Massive Blaze Destroys Former Albany NY Convent, Doane Stuart School

Mar. 24—ALBANY — When firefighters arrived at the scene of the burning Kenwood Convent on Thursday, flames had already spread all over the sprawling, historic structure.

"The fire was throughout," Fire Chief Joseph Gregory told reporters Friday morning. He noted the flames were so well established the 100,000-square-foot building's steeple collapsed shortly after firefighters arrived at 6:33 p.m.

Gregory, Mayor Kathy Sheehan and other city officials gathered at the site in the city's South End to discuss the blaze that consumed Kenwood Convent, the stately landmark that once housed the Doane Stuart school. By sunrise, much of the building had crumbled, leaving fallen bricks and twisted steel piled above the foundation.

Gregory said there was little that could be done to save the building and firefighters put a primary focus on keeping embers from spreading to neighboring structures, a fear fueled by concern about the heavy wind that hit the area when the fire was burning.

"This fire is under investigation," Sheehan said. Officials did not comment on a possible cause.

The city has not reached out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives but the agency on Friday said it would "be happy to assist them in whatever way we could."

Historic preservationists had long hoped the building could be utilized in a redevelopment of the property.

"We've all gotten emotional about this because this was a beautiful building," the mayor said.

The massive fire erupted at the campus near Southern Boulevard on Thursday evening, lighting up the night sky over much of Albany, prompting safety concerns and eliciting sadness for an architecturally significant structure likely lost to the fire.

City firefighters quickly deemed the fire too dangerous to fight from inside the burning structures and set up a "defensive posture" to pour water on the flames to try to prevent the blaze from spreading. Firefighters broadcast concern for safety as a steeple appeared to be ready to collapse. The steeple soon fell into the burning building below.

Large portions of the former convent that housed Doane Stuart until the school moved to Rensselaer in 2009 burned to its foundations Thursday night.

Firefighters remained at the site throughout the night.

Court records show the building was auctioned earlier this week by a creditor but it was unclear who bought the complex and how much was paid.

The school campus near Southern Boulevard was most recently owned by Kenwood Commons. The firm was managed by Jacob Frydman, a New York City real estate developer. Frydman, who was also at one point a producer for the soap opera, "As the World Turns," is also the owner of a Hudson riverfront mansion that is listed for sale at $45 million.

Frydman has ties to another Albany landmark that developers have been unable to bring back to life: the Central Warehouse, a vacant downtown eyesore Albany County recently foreclosed on and steered toward a company controlled by Redburn Development and Columbia Development, which has promised major renovations.

CW Montgomery, another company whose principals included Frydman, bought the building for $1.4 million in 2007 but it was foreclosed on in 2019. Evan Blum most recently owned the building with plans for a major renovation but fell behind on property taxes. The former cold storage warehouse has since been transferred Redburn Development and Columbia Development's joint company.

Kenwood Commons bought the Doane Stuart site with plans that called for 13 apartment buildings, six clusters of townhomes and two hotels as well as space for retail and public facilities like an art gallery and amphitheater.

But little progress was made with the property. The Times Union reported last year that the developer was attempting to sell the tract as part of a bankruptcy proceeding.

Brendan J. Lyons contributed to this article.

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