Foster Building

	Foster Building
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	North elevation, 2008
Location	Schenectady, NY
Coordinates	42°48′41″N 73°56′25″W / 42.81139°N 73.94028°W
Built	1907
Architect	Penn Varney
Architectural style	Beaux-Arts
NRHP reference No.	91000664
Added to NRHP	1991

The Foster Building, originally the Hotel Foster, is located on State Street (NY 5) in Schenectady, New York, United States. It is a commercial building in the Beaux-Arts architectural style.

When built in 1907, it was the first building in the city to use terra cotta as its primary siding on the front facade, and the first built under the precepts of the City Beautiful movement. In 1991 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has since been remodeled into apartments, but has been vacant for a while and is suffering from the neglect.^[2] Past water damage will require that the lavishly appointed interior be completely gutted.^[3] The regional redevelopment agency is considering acquiring the building through eminent domain in order to ensure its restoration.

^ ^a ^b Garofalini, Linda (April 18, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Foster Building". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 8, 2009.
^ "Metroplex Takes Action on Former Foster Hotel" (Press release). Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority. June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ Strock, Carl (April 27, 2008). "Downtown rehab in race with jail". The Daily Gazette. The Daily Gazette Co. Retrieved September 8, 2009. I don't know what the original owner, Alsdorf, might say about any of this, as he didn't get back to me. Maybe he's embarrassed about the grand old Foster Building decaying on his watch in the first place. It was shortly after he bought it 10 years ago and left the heat turned down in the dead of winter that a pipe burst and flooded the place. After that, he just left the building to rot so that it now needs what's known in the business as a gut rehab.

[NRHP_nom-1] Garofalini, Linda (April 18, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places nomination, Foster Building". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved September 8, 2009.

[Metroplex_press_release-2] "Metroplex Takes Action on Former Foster Hotel" (Press release). Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority. June 11, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2009.^{[permanent dead link‍]}

[2008_Strock_column-3] Strock, Carl (April 27, 2008). "Downtown rehab in race with jail". The Daily Gazette. The Daily Gazette Co. Retrieved September 8, 2009. I don't know what the original owner, Alsdorf, might say about any of this, as he didn't get back to me. Maybe he's embarrassed about the grand old Foster Building decaying on his watch in the first place. It was shortly after he bought it 10 years ago and left the heat turned down in the dead of winter that a pipe burst and flooded the place. After that, he just left the building to rot so that it now needs what's known in the business as a gut rehab.

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