From its eponymous waters to horse racing, Saratoga Springs has been a destination for centuries. County Supervisor Matthew Veitch delivered a presentation Wednesday on the story of Saratoga Springs’ convention industry from the 19th Century to today.
At the Saratoga Springs City Center, supervisor Matthew Veitch delivered a presentation to residents on the history of the Spa City’s convention industry.
Using historical newspaper articles, photographs, and maps, Veitch discussed the city’s long history as a tourism center. To accommodate the city’s numerous hotels and visitors in the late 19th Century, the first structure dedicated for conventions was built.
“When the original Convention Hall was completed September 18th, 1893, Saratoga Springs was already on the map as a resort destination for visitors. With the mineral springs as the first attraction for people to come here, the hotels were already numerous.”
Veitch explained how Convention Hall, located on Broadway near the current entrance to Congress Park, sat 5,000 guests, and hosted events including the state Republican and Democratic conventions for years.
It was used steadily in the 20th century until the 1950s, when the aging building started to decline. Convention Hall had taken on new uses, including hosting high school basketball games, but it would no longer host anything after a fire spread across Broadway from the Columbian Hotel on November 14th, 1965.
“Reportedly two youths had snuck into the Columbian Hotel to sneak a cigarette around 2 o’clock p.m. It was a cool windy Sunday. By 2:15 pm the Saratoga Springs firefighters had arrived on the scene. Within 40 minutes, the Columbian was already burning out of control, and the firefighters focused their efforts on Convention Hall.”
Officials within the building tried to activate the building’s emergency water system, but low water pressure prevented the system from working effectively. Fire departments across the county were called, but the building couldn’t be saved.
Veitch explained that after the building burned, many smaller conventions were held at the Holiday Inn, built in 1964. Meanwhile, urban renewal would reshape much of Saratoga Springs. Major projects removed homes, and installed parking lots and apartment buildings. But there was some resistance.
“The concept of urban renewal was something that had happened before, and some have argued was the cause of the preservation movement within Saratoga Springs.”
In the 1970s, federal urban renewal guidelines were changed, which only previously allowed for the development of housing and commercial areas. A new civic center, which had been discussed for years, could be incorporated into the city’s redevelopment.
“The city again commissioned several studies, and all said the convention center would be an asset to the city and was needed. In addition, from articles in the Saratogian and the Schenectady Gazette, the public, too, favored a new center,” said Veitch.
Several concept designs were conceived. The city needed to devise a plan to pay for a new center, which resulted in a one percent raise in the city’s sales tax. A location on North Broadway was selected. And by 1984, the new City Center was finished, complete with a 20,000-square foot main hall.
The City Center authority was created soon after, and Mark Baker has served has president since that time, seeing it through its expansion project in 2010. After the presentation, Baker, who invited the supervisor to research the project, said the supervisor did a fine job of connecting the dots in the city’s history of economic development.
"Very well done, I was very pleased," said Baker.
The presentation, which was filmed, contains many more details and photos, and will be archived at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
