Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 4,554 at the 2020 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany.

History

Menands would have been first spotted by Europeans circa 1609, when Henry Hudson dropped anchor somewhere near Cuyler or Pleasure Island during his voyage on the river later to be named after him. This would be the furthest north on the river that Hudson would go in the Half Moon. Today, those islands are connected to the mainland, and are the site of Interstate 787 exits 6 and 7, which includes the cloverleaf interchange with NY 378 and the Troy-Menands Bridge.

When the Erie Canal was constructed in the 1820s, it passed through what would become Menands. Bridges spanned the canal to allow access to the land between the canal and the Hudson. From north to south they were Richardson, Mix, Leary, Keyes, Kanes, Lundergans, Island Park, Delaware and Hudson Railroad, and Garbarance. Most of the names of the bridges were those of the neighboring farm owners.

In 1938, the first large scale Federal Housing Administration (FHA) multiple housing project in Upstate New York was conceived by Harry D. Yates on of land in Menands.

One of the largest printing plants in the eastern USA existed in Menands in the forties and fifties. Williams Press (aka: J. B. Lyons Co.) at its prime employed more than 1,000 people. Built on Broadway with rail tracks behind, Williams printed many of today's magazines such as Business Week, Sports Illustrated and many others, plus most of the New England telephone directories. They were forced to close because of labor issues, location constraints and outdated equipment.

The village's current motto, "Urban-Suburban Village", and its official seal, came into being as part of the village's 50th anniversary celebrations in 1974. The motto and seal were chosen based on contest entries submitted by local school children at Menands Elementary school. Two boys came up with the design for the seal, and the motto was chosen from an entry by a girl in the school's seventh grade class.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and (6.45%) is water.

Menands is along the Hudson River on the west bank. The village is within the town of Colonie, which is also to the north and west, with the city of Albany to the south. The village is mostly flat with a gentle slope to the west.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Menands had a population of 4,554. The median age was 37.6 years. 19.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 16.6% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 2,085 households in Menands, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.1% were married-couple households, 25.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. In 1884, the Island Park Association leased the race course, Island Park, directly north of Pleasure Island. It was considered one of the fastest and safest in the nation.

Among the festivities and activities at Pleasure Island were a two-mile (3 km) bicycle race, a sack race, barrel race, swimming exhibition, trotter race, and fireworks. In 1907 Al-Tro Island Park renovated Pleasure Island, Al-Tro was named for being halfway between Albany and Troy, and the park's manager boasted of surpassing Coney Island. The park had a and boardwalk, with amusements on each side. About halfway down the boardwalk was an amphitheater that could seat 4000, it was one of the largest in the state. At the time Al-Tro Park was considered the finest pleasure resort in northern New York. In the early 1920s Al-Tro closed and the concept was used in the late 1920s by nearby Mid-City Park, an amusement park along Broadway on the other side away from the river, it had a roller coaster, merry-go-round, roller skating rink, and swimming pool; it too would close after a few decades. and one of four that still remain. The building had its own railroad spur that allowed boxcars to be unloaded inside, making delivery of goods to the building easier.

Important locations

  • Albany Rural Cemetery- though most of the cemetery is outside the village, a portion along Cemetery Drive purchased by the cemetery in 1920 is within the village
  • Troy-Menands Bridge- crosses the Hudson River and connects the village to the city of Troy
  • Riverview Center- former Montgomery Ward store and distribution center, today this Art Deco office building houses video game developers Vicarious Visions and state workers, and has of space. It also is the tallest building in the town of Colonie
  • Capital District Farmers Market- The Capital District Cooperative, Inc., created in 1933, is one of the largest farmers markets in the region
  • The Albany Felt Company Complex, Menand Park Historic District, Henry M. Sage Estate, and St. Agnes Cemetery are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Infrastructure

Fire department

Menands has a local volunteer fire department. Menands Fire Co.#1 was founded March 3, 1923, and was incorporated in February 1931. In 1936, the Hudson Mohawk Volunteer Firefighters Association was founded at the Menands Fire Co. In 1983, Menands Fire Co.#1 moved into the new Fire House, adjacent to old Fire House. The old Fire House was renovated for use as the Menands Police Department and Village Court.

Police department

The first constable in Menands served in a part-time position. The first police chief was appointed by the Village Trustees in 1924, when the village was incorporated.

Sports

Baseball was also a popular entertainment venue in Menands bringing in spectators from across the region. Chadwick Park was home to the Albany Senators who played in the New York State League, Eastern League, International League, New York–Pennsylvania League, and the modern Eastern League. On May 30, 1924, the Senators played a double header at home against the Pittsfield Hillies, the first game lasted 9 innings but the second game went for 20, it is still one of the longest double headers by number of innings in professional baseball. In 1928 Chadwick Park was rebuilt, in 1929 it was renamed Hawkins Stadium,

It was at Hawkins Stadium that the New York Yankees played the Albany Senators in 1931 before a crowd of 6,300; Babe Ruth hit two home runs. The Senators folded in 1959. It too was demolished to make way for the Mid-City Shopping Center and a department type store, which would eventually close and be replaced by the New York State Office of Workers Compensation Board.

From June 12, 1947, to September 2, 1963, Empire Raceways was a popular entertainment venue. It was a quarter mile paved oval track and was located close enough to the Hudson River that spectators would sit on the Troy-Menands Bridge and watch the races for free. The venue also hosted an estimated crowd of 8,000 in 1951 for a Bar-20 Ranch Party featuring movie actor William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy. The location would later become the site of a Two Guys Department Store and Interstate 787.

References

  • Official website