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SCHENECTADY
Old bank adds to rebirth of downtown
Key Hall available for events, with catering in place
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    Months of work to turn an old bank into an elegant banquet hall culminated in an unveiling that left visitors wowed Thursday.
    The renamed Key Hall, in what was once Key Bank, is now twice as wide as it appeared to be when Proctors bought it last March.
    The thick marble counter that split the narrow building in two has now been painstakingly moved to the far wall — with very few pieces broken along the way, Proctors CEO Philip Morris said.
    The walls have been repainted to accent the ornamental columns and the richly designed ceiling. Carpet now covers the floor where the tellers worked behind their marble counter, and the vault now leads to a kitchen.
    The main entrance is no longer the front door. Workers cut through the back wall to reach Proctors’ arcade and have created a new entrance there.
    The new route is not merely a hallway. The doors open onto a wide, comfortable lobby area that leads to the banquet hall.
    That possible connection was one of Morris’ main reasons for buying the building. He was delighted by the fi nal product.
    “It’s more comfortable than I thought,” he said. “It’s better than I thought.”
    He had worried that the fl oors would vary greatly in height, forcing him to create an unsightly series of ramps. But when they broke through the wall and measured, they found that the fl oors were less than an inch apart. Now the lobby slopes at a rate of half an inch over 20 feet — unnoticeable, Morris said proudly.
    He’s also pleased with the banquet hall, which he had to redecorate on a limited budget.
    “I love it. It’s exactly what I envisioned,” he said. “You know, it was a beautiful building. It didn’t take that much vision.”
    Angelo Mazzone, whose Mansion Catering company will run the kitchen, wanted to hold events there as soon as he heard that Proctors was buying it.
    He said he didn’t rest on his laurels. Despite running a series of successful local restaurants and managing a popular catering company, he was worried he might not be selected to cater at Key Hall.
    “[Chamber of Commerce President] Chuck [Steiner] said it’s just another building, but that’s not true,” Mazzone said. “I couldn’t let this one go.”
    He was one of many who used Thursday’s unveiling to declare that Schenectady is no longer a dying city.
    “Schenectady’s a whole different space right now,” he said. “It’s time for everyone to believe Schenectady has now arrived. Everything we want in Schenectady, we have.”
    County Legislature Chairman Susan Savage called it the “wow” effect. “It’s another wow day in Schenectady County,” she said.
Those who once “made fun of Schenectady” now realize they’re wrong, she added. “We showed we can make positive change,” she said. ....................>>>>....................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1

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Unadulterated Schenectady/facebook

WOW! Another huge building taken off the tax rolls by the DEM crony capitalists. Is Mercury Morris going to finally pay a fair share PILOT? No rush on that. He's got a growing empire to oversee.

     More cheer leading for implosion at the Gazetto. Breathless quotes from the usual suspects. This should finally do the trick?-lol- While the comped elite wine and dine actual taxpaying residents are afraid to walk outside their homes and can't pay huge tax bills. The real story is no private company wanted Key Bank so Death Ray gave it to his buddy.

Check out the picture! WOW-what happened? For the sheeple to take a peek an admission fee will be charged! It's not enough that the sheeple have to pay all the taxes on this newest Proctor's cash cow? No shame in the DEMS game.

     Before you take a paid peek-make sure pick up a socialist cuppa at Proctor's new, improved, Muddy Cup! Tax free of course-remember Proctor's is a non-profit that refuses to pay any PILOT.

Talk about free advertisements.

Mazzone: "  Everything we want in Schenectady, we have.”


He sure does doesn't he. What about everyone else?

Mazzone: "  Everything we want in Schenectady, we have.”


He sure does doesn't he. What about everyone else?

We have huge tax bills and poor welfare and elderly people who can't afford to buy much.

"It's another WOW day in Schenectady County!" stated Landslide Savage.      
    "Schenectady's a whole different space right now!" stated Angelo Mazzone.

     Unfortunately both are true in regards to this criminal rampage. Crime and gang activity are at record levels with clueless City "leadership" more interested in illegal pension padding than arresting criminals. A real WOW day will be when both Landslide Savage and Mayor SOS are sent packing.

     BT-AMC has a better trauma unit. There was a horrible head on collision on Rosa Rd right near the Ellis ER. The victims were choppered to Albany Med Center.

WOW! Smells like teen spirit.

The place looks great.   It will be a great venue for banquets and other such events.   Great addition to downtown Schenectady.

I say if this is all Schdy has to offer than he doesn't want much.  I wouldn't go to Schenectady for ANYTHING because it hasn't got anything.  Well the venue sure will have parking--because NOBODY GOES NOWN THERE.  They don't need to pay taxes but we need to tax the churches and other houses of worship?

Quoted from Yossi

I say if this is all Schdy has to offer than he doesn't want much.  I wouldn't go to Schenectady for ANYTHING because it hasn't got anything.  Well the venue sure will have parking--because NOBODY GOES NOWN THERE.  They don't need to pay taxes but we need to tax the churches and other houses of worship?

I see a whole bunch of people working, shopping and otherwise enjoying downtown.   So .. you are far from accurate saying that nobody goes down there.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The place looks great.   It will be a great venue for banquets and other such events.   Great addition to downtown Schenectady.

More crapola. It looked better as a private bank on the CITY TAX ROLLS. Mercury Morris looks terrible. Can't he pay for a decent suit for public appearances?

     Is Proctor's/Morris/OSM/Cap Rep/Muddy Cup/Catering Hall finally going to pay a fair share PILOT or do the churches have to pick up his tab?

Anyone, business owner or politician, who supports this unfair taxation that results in the residents shouldering the tax burden, is clearly  not a  friend to the taxpayers. These politicians should be voted out and the businesses should be boycotted!!

Their attempt to approach churches and/or any non profit  to foot the bill for their financial irresponsibility is proof alone that the local government leaders have failed the taxpayers and should be booted out in November!

The only non profit that seems to be getting a pass is Morris' tax paid empire! People should be appalled.