Visit
We are just two and a half hours north of New York City via a beautiful train ride up the Hudson River, an easy day trip from the Berkshires or Saratoga Springs, and across the river and just north of Albany, NY. We are also just under three hours by car from Boston or Montreal.
Located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the nation’s oldest technological research university, EMPAC overlooks Troy, a city that played a central role in the Industrial Revolution and that still preserves some of the 19th century’s best architecture.
Building + Box Office Hours
- Monday–Friday: 9AM–5PM
- Saturday: 10AM–4PM
- Additional building hours for events and exhibitions.
Holiday closures
- We are closed: Memorial, Independence, Labor, Thanksgiving, and day after, Christmas week, New Years, Martin Luther King, and President's Day.
Box Office
- Performances: $20, $15 for seniors, faculty, and non-RPI students.
- Films and special events: $10
- Talks: Free
Rensselaer Students: Free admission to all events by swiping your ID card before the show and joining EMPAC + . Advance tickets for students $6.
Evelyn’s Café
Evelyn's Café is the living room of the EMPAC building and the Rensselaer campus. Filled with light and nestled beneath the red cedar hull of the Concert Hall, this intimate space on Level 5 offers sweeping northwest views of the seasons and a tempting outdoor terrace.
Evelyn’s is served by two accessible elevators from the Box Office and mezzanine levels for visitors who use the Level 7 campus entrance above, and by two broad stairways for those who venture in from the 8th Avenue secondary entrance on Level 2 below.
Open during building hours and one hour before public events, visitors to the café space will find smooth floors and wide paths through customizable seating options, tables for small groups or solos, accessible restrooms, and a warm, friendly atmosphere. Join us!
Please note: Café service hours are 11AM-2PM Wednesdays when RPI classes are in session. In addition to cash, Evelyn's will accept all major credit cards, RAD, and FLEX payments. The café space offers open table seating during building hours.
Address + Directions
Parking + Accessibility
Parking
The main entrance and box office are located on the EAST (campus) side of the building. For events, please park in the College avenue parking garage adjacent to Cogswell Laboratory.
Accessibility
The East campus entrance is also the accessible access to EMPAC. Please visit our Accessibility page for more detailed information. Note that parking on 8th Street requires using stairs to the third floor where there are elevators in the corridor hallway.
Rensselaer Campus Accessibility Information
Mailing Address
110 8th Street EMPAC Building Troy, NY 12180
Transportation
Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station
555 East St Rensselaer, NY 12144
Albany International Airport
737 Albany-Shaker Road Latham, NY
Photo: Paul Riviera