By Dave Warner
LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts celebrated the dedication of its new gallery space on Thursday evening, naming it the Alan & Linda Vincent Gallery in recognition of the couple’s decades-long contributions to historic preservation and community revitalization in the city.
The event, held at the center’s recently relocated facility at 410 Canal Place, also featured a mayoral proclamation declaring September 18, 2025, as Alan and Linda Vincent Day.
The ceremony highlighted the Vincents’ pivotal role in transforming Little Falls’ Canal Place district, once a collection of derelict mill buildings, into a thriving hub of arts, commerce, and green space. Alan Vincent, who attended the event, reflected on the area’s evolution during his remarks.
“I gotta say that many of you have been here for many years, and you remember that when Allegro Shoe moved down to the industrial park, we were left with a six-story building here, and it sat here, and nobody knew what to do,” Vincent said.
He recounted how a call from Brian Molinaro led to securing funds to demolish the structure, paving the way for redevelopment. “Sometime after that, Dick Collins called me, and he said, ‘Alan, meet me down here at the corner by the deli.’ So we went down there, and all there was was rubble in this beautiful park out here, and he said, ‘Now look, see what you see. Holy cow, couple of really nice buildings.'”
Vincent described forming the Canal Place Development Association with local partners, which gradually secured grants to enhance the area. “It has been just such a thrill to me to see that Canal Place has developed into something that is really the gem of Little Falls,” he added, noting his involvement with the arts center from its early days.
“Little did I know that I would be sitting here talking to all of you, telling you about whatever happened to the Allegro building. So this is what happened to the Allegro building.”
Mayor Deborah A. Kaufman presented the proclamation, which detailed the couple’s legacy. “It’s certainly my honor to be able to present a proclamation from the city to Alan and Linda Vincent,” Kaufman said before reading the document aloud. The proclamation praised the Vincents as “longtime residents of Little Falls, New York, and dedicated members of the community who exemplified vision, entrepreneurship, and commitment to historic preservation.”
It highlighted their founding of Vincent Manufacturing, a third-generation family business focused on recycled and organic cotton materials, and their efforts in revitalizing Canal Place by converting historic mills into restaurants, stores, lodging, an art center, and Sterzinar Park.
The document also noted their 2014 recognition from Preserve Our Past for the adaptive reuse of 25 West Mill Street, now housing the Little Falls Antique Center and executive loft apartments.
The proclamation acknowledged Linda Vincent’s passing on October 16, 2024, at age 75, describing her as leaving “a lasting legacy of community service and partnership with her husband Alan in these endeavors.”
It concluded that their work has “enriched the cultural, economic, and aesthetic fabric of Little Falls, inspiring future generations to invest in the adaptive reuse of historic sites and the ongoing development of Canal Place.”
Mary Ellen McGillan, executive director of the Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts, opened the event by thanking attendees and sponsors. “This is a busy time, but for those of us in the Mohawk Valley, it’s the best time of the year because we get to raise money to support our organizations,” McGillan said.
She noted the center’s recent move to the larger space at 25 West Mill Street after outgrowing its previous location across the street. “The universe spoke and said, ‘You’ve outgrown this space, and we were lucky enough to be able to move into this space, which has just been a true gift from the universe.'”
Janet Wren, president of the center’s board, formally announced the gallery dedication and expressed gratitude to the board, staff, volunteers, and landlords Dave Casullo and Jon Shepherdson for their support in the relocation. “This evening is to dedicate the gallery to Alan and Linda Vincent,” Wren said.
The event included musical entertainment by David Wong of the Caroga Music Collective. It encouraged support for local nonprofits through raffle tickets as part of the Mohawk Valley Gives initiative, which features nearly 400 participating organizations this year.
The dedication underscored the ongoing cultural renaissance in Little Falls, with the Alan & Linda Vincent Gallery set to host exhibitions, receptions, and community events in the revitalized historic building.
