SCHENECTADY — Big House restaurant, the eatery and pub that eight years ago jump-started Albany's effort to bring nightlife to its downtown, is opening a new operation on Schenectady's State Street that will feature rooftop and sidewalk dining.
Big House owner Stephen J. Waite said he hopes to begin construction in June and in October open a 25,000-square-foot restaurant at 411 State St., the one-time home of a Family Dollar Store.
He said he expects to open a multifloor restaurant in the building that will be similar in layout to the original Big House on Albany's Sheridan Avenue.
“It did start a renaissance in that area, and hopefully we'll be able to do the same thing in Schenectady,” Waite said Tuesday.
Established in 1996, the Big House was one of the first restaurants that opened as part of Albany's effort to convert North Pearl Street into an entertainment district.
Schenectady officials hope Big House will have the same impact on that city's downtown, and they are willing to pay for it.
The Metroplex Development Authority, funded with $6 million in annual sales-tax revenue, is giving the Big House a $950,000 no-interest loan and a $250,000 facade grant for the $3 million project.
Metroplex paid local businessmen Dan Ertel and James Commarto $300,000 for 411 State St. and will sell the building for the same amount to the Big House.
Metroplex officials also announced they are buying four State Street buildings between Jay and Clinton streets from Commarto for a total of $800,000. The authority plans to draw new businesses to those buildings, though Metroplex board Chairman Ray Gillen said he expects some of the businesses that currently occupy the buildings to stay.
Waite said he expects to offer outdoor dining both on the sidewalk and first floor of the four-story Schenectady restaurant. He also has plans for further dining space on the roof. Company officials expect to employee 50 full- and part-time employees.
“It's a Capital Region brand,” Stratton said, noting that the restaurant is well-known around the region.
The Big House is the latest business to relocate to downtown Schenectady after receiving financial assistance from Metroplex. The recruitment effort is part of Metroplex's plans to build an entertainment district downtown tied to the $22.4 million expansion of Proctor's Theatre, a project that will allow the nation's biggest touring shows to play at the venerable playhouse.
Angelo Mazzone, a powerhouse restaurateur who owns the Glen Sanders Mansion, the soon-to-open Angelo's Prime 677 Steak House, and a catering empire, plans to build a $2.3 million upscale restaurant, wine bar and coffee shop in four buildings at 414-416, 420, 422 and 426 State St.
The Mallozzi family, which owns Mallozzi's Restaurant and Villa Italia Bakery in Rotterdam, is planning a $2 million renovation of a nearby Broadway building that will become a new bakery and pastry shop.
William Schwarz, director of communications and public affairs of Union College, said student surveys conducted by Metroplex revealed a demand for a downtown restaurant and tavern. Some of the students suggested an establishment like the Big House.
“They mentioned it by name,” Schwarz said.
The Big House opened a restaurant on Wolf Road in Colonie several years ago, but the business closed in 2003. The building was initially closed for renovations, but another restaurant soon moved in.
Metroplex's Gillen said he is confident the Schenectady restaurant will succeed.
“They have a 10-year record of success in downtown Albany,” Gillen said. “They drew large numbers to their Albany establishment.”