I’ll Believe It When I NO LONGER See It: Albany’s Central Warehouse May Finally Come Down

Is Albany’s Central Warehouse Finally Coming Down?

For as long as I can remember, we’ve been talking about the eventual demolition of Albany’s Central Warehouse. And yet, there it is...

Still standing.

At this point, Central Warehouse is basically the zombie in a horror movie. You can set it on fire, knock pieces off it, leave it abandoned for decades, and somehow every time you look back...it’s still in your rearview mirror.

Photo: Google Maps

But this time, Albany County says it has finally cleared one of the biggest remaining hurdles.

Albany County Finally Gets the Permit for Demolition

According to CBS6, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy says the county now has the permits needed to demolish Central Warehouse.

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. One major complication involved working with Amtrak because railroad tracks run alongside the building. McCoy says getting the necessary permits and approvals contributed to delays, and he credited a recent visit from U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy with helping move things along.
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Meanwhile, the massive cleanup inside the building is reportedly nearing completion. Reports say that more than 4,000 tons of material and debris have been removed since August of 2025 as part of the process.

So, is this really it?  I guess we'll just wait and see.

Albany Will NEVER Look the Same Again

Meanwhile, here's something I never thought I'd say: Albany is going to look a little strange without it.

The building has been vacant for more than 35 years. It's survived a massive fire in 2010, years of graffiti and vandalism, ownership disputes, falling concrete and even concerns in 2022 that part of the building could collapse onto nearby railroad tracks.

For decades, that giant ugly box has been part of the Albany skyline. But we've also become so accustomed to seeing it that when it's finally gone, Albany might look like a familiar face that's suddenly missing a tooth.

An ugly, decaying tooth that desperately needed to be pulled. But a tooth nonetheless.

Photo: Google Maps