Community Builders

SEVEN - The Stockade: Definding the Gentrified Neighborhood in a Declining Industrial City

7 The Stockade: Difending the GentrifiedNeighborhood in a Declining Industrial City The Stockade (also known simply as "Stockade,") is a neighborhood cherished for its historic past that continues to be a desirable place to live despite the changes in Schenectady's economy. Its strength lies in its population: a stable core ofresidents with the resources and dedication to preserve this oasis in the city. Like the residents of other poor cities, residents of the Stockade face problems: how to maintain the residential amenities of their neighborhood, and how to protect themselves from the overall decline ofthe city-especially from the attendant increase in crime. The Stockade Neighborhood The Stockade, a Historic District neighborhood, is bounded by the Mohawk River on the north, Liberty Street on the south, North College Street on the east, and Binne Kill on the west (see Map 5). The neighborhood, according to the 1980 census, had 1,519 residents and 1,168 housing units, with an occupancy rate of 84 percent. Most of the buildings in the neighborhood were built before 1950, are attached, and have only one unit per structure (see Table 9). For an inner-city neighborhood, the Stockade has a relatively low percentage ofrental units (27 percent). The residents ofStockade are almost all White (2 percent are Black). Half of them have lived in the same houses since 1975 (see Table 10). More than ~ s: ctS m .s:::.> 0._ ::lEa: THE STOCKADE 145 Table 9: Land-Use Characteristics ifthe Stockade Neighborhood Housing % Occupancy 83.9 Rental units 27 Multiunits 4 Built before 1950 98 Source: L~S. Bureau ifthe Census, Census ofPopulation and Housing, 1981. Table 10: Socioeconomic Characteristics ifthe Stockade Neighborhood Residents % Black 2 Single 61 College degree 52.6 Work for government 25.3 High family income 19.2 Unemployed 5.6 Public assistance 19.5 Same house 5+ years 50.2 Source: U:S. Bureau ifthe Census, Census ofPopulation and Housing, 1981. 60 percent live in single-family households, yet only 8 percent have children. More than halfhave college degrees, and 42 percent work in managerial, professional , or technical jobs. The income of the residents, however, is not the highest in the city. In 1980, 20 percent had family incomes higher than $25,000 (high income at the time), and 30 percent had incomes lower than $7,500 (low income at the time); nearly 20 percent were on public assistance. Visitors are often brought to Stockade to be shown that Schenectady, known as a "company town," has a rich past and much to offer new businesses and their executives. In the late 1980s, Stockade became more affluent, and rents have gone up. In the real-estate section ofthe March 18,1989, Schenectady Gazette, a one-bedroom apartment went for $450, at the time considered 146 CHAPTER 7 high for Schenectady. Even some residents from surrounding suburbs moved in, charmed by the neighborhood amenities. Now it looks more like other gentrified neighborhoods. For a city that hopes to see its decline reversed, Stockade has great symbolic value. The old Stockade was destroyed in the Massacre of 1690 and then partly damaged in fires that ravaged the western part of the community in 1819 and 1861. But some of its historic buildings have survived (Bogert 1966) and are now considered the trademark of the neighborhood. Portions of two preMassacre houses, for example, form parts of more recent structures. At least seventeen houses date from the first quarter of the 1700s. In some, the age is readily apparent, while in others subtle structural evidence is obscured by successive renovations. Several churches are further reminders ofStockade's colonial past. The First Reformed Dutch Church was organized in 1680. The present building is the fifth one, erected in 1869. Saint George's Episcopal Church was built just outside the fort gate in 1759 to serve the British garrison . The First Presbyterian Church was organized in 1769, but the present building is the second one, built in 1809. Many of Schenectady's oldest families , descendants of merchants, lawyers, and doctors, still live in the Stockade . Alicia Shanklin, one ofthe oldest residents, in 1989 shared with me some memories ofthe time when Schenectady was still an important industrial city: "I was born in this neighborhood in the house built by my grandfather. My father was a doctor and worked all his life here in Stockade. We liked this neighborhood. The life was rich then...