Week of January 31, 1969
50th Anniversary News | Saratoga Springs, NY
series by Mary Flanagan, Associate Real Estate Broker & lifelong Saratogian
2019 marks Roohan Realty’s 50th year in business! We would like to take you back to 1969 and share what was happening in the news – locally and nationally. We’ve been having a great time reading old newspapers and hope you enjoy seeing the historic Roohan Realty connections as much as we do. Community involvement and public service have been ingrained in our business from the very beginning – a commitment that continues today. Check back every Thursday for a fresh flashback to 1969!
1. NYRA Raises the Travers Stakes
NYRA announces the 100th Running of the Travers will take place on August 16, 1969. The purse will be raised from $75,000 to $100,000:
2. Union Ave Shopping Center Seen As Threat
Headline news in January is a proposed shopping center on Union Avenue featuring a WT Grant store and a grocery store requiring a zoning change for a 15-acre parcel on the northeast side of Exit 14 of the Northway. Seen as a threat to downtown development, hundreds show up in protest to a meeting at the Holiday Inn:
Speaking against the plaza included John T. Roohan, and Former Mayor James Benton (father of Roohan REALTOR®, Chris Benton) and the Chamber of Commerce. The City Council voted 3/1 against it. Mayor James Murphy voted in favor. Voting against were Commissioners Kenneth King, James Gaffney, Rod O. Sutton (father-in-law of Roohan REALTOR®, Amy Sutton) Commissioner James Foley was absent. Read the story
3. BOCES Groundbreaking Set for Spring
A March 1 groundbreaking ceremony for the new BOCES building on Henning Road is announced by Superintendent F. Donald Myers. Read the BOCES announcement
4. Saratoga County Eyes $3M Infirmary
5. FHA Announces Affordable Housing Program
The FHA announces a home buying program that will enable people to purchase homes with as little as $200 down. This is the hot topic of discussion at the Saratoga Springs Urban Renewal Agency luncheon held at the Holiday Inn, attended by 50 URA directors with guest speaker, Robert Wolfe, of the Albany Federal Housing Administration office:
The mortgage limit is set between $15 and $17,500 depending on the area; the maximum for Saratoga Springs is $16,500. At the meeting, Wolfe points out that the homes purchased under this program will not be set apart or carry the stigma of low income projects, but that the key to its success is cooperation from banks…many of which are reluctant to act as mortgagees due to the low interest rates and paperwork involved. Full story here: 50 URA Directors Hear Talk
6. What’s On the Big Screen
Kirk Douglas “gives the kiss of death” in The Brotherhood (1968), playing at the Saratoga Springs Community Theater at 8PM:
7. Blaze = Bargains at Local Shop
Raymond’s Bootery – one of the four Broadway businesses involved in a fire earlier this month – is making the best out of their bout of bad luck by having a “Smoke Damage Sale!”
8. The Beatles “Raise the Roof”
The Beatles climb atop the roof of a five story London building (their recording company’s headquarters) with instruments in tow to give a 42 minute impromptu concert:
The event is filmed for their upcoming documentary, Let It Be, and the “rooftop concert” will later be known as their last ever public performance.
9. Autos’ “Baby Brother” Brings Fun Back to Winter
The media is buzzing about a “little gasoline horse” that is changing winter play — the snowmobile:
Read the Saratoga Scene’s report on how the “snowmobile hath ungloomed winter” here: Saratoga Scene – Jan. 31, 1969
10. House of the Week
Design Z-78 – which might sound like a top-secret military aircraft of the 60’s – is actually this week’s House of the Week. Architect, Herman H. York, describes the interestingly-named abode as a modified French Provincial ranch that works as a compromise for buyers who want a home that’s a little “extra,” but can’t necessarily pay a little extra:
With its hip roof, evenly-sized windows with special shutters and cornice moldings, it is slightly more elegant and sophisticated than a traditional ranch. View the story and floor plan here: Saratoga Scene – Jan. 31, 1969
ABOUT THE AUTHOR, MARY FLANAGAN
Mary Flanagan is an Associate Real Estate Broker at Roohan Realty with over 30 years of experience as a licensed REALTOR® specializing in residential real estate. A lifelong resident of Saratoga Springs, NY, Mary is extremely knowledgeable about not only Saratoga’s real estate market, but also its history and the community as a whole. She is an active board member for Racing City Rotary Club and U.S. Grant Cottage State Historic Site, and served on the Saratoga Springs Board of Appeals from 1994 to 2004. In her free time, Mary enjoys researching and writing about Saratoga’s history; she authored Roohan Realty’s Saratoga Centennial blog series in 2015 and is currently working on an Anniversary News series to commemorate our company’s 50th year in business this year (2019). View Mary’s bio & current listings
You might also like…