Here's a typical house in Troy under restoration. Their research library is open, at no charge, to the public. St. Located in the lower level of the building, the visitors center contains many displays with information on the Troy, Albany, Cohoes area, including industrial artifacts. There is an impressive slide show, which uses multiple slide projectors, that you can view. The visitor's center has many brochures about sites in the area.
Admission is free.
There is also a back entrance from Riverfront Park. If there's a performance at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall while you're in town, you might consider attending to relax and enjoy the music as well as the impressive hall itself. The music hall, which opened in 1875, is built over the Troy Savings Bank. The lower floor consists of the bank, and the rest of the building is dedicated to the hall. Known for its near-perfect acoustics, it seats more than 1,000 people and has two balconies.