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Nipper, Albany\u2019s unofficial mascot, gazes across the warehouse district on Feb. 25 above 991 Broadway in Albany. The city has affixed a single-slash placard on the building that alerts emergency workers to use \u201cextreme caution\u201d when entering.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Paint flakes away from the RCA building at 991 Broadway on March 25 in Albany. The city has affixed a single-slash placard on the building that alerts emergency workers to use \u201cextreme caution\u201d when entering.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
The city has affixed a single-slash placard on the Albany building that alerts emergency workers to use \u201cextreme caution\u201d when entering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Paint flakes away from the RCA building at 991 Broadway on March 25 in Albany.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Nipper, Albany\u2019s unofficial mascot, gazes across the warehouse district on Feb. 25 above 991 Broadway in Albany.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Nipper, Albany\u2019s unofficial mascot, gazes across the warehouse district on Feb. 25 above 991 Broadway in Albany.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Paint flakes away from the RCA building at 991 Broadway on March 25 in Albany. The city has affixed a single-slash placard on the building that alerts emergency workers to use \u201cextreme caution\u201d when entering.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Nipper has looked down on his city for decades, his head cocked with curiosity. But is Albany doing enough to look after the dog?<\/p>\n
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That question occurred to me after learning that 991 Broadway\u00a0\u2014 the North Albany building on which Nipper sits\u00a0\u2014 has joined the legion of vacant structures affixed with a Red Placard of Doom.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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That isn\u2019t what they\u2019re officially called, of course. But the name seems appropriate, because often when a placard is attached to a building, it\u2019s headed toward demolition. Nipper\u2019s home was recently affixed with a single-slash placard that, while less worrying than a placard with a full X, nevertheless alerts emergency workers to use \u201cextreme caution\u201d when entering.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The placard shouldn\u2019t have been a shock.\u00a0Constructed in 1907, the building has been in legal limbo for years and a plan to remake it with apartments fell through. Public concern over its condition and future led the Historic Albany Foundation to add the structure to its 2024 list <\/a>of \u201cPlaces in Peril.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Albany has had a rough few years, but this much should be obvious: If Nipper falls to neglect and disinvestment, it will be a blow like few others to the city\u2019s reputation, pride and identity. He\u2019s the city\u2019s beloved pooch, its mascot and arguably its best-known landmark. Nipper contributes mightily to the region\u2019s sense of place.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n