The 1960s were not kind to Lansingburgh's history. The City of Troy permitted grocery store chains to demolish attractive, prominent, historic riverfront mansions. 865 Second Avenue was destroyed, The Abbey at 853 Second Avenue, the residence of Charles L. Pine at 851 Second Avenue, the Lansing Mansion (ca. 1750!) at 405 Second Avenue, along with their elaborately landscaped lawns. These were replaced with cinderblock boxes that denied those inside them the opportunity to view the river, denied the river view to those traveling Second Avenue or living on the east side of Second Avenue as well, and gave those traveling the river or looking east from Waterford a view of walls of cement.

D*E*L*I*G*H*T*F*U*LSPACIOUS 865 Second Avenue, opposite 125th St., plot 150’ extending to HUDSON RIVER with MAGNIFICENT trees, lawns shrubs, Fourteen GRAND ROOMS with TEN fireplaces, 2 bath, PANELED hall and main staircase, wide, AIRY PORCHES, new boiler, large garage with apartment and bath on second floor. Super for NURSING HOME or convert into APARTMENTS. Price low at $10,500.
GILBERT GEER, JR. & CO.THE OLD RELIABLEESTABLISHED 1858TROY 2381-2382
Times Record. October 20, 1945: 13.
Demolition Started For Lansingburg Shopping Area—$600,000 Market To Be IncludedBy HILDA GOODWIN
Buildings are being demolished in 2nd avenue just north of 124th street to make way for a shopping center to be built by Food Fair and to include a big modern Food Fair Store, Inc., market. Officials of the company said that the cost of a market such as they plan is about $600,000. This includes land, building, inventory and fixtures.Building of the new Food Fair market will start immediately after the site is cleared. Officials of the company said they were not ready to announce names of other concerns in the shopping center but that they are preparing to sign up several other tenants.The Food Fair market alone will employ 75 persons, company officers said.Food Fair has 42 supermarkets in New York State and 437 on the east coast. The construction of a shopping center in Troy was called “part of Food Fair’s expansion in upper New York State and particularly in the Troy, Albany, Schenectady area.”The company will open a supermarket at the Mid-City Shopping Center in Menands on July 26 and also has leased a site in Schenectady.The property in 2nd avenue at 124th street has been purchased from Matthew F. Guire, Dr. A. B. Diamante, E. W. Crocker and Mrs. Lenora Fusco and runs from 853-863 2nd Ave.The broker for the purchase of the land was the Fort Orange Realty Co. of Albany.The property has 635 feet frontage on 2nd avenue and is 370 feet deep.The Food Fair market will have 20,000 square feet of space. Equipment will be of the most modern, officers of Food Fair said.Times Record. July 8, 1961: 1.