The old and currently vacated building that used to be Lombardo's Restaurant in Albany is still quite the striking sight when you drive by it, which I did recently.

The giant "Lombardo's" sign that sits proudly in the middle of the classic downtown Albany building conjures up memories of the past for a restaurant that has over 100 years of history steeped within its walls.

I can't lie, it's been a bummer every time I've ridden past it since it closed for good back in December of 2018, and I can't help but think about how this space - this beautiful old building- appears to be just wasting away.

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And then I read a post on the Albany threat of Reddit, and my interest was piqued as I saw one of the users showed us a photo of the sign on the front door teasing what will become of the historic restaurant on Madison Avenue.

The photo showed that the old Lombardo's will become the "Future Home of Hattie's Restaurant."

Hattie's opened back in 1938 on Phila Street, and since that time, the tremendously successful fried chicken spot in Saratoga Springs has become as legendary in the Spa City for chicken, as the racecourse is for racing. The addition of Hattie's in the downtown Albany/ Pearl Street area will be a welcome addition to the city.

We reached out to the owners of the space for comment and did not hear back by the time we published the article.  There is no word on when Hattie's Restaurant will be open for business.

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