Providing Lasting Effective
Revitalization
New York State awarded the city of Gloversville a $10 million grant as part of the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) in December 2021.
In November of the following year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the final projects that would be part of the DRI, giving the city the green light to begin.
By May of last year, the city celebrated the completion of four projects with the expectation of a fifth, all designed to create the synergy and momentum needed to bring the city back to a state of vibrancy and economic health, what then-Mayor Vincent DeSantis describes as “a 21st century post-industrial community.”
Focus on the Arts
“There are multiple DRI projects under the $10 million umbrella that are related to culture and the arts,” said Jim Meinhold, President of the Board of the Memorial Hall Cultural & Arts Center, Inc. “The city of Gloversville, through the planning process, decided one of the key tracks that they wanted to go down was to recreate Gloversville along the lines of arts and culture,” he said, noting that the goal is to attract artists to the city. The Memorial Hall Cultural & Arts Center occupies Schine Memorial Hall, and the DRI project there was the first to be completed in April 2025.
The Schine is just one example of Gloversville’s long history with the arts. Schine Memorial Hall started out as the Kasson Opera House, opened in 1881. In the 1920s, the Schine brothers purchased it to be the headquarters for their movie business, Schine Enterprises.
They converted the building to office space. It remained a busy one, filled with commercial activity in the 1960s and 1970s until economic disinvestment came in as the leather industry declined.
The building was largely vacant in the 1990s and early 2000s when a group of citizens came together to save the building. In 2011, they formed Schine Memorial Hall, LLC and later the nonprofit Memorial Hall Cultural & Arts Center, Inc. in 2023.
The organization received $346,000 from the DRI to renovate two spaces of the building’s third floor, which is geared towards the arts with a music school and the Schine Gallery. The DRI funds paid for the installation of new heating and HVAC and a kitchenette as well as the creation of an artists’ cooperative workspace. “We’re trying to attract artists of all different genres,” said Ron Zimmerman, co-manager of Schine Memorial Hall, LLC, the owner of the building.
“It can be used for a private workspace, lessons, workshops, exhibitions and meetings,” Meinhold said. “Whether it’s artists, photographers, actors, sculptors, dancers, musicians, potters—if it falls underneath the arts banner, which is a broad banner, we have space that we will be renting for people to use.”
The seven storefronts on the first floor of the building are all rented, and six tenants occupy office space on the second floor.
The east side of the building is a space dedicated to a museum. “We want to create a local cultural, history and industry museum,” Zimmerman said. The center is working with representatives of the Glove Theater to make their vision a reality.
Zimmerman notes that the space was planned to be in alignment with the overall goal of bringing in more people to work and live downtown.
“Hopefully, we will just be one of the puzzle pieces that will really bring downtown back to being a lively place where people are wandering around, shopping, and doing all the kinds of things that people do in vibrant towns and cities,” Meinhold said.
The Glove Theatre’s renovation is another DRI project currently in the works. The 1914 building was the Schine Theater Circuit’s flagship, and like other structures, fell into disrepair. About $2 million of the DRI funds are dedicated to the rigging and lighting system, restoring the balcony, and acoustics. Another $2 million was awarded from the state’s Restore-NY program for this project. Last year, the theatre hired Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation Firm to map out the full restoration project for the theater, an $18 million project.
To create synergy in the area, the historic Carriage House across the street from the Glove Theatre, vacant for two decades along with the nearby former City Hall building, will provide before-and-after activities for theatergoers after restoration and repurposing.
During the Glove Theatre’s restoration, the Kasson Carriage House, which received $1.6 million in DRI funding as well as $1.5 million grant from the Restore-NY program, will host the theatre’s performances. Once completed, the mixed commercial-residential building will house a sports bar and restaurant on the first floor and a game room on the lower level.
The former City Hall municipal building received $250,000 in DRI funding for renovations to house a new restaurant with front sidewalk and rear patio dining, and a bakery in the front of the building with take-out and ice cream in the rear. Construction on this building began at the end of 2025.
To attract artists to the city and provide affordable housing, Ken Kearney of the Kearney Development Group, who has a track record of downtown vitalization in several parts of the state, invested $22 million, including $1.2 million in DRI funding to build Glove City Lofts. He renovated a vacant commercial structure on Church Street, turning it into a 75-unit loft-style affordable housing apartment building. The space also includes a 2,000-square foot art gallery operated by the Glove Cities Arts Alliance. The Fulton County Center for Regional Growth (FCCRG) worked with Kearney to secure other funding and tax credits for the project.
Premier Recreation Areas
A trio of projects completed in 2025 are all dedicated to recreation and enjoyment of the downtown area.
St. Thomas Square, which was formerly an underutilized parking lot around the Farmers Market Pavilion, was transformed into a new pedestrian area around the Farmers Market with an outdoor firepit and four-season pavilion. The project received $1.1 million of DRI funding as well as a $250,000 grant from the St. Thomas Foundation and $250,000 from National Grid.
A vacant parcel where the Littauer Building sat until it was demolished after having fallen into decay, has been transformed into the “Piazza,” a new public square, with the help of $435,000 of DRI funds. The piazza is now a gathering place with an urban park atmosphere for public concerts and performances and weekly outdoor movie nights.
DRI funds helped to complete Phase II of the Trail Station Park Extension project. The first phase, funded by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation with a $365,000 grant, included landscaping, the construction of a bridge over the Cayadutta Creek, and the installation of a splash pad. Phase II of the project was the construction of a building to house bathrooms and a kitchenette area.
Eight In One
Gloversville dedicated $540,000 of the DRI funds for the Gloversville Revitalization and Improvement Program (GRIP). The GRIP provides smaller grants, up to $100,000 per project, to smaller businesses and organizations for their projects. Thus far, one project, The Shoeleather Express, a square- and round-dance facility next to St. Thomas Square, has been completed. Exterior masonry work was done on the structure. Last year, Gloversville began construction on three more GRIP projects.
Patience Required
The city of Gloversville is excited about the DRI’s progress to date and is looking forward to beginning other projects. Nick Zabawsky, the grant writer for the DRI, points out that completion will take several more years. “It’s one piece at a time,” he said. “You keep building and build momentum. People need to see transformational change, and that will trigger more private investment and more traffic downtown.”
While Gloversville has completed half of its DRI projects in just two and a half years, Jennifer Donovan, Gloversville Downtown Development Specialist at the Fulton County Center for Regional Growth, explains that the process for any project is a lengthy one. “It’s crucial to understand that true revitalization takes time,” she said. “Projects are complex and require significant effort,” she said, noting that her comments aren’t meant to discourage. “Instead, it highlights that effective, lasting revitalization demands patience. Considering our DRI projects were officially announced in November 2022, being halfway through our plan in just three years is truly a significant accomplishment.”
Ready to Build the Future in Fulton County?
This year’s Initiatives Guide is more than a report—it’s a launchpad. Whether you’re here to expand your enterprise or start something entirely new, Fulton County is ready to support your next big move.
All Rights Reserved. Website by