The Park and the Neighborhood
Frear Park opened in 1917 on land given by the Frear family and grew to 247 acres, with trails, tennis courts, two lakes named Wright and Bradley, an ice rink that opened in 1980 and a municipal golf course. The course started with nine holes in 1931 and went to 18 in 1964. Part of it crosses into the Town of Brunswick.
NY 40 runs through the neighborhood on Oakwood Avenue after leaving Hoosick Street near the Collar City Bridge. Oakwood Cemetery, 352 acres and the resting place of Samuel Wilson, the Troy meatpacker linked to Uncle Sam, sits just to the north. The city has plans for the park for 2026 and 2027, including a rebuilt North Lake playground and a new splash pad next to the rink.
Two Kinds of Housing
Frear Park splits into two very different housing stocks. South of the park, along Frear Avenue, Farview Avenue and Oakwood Avenue, the census tract shows about half of homes built in 1939 or earlier, about 55 percent of units in two-to-four-unit buildings, and about three quarters of households renting. About a quarter of its homes were built in 2000 or later.
East of the park, around Lavin Court, Frear Park Road and North Lake Avenue, the housing is much newer. That tract has a median build year of 1985 and about 28 percent of homes built after 2000. Gas is the main heat for about three quarters of homes, and electricity for about a fifth.
Systems We See Here
Newer condos and apartments east of the park often have electric heat, either baseboard or an electric furnace, sometimes with a heat pump. Those homes are good candidates for a ductless or ducted heat pump, which heats with far less electricity than baseboard for the same warmth. Energy Star's ductless heating and cooling page explains how they work.
The older blocks south of the park are more like the rest of old Troy: boilers, gas furnaces that replaced older systems, window units and ductless heads for cooling. In rentals, the question is often which system serves which apartment and who controls the thermostat.
Frear Park heat or cooling? Call.
Call (838) 884-0024Frear Park Streets
We work on Frear Avenue, Oakwood Avenue, Lavin Court, Frear Park Road, Farview Avenue, North Lake Avenue, 15th Street, Middleburgh Street and Ingalls Avenue. The golf course pro shop is on Lavin Court, and Elementary School Number 2 serves the neighborhood.
Frear Park Questions
My condo has electric baseboard heat. Can I add a ductless heat pump?
Usually, yes. A ductless heat pump can heat and cool the main rooms and let the baseboard handle the coldest days or the smaller rooms. Condo rules on outdoor unit placement are worth checking first.
Can one outdoor unit run several rooms?
Yes. Multi-zone ductless systems run two or more indoor heads off one outdoor unit, each with its own control. For a larger home, separate outdoor units per floor are sometimes the better fit.
Why does my electric heat run so much in winter?
Baseboard and electric furnaces turn electricity straight into heat, and Troy winters are long. Drafts, thin insulation and a thermostat that swings a lot add to it. A heat pump is the usual upgrade.