SAC #08: Lawyers' Row

07/03/13 • 30 min

TROY, N.Y. -- They say history doesn't actually repeat. But it does rhyme. Duncan Crary and Troy Attorney E. Stewart Jones Jr. share a legacy that binds them to one of America's most notorious Prohibition Era Gangsters, Jack "Legs" Diamond. Crary's great-grandfather, John, was the New York Sun correspondent assigned to cover Governor FDR’s statewide roundup of the Diamond gang. Jones' grandfather, Abbott, was the attorney representing Legs in an infamous trial in Troy on the last night of the gangster's life. Today, Crary and Jones carry on their ancestors' work in the same trades, in the same city. Music by Jack Casey.

Previous Episode

SAC #07: Reclamation

TROY, N.Y. -- It's been almost 10 years since Vic Christopher, 37, and Heather La Vine, 35, landed in Troy. They came here to recharge a minor league baseball team.

But they fell in love with the city and with each other. Their "office" romance was not allowed. So they got hitched and left professional sports. Today, they're working to revitalize the city, instead.

Last year, the husband-and-wife team opened The Charles F. Lucas Confectionery & Wine Bar at 12 Second St., a building they own and live in. It was an instant hit in town, with its eclectic décor of reclaimed materials and Troy ephemera.

Just over a week ago, the couple purchased an adjoining building described as "one of the most endangered buildings in downtown Troy."

In this rolling and sometimes outrageous conversation, Duncan Crary speaks with Christopher and La Vine about love, marriage, urban renewal, gentrification, economic development and The American Dream.

At the start of this episode, Crary reads a personal essay, "So you think you own this?"

Music: "Untitled #9" by mount mole; "Downwind" by Sean Rowe.