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39-481: Originally 6 stories with 3 towers on the roof, a fire damaged the top floor and it was removed along with the towers. In more recent decades, the building fell into disrepair after it was foreclosed on in the 1980s. An effort to save it was launched and it was restored in the 1990s. A nonprofit entity called Rice Building Incorporated was created to turn it into a business incubator center. With support from State Senator Joseph Bruno , New York State provided $ 2 million for

78-595: A blanket apology for offending some people, but refused to take his words back. According to an editorial in The Buffalo News , Bruno pushed a bill through the Senate on June 27, 1995, that would have required girls under 16 years of age to obtain consent from both parents for an abortion. The bill never passed the New York State Assembly. After SONDA , a gay rights bill, languished in

117-543: A fire in 1913 1916, or 1920 (when a fire struck River Street), depending on the source. The building was constructed on the site of Lane's Row and replaced structures on that site. Edgar Holloway made an etching of the building in 1974. The building appears in the Martin Scorsese film, based on Edith Wharton 's 1920 novel, " The Age of Innocence (1993 film) " as a law office in New York City. The building

156-906: A plan to boost Upstate New York's economy. In December 2006, Bruno disclosed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been looking into business associates of Bruno's who had received state grants. The FBI investigation appeared to lead Bruno to end one of his long-time consulting jobs in 2007. Initially, fiscally conservative pundits supported Bruno's agenda as Senate Majority Leader. In later years, they expressed concern over Bruno's willingness to cooperate with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on budgets deemed to be excessive, over endorsements Bruno received from state employee labor unions (including health care union Local 1199 ), and over Bruno's recruitment of former Democrats to run as Republicans for swing Senate districts in Syracuse and

195-588: A six-room cold water flat . Bruno graduated from St. Mary's Academy and earned a B.A. in business administration from Skidmore College . He served in the Korean War as an infantry sergeant . Bruno was president of the New York State Jaycees ; in 1964, he was named by them as one of the five "Outstanding Young Men of the State." He “became a millionaire after founding and then selling

234-611: A state youth facility. The outcry over such a lenient sentence led Carey to reverse course and support a law allowing juveniles as young as 13 to be tried as adults. A New York State office building in Hauppauge , Long Island , was renamed the Perry B Duryea Jr State Office Building at the request of Suffolk County Court Judge, the Hon. Martin J Kerins. The post office in Montauk, New York

273-709: The New York State Police to track Bruno's travel records, particularly his use of a state helicopter. At the direction of top officials of the Spitzer administration, the New York State Police created documents meant to cause political damage to Bruno. The governor's staff stated they were responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA or FOIL) request from the Albany Times Union in late June. A lengthy report issued by

312-766: The Watergate scandal the Republicans lost their majority in the Assembly, and Duryea remains the last Republican speaker of the New York assembly. Duryea was active in fighting against development of eastern Long Island including a successful fight in 1967 to stop plans to turn the Grumman Assembly Plant in Calverton, New York into the fourth major airport in metropolitan New York City. Duryea

351-629: The Attorney General's office concluded that Spitzer aides attempted to create negative media coverage concerning Bruno's travel before any Freedom of Information Act request was made. The investigation looked into both Bruno's travel and the senate leader's allegation that Spitzer used State Police to spy on him. The Times Union's requests sought documents on use of state aircraft by seven officials, including Spitzer, Bruno and Lieutenant Governor David Paterson , yet Spitzer's office released only Bruno's itinerary. The Spitzer administration and

390-805: The Bronx . As of 2009, all 16 municipalities (two cities and 14 towns) in Rensselaer County, New York had at least one building named for Bruno. In addition, the Tri-City ValleyCats —a short-season minor-league affiliate of the Houston Astros —play in Joseph L. Bruno Stadium situated on the Troy-North Greenbush border. Entering 2007, Bruno's hold on Senate control appeared more precarious than in prior years, as

429-702: The Close of the Eighteenth Century (1858), and Bibliography of the United States (1860). He married Margaret McCoun Lane, the daughter of Jacob L. Lane of Troy. A collection of his and his father Daniel Hall's papers include correspondence with Amos Eaton , ( geologist and founder of Rensselaer Institute ), Edward Everett , William H. Seward , Hamilton Fish , Robert Todd Lincoln , Horatio Seymour , William L. Marcy , John E. Wool , and Asa Fitch . The upper floor and roof towers were damaged by

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468-628: The Coradian Corporation, a company that sold telephone systems to private businesses and government agencies”. In 1966, Bruno was on the campaign staff of Governor Nelson Rockefeller , and from 1969 to 1974 he served as Special Assistant to Speaker of the Assembly Perry B. Duryea . From 1968 to 1969, he was President of the New York State Association of Young Republicans . He also served as Chairman of

507-532: The Court of Appeals feared that jurors faced with this choice would unfairly lean toward a death sentence. In the 10 years after the law was passed, New York's crime rate plummeted without ever seeing an execution, perhaps weakening public support for the death penalty. Silver let the law die in 2005 without much debate. During the budget process in 1995, Bruno (who was new to the Majority Leader role at

546-894: The New York State Senate Republican Campaign Committee, and donating $ 100,000 to a scholarship fund. At the same time, he announced that he was closing his legal defense fund and donating the $ 70,000 balance to several nonprofit organizations. Bruno's autobiography , Keep Swinging: A Memoir of Politics and Justice , was published by Post Hill Press in November 2016. In the memoir, Bruno reportedly made "a spirited defense" of Albany's "system of transactional politics and backroom dealing that he says generally worked". Bruno and his wife, Barbara, had four children: Joseph, Susan, Kenneth, and Catherine. Barbara Bruno died in 2008 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease . As of 2014, Bruno's partner

585-661: The Rensselaer County Republican Committee from 1974 to 1977. Bruno was a member of the New York State Senate from 1977 to 2008, sitting in the 182nd , 183rd , 184th , 185th , 186th , 187th , 188th , 189th , 190th , 191st , 192nd , 193rd , 194th , 195th , 196th , and 197th New York State Legislatures . He was elected Temporary President of the New York State Senate on November 25, 1994, ousting

624-667: The Republicans lost the seat formerly held by Nicholas Spano , failed to regain a Republican-leaning seat in Syracuse and—with a caucus diminished to 33 members—had to defend the open seat of Michael Balboni in Nassau County ; the latter seat was lost to Democrat Craig M. Johnson , a Nassau County Legislator in a February 6, 2007 special election. The electoral reverses and the ongoing FBI investigation led some Republicans to suggest Bruno might step down as Majority Leader. There were also rumors some Republican senators might cross

663-531: The State Police provided far more details about Bruno than about other officials to the Times Union . No other officials were subject to the same scrutiny as Bruno. In some cases, the reports created by State Police were pieced together long after the trips and based on the memories of the police escorts involved. The report stated that the Times Union request came after the story about Bruno's travels

702-522: The aisle to throw control of the Senate to the Democrats. In April 2007, Bruno also appeared to hold veto power over two other Spitzer initiatives: gay marriage and campaign finance reform . Bruno challenged New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer to restore the state's death penalty law. Bruno also criticized the Governor's plan to issue driver licenses to illegal immigrants , claiming it

741-448: The already disgraced ex-governor." On June 23, 2008, Bruno confirmed that he would not seek re-election in the fall of 2008. On June 24, 2008, Bruno stepped down as "temporary president of the senate" and as Senate Majority Leader. On July 18, 2008, Bruno resigned his New York State Senate seat. On November 4, 2008, he was replaced by his "hand-picked" successor, Roy McDonald , in the general election . On January 23, 2009, Bruno

780-610: The eighth and final count of the indictment. On May 6, 2010, he was sentenced to two years in jail. In November 2011, Bruno's convictions were overturned on appeal. In May 2013, Bruno's lawyers urged an appeals court to halt the planned retrial, claiming it would violate Bruno's right against double jeopardy. In August 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied Bruno's appeal and held that he could be retried. On May 16, 2014, Bruno

819-469: The floor of the State Senate because the majority of his conference was against it, stating "[this] is America, and we have inalienable rights ... Life is short, and we should all be afforded the same opportunities and rights to enjoy it." Same-sex marriage legislation was passed in New York in 2011. In October 2015, Bruno announced that he was contributing $ 1.4 million in unspent campaign funds to

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858-567: The incumbent Ralph J. Marino . Bruno, along with Governor George Pataki and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver , was instrumental in passing a death penalty law in New York State in 1995. The New York Court of Appeals (the highest state court in New York) later found the law to be unconstitutional because it gave jurors deadlocked between life without parole and execution no choice but to give eligibility for parole after 25 years;

897-803: The project. The architecture firm Lepera & Ward headed the project. Ganem Contracting was also involved in the project and photographed the work and many architectural details. The origins of the name Rice Building are not known. The building was originally known as the Hall Building for attorney and poet Benjamin Homer Hall (November 14, 1830 – April 6,1893) who had it built. Hall was educated at Harvard University and served as City Clerk of Troy. The building may have been an inspiration for New York City's Flatiron Building . Hall wrote A Collection of College Works and Customs (ca. 1850), History of Eastern Vermont, from its Earliest Settlement to

936-403: The rank of lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy as a pilot of the U.S. Naval Air Transport Service, and entered the family business full-time after World War II . In 1944 Duryea married Elizabeth Ann Weed with whom he had two children, Lynn Duryea born in 1947 and Perry B. Duryea III born in 1949. The Duryeas divorced in 1990. Perry Duryea subsequently married Marie Therese Duryea. Duryea

975-430: The state Senate for many years as a result of Bruno's opposition, Bruno and his caucus were put on the spot for their support of a socially conservative agenda. LGBT people and groups pushed very hard for SONDA, and in late 2002, Bruno finally gave in; the bill passed the Senate and was signed into law by Governor Pataki. In 2005, Bruno proposed research into high-speed rail development in New York State as part of

1014-770: The state's air fleet. The report criticized Spitzer's office for using State Police resources to gather information about Bruno's travel and releasing the information to the media. On July 23, 2007, Spitzer stated that his administration had "grossly mishandled" the situation regarding Bruno's use of state aircraft and added that he had personally apologized to Bruno. On March 29, 2008, The Buffalo News reported that "former Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer lied to prosecutors" about his role in Troopergate , but added that "the Albany County District Attorney said he will not pursue any criminal charges against

1053-615: The time) made a comment about Blacks and Hispanics who "got their hands out" pressuring the legislature to avoid cuts to social services. According to the Syracuse Post-Standard , "Bruno said he was referring to the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus, which is a major force in the Democratic majority in the Assembly." Bruno's defense was that he was referring to political caucuses, not all blacks and Hispanics; he offered

1092-490: Was Kay Stafford, President and CEO of CMA Consulting Services and widow of the late Republican State Senator Ron Stafford . Bruno lived in Brunswick in Rensselaer County , New York . In September 2013, Bruno had successful surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney. In late July 2006, Bruno's 20-year-old granddaughter Rachel Bruno disappeared and her family alerted the authorities. In early August, Rachel

1131-477: Was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly from 1961 to 1978. On December 13, 1965, he was elected Minority Leader to replace George L. Ingalls at the beginning of the session of 1966. Duryea served as Assembly Minority Leader until becoming Speaker of the New York State Assembly ; he held that position from 1969 to 1973 and served as Minority Leader again from 1974 to 1978. After

1170-823: Was a delegate to the New York State Constitutional Convention of 1967, and a member of the New York Republican State Central Committee in 1968. Duryea was indicted for alleged election law violations in 1973, but charges were dropped. He was the defendant in People v. Duryea, 76 Misc.2d 948, 351 N.Y.S.2d 978 (1974), affirmed 44 A.D.2d 663, 354 N.Y.S.2d 129 (1974), a case about the right to anonymous free speech, later cited with approval in McIntyre v Ohio Election Commission (1995). In 1978 , Duryea

1209-569: Was a longtime member of the New York State Assembly . He served as speaker of the Assembly from 1969 to 1973 and ran unsuccessfully for Governor of New York in 1978. Duryea was born on October 18, 1921, in Montauk , Suffolk County, New York , the son of Perry B. Duryea Sr. (1891–1968). Duryea Sr. ran a wholesale seafood business, and later was a state senator and State Conservation Commissioner. Duryea Jr. attended East Hampton High School and graduated from Colgate University in 1942. He attained

Rice Building - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-487: Was acquitted on both remaining corruption charges. Almost one year after stepping down from being Senate Majority Leader, Bruno announced that he supported same-sex marriage—a position that in the past he had never taken publicly. In 2009, Bruno was asked by Governor David Paterson to speak out for same-sex marriage in Albany . Bruno also admitted in 2009 that he personally favored same-sex marriage but never brought it to

1287-751: Was aimed at stuffing the ballot box with Democratic voters. Bruno's position became more tenuous in February 2008 after the special election loss of the heavily Republican 48th District in Watertown , which had formerly been held by Sen. James W. Wright . This loss diminished the Republican Senate majority to a single seat, and press speculation centered on whether the remaining GOP senate caucus would cause Bruno to step down. On July 23, 2007, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo admonished Governor Eliot Spitzer's administration for ordering

1326-465: Was an American businessman and Republican politician from upstate New York . Bruno served in the New York State Senate from 1977 to 2008 and was Senate Majority Leader from 1994 to 2008. Bruno was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2009, but his conviction was overturned on appeal and a subsequent retrial resulted in an acquittal. Bruno was born in Glens Falls, New York and grew up in

1365-407: Was indicted on eight federal corruption charges, including mail and wire fraud . The indictment alleged that between 1993 and 2006, Bruno was paid $ 3.2 million in consulting fees to use his position to do favors for entities with business before the state. On December 7, 2009, Bruno was convicted of two counts of mail and wire fraud. He was acquitted of five felony charges, and the jury hung on

1404-470: Was published, and was "not consistent" with Spitzer administration claims that all it did was respond to a FOIL request. Cuomo concluded: "These e-mails show that persons in the governor's office did not merely produce records under a FOIL request , but were instead engaged in planning and producing media coverage concerning Senator Bruno's travel on state aircraft before any FOIL request was made." The report cleared Bruno of any legal violations in his use of

1443-504: Was recovered by police in Times Square when they traced her cellphone calls. 30-year-old John Savage, who Rachel had met on the internet, was arrested by police at the same spot. On October 6, 2020, Bruno died at his home in Brunswick, New York after a lengthy battle with cancer . He was 91. Perry B. Duryea Perry Belmont Duryea Jr. (October 18, 1921 – January 11, 2004) was an American politician. A Republican, Duryea

1482-447: Was sold in 2016 for $ 800,000 to Tai Ventures. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was involved in saving and restoring the building. The building features pointed-arch polychrome voussoirs . A plan to restore the building to its original aspect with architectural features including the towers was proposed by Joseph Michael Kelly, Architect and Engineer in 2015. Joseph Bruno Joseph Louis Bruno (April 8, 1929 – October 6, 2020)

1521-555: Was the Republican candidate for Governor of New York , but lost to the incumbent Hugh Carey . During the campaign, he had called for juveniles to be tried as adults for certain violent crimes, a move steadfastly opposed by Carey. The situation was dramatically altered, however, when Willie Bosket , a 15-year-old from Harlem , murdered three people in the New York City Subway and was only sentenced to five years in

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