SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- A building is pretty much the sum of its parts: brick, mortar and glass, but for a landmark, that means those parts have somehow aged well.
They age well in history, but not always physically.
The Nicholaus Building on State Street shifted on Friday, catching customers of the Thai bistro downstairs off guard and now many streets are closed through the weekend. While the building's future is up in the air, Marianne Blanchard of the Schenectady County Historical Society tells us more about its history and what it truly means to the Capital Region.
"It dates back to the early-to-mid-1800's," said Blanchard. "In its early days, it was Nicholaus Restaurant, which was a very famous German restaurant. It's always anchored that corner on State and Erie."
The Schenectady County Historical Society still holds on to the images of this bygone era, including this image of downtown Schenectady from the 1960's that was once hung prominently inside the Nicholaus Restaurant.
"I just think it's beautiful," said Blanchard. "If you've been in it, there's still tin ceilings, there's a lovely german mural on the wall."
Officials have made no determination on whether or not to bring the Nicholaus down. Blanchard hopes it can continue to age, and age well.
"It's pretty unique," said Blanchard. "You'd be hard pressed to replace that."