One of the six vacant Tudor-style homes along Holland Avenue in Albany.

In recent years, the historic but vacant historic houses along Holland Avenue in Albany have seemed doomed — and perhaps they still are.

Picotte, the company that owns them, emptied the homes in 2008 as it sought an (ultimately successful) reduction in its property tax bill. The Colonie company has been clear about its intentions: It wants to eventually redevelop the land for some supposedly grander purpose, which means razing the houses.

So, a sad goodbye seemed inevitable.

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But here’s a surprise: At the request of the Historic Albany Foundation, the city’s Historic Resources Commission is set to weigh giving the houses at 100-112 Holland Ave. protected status. More specifically, the commission on Thursday will consider recommending a local historic district that, among other safeguards, would make it more difficult for Picotte to demolish the houses.

Built in the 1930s by Jesse Leonard, the houses are unique in the city and notable for their stained-glass windows and intricate detail. Placed on a bluff above the roadway, they certainly are visually striking, especially when compared with the newer development that surrounds them in the neighborhood near Albany Medical Center and the Stratton VA Medical Center.

“These buildings have been celebrated by the........

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