Restorations at Kate Mullany House almost complete

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Kate Mullany House in Troy is making strides towards reopening. 

The national historic site was damaged when a car crashed into the building in 2020, interrupting long-term restoration efforts.

“The damage was down there on the first floor, the car came up on Hoosick Street and ran right into the back door on the first floor and smashed it all in," P. Thomas Carroll, volunteer historian for the Kate Mullany Historic Site, said. "It’s just recently been pretty much fully restored.”

Kate Mullany was an Irish immigrant and pioneer of the labor rights movement, organizing the first all-female labor union, the Collar Laundry Union, after facing brutal working conditions in Troy. She led a successful six-day strike to increase wages and improve working conditions in 1864, leading her to be the first woman appointed to a national labor union’s office. 

Congressman Paul Tonko (D) toured the historic site today and spoke about a resolution he put forward in the House of Representatives to honor Mullany and her contributions to the American labor movement during Women’s History Month; echoing her work and the labor equality movement that continues today. 

“It just reminds of what she did to fight for 19th Century Women in the workforce and the fight continues," Tonko said. "Surprisingly and painfully, we are still not on par for women.”

The site is expected to reopen in the coming months.

“I hope people will be inspired by the fact that this can be you too," Carroll said. "Women were much more involved in the cultural development of a prosperous city like Troy than most people realize.”