HVAC Repair in Beman Park and Near RPI, Troy, NY

The Hill Above Downtown

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1824 and sits on a hill overlooking Troy and the Hudson. Its campus is split by 15th Street, with most athletic and housing buildings to the east. Hoosick Street, which carries NY 7 across the city, borders the hill to the north.

East of campus is Beman Park. The park was set aside in 1879 at Peoples Avenue and 15th Street on land given by John Sherry, on the condition that it honor Nathan Beman, an abolitionist pastor and RPI's fourth president. The city put federal money into it in 2023 for a dog park, a playground, drainage and new walkways. The Troy and Rensselaer County historian's walking tour defines the neighborhood as 15th Street to Burdett Avenue, and the park to Sage Avenue.

Housing on the Hill

The streets closest to campus are old and mostly multi-unit. In the census tract around Sage Avenue and College Avenue, about 55 percent of homes were built by 1939, about 74 percent of units are in two-to-four-unit buildings, and only about 30 percent are owner-occupied. About 68 percent heat mainly with gas and about 29 percent with electricity, one of the higher electric shares in the city.

Samaritan Hospital moved to Burdett Avenue, at the east end of Beman Park, in 1914. Several buildings nearby are on the National Register, including the Chapel and Cultural Center on Burdett Avenue and a fraternity house on Sage Avenue.

Rentals and Multi-Unit Houses

With most units on the Hill rented, many heating and cooling questions come from landlords and tenants. In a two-to-four-unit house, the common questions are which system serves which unit, why one apartment is cold while another is too hot, and whether each unit can get its own controls. One shared boiler with a single thermostat in the owner's unit is a common source of complaints upstairs.

Separate heat pumps or ductless units per apartment give each tenant control over their own heating and cooling, and put each on their own electric meter. Zoning an existing boiler can also help. We work on the building as it stands and lay out the options for the owner.

Streets We Cover

We work on 15th Street, Peoples Avenue, Sage Avenue, Burdett Avenue, College Avenue, Eighth Street, Sherry Road, Eaton Road, Griswold Road and Eagle Street, and the blocks down to Hoosick Street. Troy High School is on Burdett Avenue, and the Houston Field House and '86 Field are on the RPI side.

Beman Park and RPI Area Questions