Tech incubator eyed for old St. Patrick's school on Albany's Central Ave.

The state has committed $850,000 to convert the old St. Patrick's parochial school on Central Avenue into an incubator center for technology start-up companies and entrepreneurs.

Years passed and ideas for repurposing the three-story, 28,000-square-foot, red brick structure — including a satellite campus for a community college or housing for international students — failed to materialize.

Earlier this month, the dormant project was revived with $350,000 in Empire State Development Grant funds and $500,000 through the New York Main Street Program — with funding from the New York state Housing Trust Fund Corporation earmarked for revitalizing Main Streets.

The $850,000 will cover renovation of entryway steps; replacement of windows with energy-efficient ones and construction of an exterior elevator to replace a rusty fire escape.

The goal is to rent space to several small start-ups, such as a graphic design studio, video production company and smartphone app developer.

Begun in 2004 in a parking garage that had partially collapsed, the Tech Garden has grown into a successful business incubator for manufacturing and services businesses that brings together entrepreneurs, mentors, investors and businesses.