This Federal-style townhouse at 59 Second Street is among the finest surviving examples of early 19th-century domestic architecture in New York State. Built in 1827 for William Howard, a hardware merchant, it was later owned by the Hart and Cluett families — the Cluetts being the shirt-and-collar manufacturers who helped make Troy the collar-making capital of America. The mansion is now operated by the Rensselaer County Historical Society as a house museum, with period rooms furnished to reflect life in Troy's merchant class during the decades when the city was at the height of its prosperity.
The collections include furniture, silver, ceramics, and a research library on local history. A separate carriage house on the property has been converted into gallery space for changing exhibitions.