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Metrofix: The Combative Comeback of a Company Town
Cities are about living with other people; suburbs are about isolate happiness.
Metrofix: The Combative Comeback of a Company Town shows what went right and what went wrong when General Electric moved most of its businesses out of Schenectady, New York. Once known as “The City that Lights and Hauls the World” because of its electrical and railroad industries, the Electric City enjoyed decades of dizzying, enviable success. Like other river towns upstate, it was a 20th-century, economic powerhouse that fueled the wealth and reputation of the Empire State.
But between 1960 and 2000, this company town would lose 30,000 residents, a third of its population, mainly through aggressive layoffs by GE. Schenectady, like so many other cities in post-industrial America, faced overwhelming forces that pushed it toward imminent flight to the suburbs; a diminished tax base; a corrupt police department; relentless political warfare; gang and drug problems in decaying neighborhoods; a burgeoning surplus of zombie houses; and mounting deficits. In spite of it all, though, Schenectady’s business leaders and arts lovers, politicians and volunteers, non-profit organizations and philanthropic foundations, neighborhood associations and volunteers, all found innovative ways to rebuild their city, and this riveting book chronicles those efforts.
With historic photos, deeply-researched details of the city’s successes and failures, and thought-provoking portraits of some of its most dynamic citizens, Metrofix is an inspirational story that shows how an acclaimed theater, (Proctor’s), a business-led, volunteer revitalization organization, (Schenectady 2000), a unique public authority, (Metroplex), and hundreds of dedicated citizens pulled their city back from the brink of disaster and did, in fact, change their world.
Praise for Metrofix
“In William Patrick’s meticulously-researched and delightfully-written telling, the story of Schenectady is the story of much of America – a company town at the core of an innovative industry, growth followed by deindustrialization and urban decline, a hard-fought comeback fueled by immigration and local initiative.”
-Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class
“My dad took a job as the manager of the General Electric Athletic Association, so from 1950 to 1963 – until I went off to college in Kentucky – Schenectady is where I grew up. What a place to be raised in. Everyone worked. Everyone played. Everyone seemed to have fun. Everyone believed in America. A blue collar city where people took a lot of pride in being part of its growth, Schenectady and the people I met there made me. William B. Patrick’s deep dive into this great city’s past, with the very up-close and personal transformation to today, is an incredible piece of work that will humble anyone who reads this story. It is fascinating.”
-Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat
Metrofix: The Combative Comeback of a Company Town shows what went right and what went wrong when General Electric moved most of its businesses out of Schenectady, New York. Once known as “The City that Lights and Hauls the World” because of its electrical and railroad industries, the Electric City enjoyed decades of dizzying, enviable success. Like other river towns upstate, it was a 20th-century, economic powerhouse that fueled the wealth and reputation of the Empire State.
But between 1960 and 2000, this company town would lose 30,000 residents, a third of its population, mainly through aggressive layoffs by GE. Schenectady, like so many other cities in post-industrial America, faced overwhelming forces that pushed it toward imminent flight to the suburbs; a diminished tax base; a corrupt police department; relentless political warfare; gang and drug problems in decaying neighborhoods; a burgeoning surplus of zombie houses; and mounting deficits. In spite of it all, though, Schenectady’s business leaders and arts lovers, politicians and volunteers, non-profit organizations and philanthropic foundations, neighborhood associations and volunteers, all found innovative ways to rebuild their city, and this riveting book chronicles those efforts.
With historic photos, deeply-researched details of the city’s successes and failures, and thought-provoking portraits of some of its most dynamic citizens, Metrofix is an inspirational story that shows how an acclaimed theater, (Proctor’s), a business-led, volunteer revitalization organization, (Schenectady 2000), a unique public authority, (Metroplex), and hundreds of dedicated citizens pulled their city back from the brink of disaster and did, in fact, change their world.
Praise for Metrofix
“In William Patrick’s meticulously-researched and delightfully-written telling, the story of Schenectady is the story of much of America – a company town at the core of an innovative industry, growth followed by deindustrialization and urban decline, a hard-fought comeback fueled by immigration and local initiative.”
-Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class
“My dad took a job as the manager of the General Electric Athletic Association, so from 1950 to 1963 – until I went off to college in Kentucky – Schenectady is where I grew up. What a place to be raised in. Everyone worked. Everyone played. Everyone seemed to have fun. Everyone believed in America. A blue collar city where people took a lot of pride in being part of its growth, Schenectady and the people I met there made me. William B. Patrick’s deep dive into this great city’s past, with the very up-close and personal transformation to today, is an incredible piece of work that will humble anyone who reads this story. It is fascinating.”
-Pat Riley, President of the Miami Heat
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 17, 2022
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 2, 2022
This book is a satisfying history of the city of Schenectady over the past 100 years or so, but is primarily focused on the transformation of the last twenty years to being the city back from its lowest depths.
The book generally paints General Electric as the villain. While that is fair, the author does include enough history to satisfy the reader regarding the historic dysfunction of city and county government and systemic corruption that plagued the city for years. To those looking for any new salacious details, there are no new revelations and the majority of the story’s more current facts and timelines feel informed from local newspaper reporting. To the author’s credit there are some interesting touches of history sprinkled in (such as the origin story of the founder of Proctors Theatre) that add texture to the story.
I’m the end this is a hero’s story with the phoenix rising from the ashes. It admits to offering adulation for the leaders who made it happen, and that praise is well deserved. It’s a worthy read for someone who knows the city or is interested in how a city can transform itself successfully, appreciating that in the end it comes down to people who care enough to make it so.
The book generally paints General Electric as the villain. While that is fair, the author does include enough history to satisfy the reader regarding the historic dysfunction of city and county government and systemic corruption that plagued the city for years. To those looking for any new salacious details, there are no new revelations and the majority of the story’s more current facts and timelines feel informed from local newspaper reporting. To the author’s credit there are some interesting touches of history sprinkled in (such as the origin story of the founder of Proctors Theatre) that add texture to the story.
I’m the end this is a hero’s story with the phoenix rising from the ashes. It admits to offering adulation for the leaders who made it happen, and that praise is well deserved. It’s a worthy read for someone who knows the city or is interested in how a city can transform itself successfully, appreciating that in the end it comes down to people who care enough to make it so.
December 28, 2021
One of the most engaging books I’ve read this year, Metrofix had me glued to my seat! Having grown up in Schenectady as the daughter of a “GE lifer” (as we all called those who worked at the company for their entire work lives), and started my own career there at KAPL, Global Research and the downtown GE Power campus, I saw firsthand the truly wonderful and sometimes awful parts of what the company could do for it’s people and their town. In addition, the story of Proctors Theater and how close it came to being razed was eye-opening; this top-end, stunningly gorgeous theater is an absolute mainstay of downtown, and brings many to the capital region to enjoy its offerings and shop and eat here, as well. Bill Patrick beautifully captures all of this and much more of the town’s history, growth, downfall and rebirth, along with stories of so many of the people who have given extraordinarily of their time, creativity and expertise to bring this place back to a humming, thriving metropolis once again.
Interesting history, fascinating leadership lessons, great photos - Metrofix is an absolute “must read!”
Interesting history, fascinating leadership lessons, great photos - Metrofix is an absolute “must read!”
December 11, 2021
A powerful story about how a small city, Schenectady NY, weathered the severe downsizing of its largest employer, General Electric, rising back to revitalize its economy. It’s not done yet, but this remarkable story underscores how a large group of community volunteers fought back to save - and reimagine- the City they love. Through interviews with over 100 Schenectadians from all walks, Patrick shares a story that will resonate with rust belt “company” towns throughout the United States.
January 9, 2022
This was an excellent book for my first read of 2022. Having lived through much of the history depicted in the book, it was a wonderful and colorful portrait of Schenectady and the many individuals, including villains and heroes, who brought us to the present, which is a city on the rise. Patrick’s book should serve as a blueprint to other city leaders facing similar challenges.
January 6, 2026
I really liked it. Comprehensible and succinct. It nicely packaged the history of Schenectady’s urban renewal and de industrialization. It felt a bit one sided, i’d be interested to hear other citizens’ perspectives and more from news sources at the time.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews