. He also published several influential books on pattern designs for buildings.

The Free Church of the Ascension is a notable example of his church architecture in the Gothic Revival Style as seen in the 1870’s. It is a brick and timber frame structure with a limestone façade. The steeply pitched roof has decorative tile work popular in the late Victorian era. A number of clerestory dormers have been removed over the years but the majority of detail inside and out is intact. The interior of the Church is substantially unaltered, and numerous photos from the 1870-1930 period survive. Notable are the cruciform plan and the Gothic bell tower, which houses a set of Meneely Bells.

The Meneely Bell Company of West Troy was one of the pre-eminent bell makers of the 19  ^th Century. The Episcopal St. John’s Church purchased a chime of 11 Bells and was supporting the Free Church of the Ascension in that their Minister had conducted some of the services before 1870. The Free Church of the Ascension, and the Bells, were erected by F. W. Farnam, who purchased its chime of 9 bells in the early 1870’s from the Meneely Foundry of West Troy. These bells and their inscriptions are described in detail in an article in the Troy Daily Times of 28 August 1870; this refers to the Ascension bells as “now being cast.”

The stained glass windows are also notable. The east window is by J. Alden Weir, an Art Professor at West Point, who also designed the east window in the Warren Chapel in Oakwood Cemetery, and windows and paintings in Holy Cross Church on 8  ^th Street. The high windows in the transepts and the Rose window in the West End are also likely by Weir. These were installed around the time of the structure’s completion; they are typical of Upstate stained glass from the 1870 to early 20  ^th century period.

The remainder of the windows were installed closer to the turn of the century, most likely all by the Lamb Company of New York, started by Frederic Symetz Lamb, and strongly influenced by the opalescent glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany and the Aesthetic movement partly driven by Tiffany and Lamb Companies competition. Some of these turn of the century windows have been positively identified as Lamb windows, and the similarity in design and fabrication suggests they all were.

*Written by Ned Pratt 2019

A Brief History of the Mount Ida Neighborhood

Mount Ida has long stood apart — first as a scenic escape above Troy, and later as one of its most distinct, working-class neighborhoods. Before 1820, this area was a blend of farmland, cemeteries, recreation grounds, and summer homes for the wealthy. Without roads or rail to ease access, it was a quiet hilltop refuge for families like the Tibbits, Vails, and Warrens. The dramatic Poestenkill Gorge, with its cascading falls, was admired even abroad — featured in Paris Magazine 1817.

Industry transformed the neighborhood. Mahlon Taylor’s gristmill at the mouth of the Poestenkill gave rise to a corridor of mills — cotton, paper, hosiery, bleach works — all powered by water. The Marshall and Manning mills, among others, drove growth throughout the 1800s. At its peak, the Poestenkill hosted over 300 factory operations, three times the density found elsewhere in Troy.

The mill owners lived nearby, commissioning civic buildings like Mount Ida Church, the Farnam Institute, and the Marshall Infirmary (now the Linden Hill development). Meanwhile, the workers — many of them Irish and other recent immigrants — settled across the hillside. Following Troy’s devastating 1862 fire, a new building code banned wood construction across the city — but Ida Hill was the sole exemption, leading to an enduring stock of modest wood-frame homes affordable to the working class.

By 1890, Ida Hill was the second most populated ward in Troy, home to nearly 10% of the city’s residents. Trolleys began to connect the neighborhood to the rest of Troy and Sand Lake, but the community maintained a strong local identity — one shaped by proximity to work, access to nature, and shared institutions.

Though many mills closed in the 20th century, Mount Ida remained resilient. The falls continued to power memories — ice skating on Beldon’s Pond, picnics near the Gorge, and stories passed down between generations. Today, the neighborhood carries layers of history in its architecture and its spirit — and through restoration efforts like Mount Ida Preservation Hall, it is once again a site of gathering, creativity, and care.

*Written by Michael Easterbrook 2025