Gramercy Group is proud to announce the opening of access to its newest project site in Albany, NY. In partnership with LiRo-Hill and selected by the Advance Albany County Alliance, our team is preparing to take on one of the most complex demolition projects in the region — the takedown of the Central Warehouse at 143 Montgomery Street.

An Albany Icon Few Will Miss

The Albany Warehouse has stood empty and deteriorating for decades.

For nearly a century, the Central Warehouse has been a fixture on Albany’s skyline. Built in 1927 by the New York Central Railroad, the 11-story, 495,000-square-foot facility was a marvel of its time, constructed as an electrically operated cold storage building with 4.5 million cubic feet of space, famously capable of holding enough food to feed the entire population of Albany. It served as a vital link in the city’s supply chain for decades.

But as modern trucking gradually replaced rail freight, the building lost its purpose. By the early 1990s, it sat completely abandoned. In 2010, a massive fire gutted portions of the interior, accelerating its deterioration. Over the years, the structure cycled through neglectful ownership and failed redevelopment plans, crumbling into a graffiti-covered eyesore and a growing safety hazard. In 2022, falling masonry forced Amtrak to shut down service on the adjacent rail lines for days. This stands as a stark reminder that the building’s decline was no longer just an aesthetic problem.

With an active Amtrak line close by, the deteriorating structure will require extreme care throughout the demolition process.

A Structure that Demands Precision Demolition

Now, that chapter is coming to a close. But bringing down a structure like the Central Warehouse is far from routine.

The building was designed to bear extreme weight and maintain freezing temperatures, with fireproof steel reinforcement and exterior concrete walls up to three feet thick. A traditional implosion is off the table as the structure contains massive amounts of hazardous asbestos, and an explosive demolition would risk dispersing toxic fibers into the surrounding North Albany neighborhoods and the nearby Hudson River.

The challenges don’t stop there. Active Amtrak passenger rail lines run directly along the south side of the building, demanding constant coordination to keep trains and crews safe. Inside, a massive steel railroad spur enters the second floor of the structure and must be carefully torch-cut and removed without impacting the live tracks below. And because asbestos abatement requires water vapor for dust suppression, upstate New York’s freezing winters have added another layer of complexity — water freezes on contact during the coldest months, limiting the window for remediation work.

Gramercy Group has a long history of successfully completing large-scale demolition and asbestos remediation projects.

Asbestos Remediation is a Key Component of this Project

Instead of explosives, crews are using heavy hydraulic machinery to meticulously “nibble” the concrete apart from the top down, cutting the structure at a precise angles, this approach allows the building to be systematically dismantled while facing away from the active rail corridor.

With asbestos remediation currently underway and physical demolition targeted for late 2026 into 2027, the project represents exactly the kind of work Gramercy Group was built for — complex, high-stakes, and requiring careful coordination at every stage.

Governor Kathy Hochul with leaders from the Advance Albany County Alliance opened up the demolition of Albany’s Central Warehouse with a groundbreaking ceremony.

We thank Governor Kathy Hochul for her continued investment in infrastructure and her commitment to strengthening communities, making projects like this possible. We are also grateful to the Albany Alliance for the opportunity to be part of this effort. Gramercy Group remains committed to delivering a safe and successful project and looks forward to the work ahead. It’s our hope that this work will positively impact the Albany community for generations to come.

Governor Kathy Hochul (center) with Albany County Executive, Daniel P. McCoy, Gramercy Group CEO Joanna Parziale (center left) and COO Vincent Parziale with Advance Albany County Alliance CEO Kevin O’Connor (right) and members of the Gramercy and LiRo-Hill crew at the groundbreaking of the Albany Central Warehouse demolition project.