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43-404: At the time it was built it was home to The Albany Academy , established a few years earlier. Architect Philip Hooker 's Federal style design is the city's oldest public building, and the less altered of his two intact non-residential buildings in the city. In the 1820s, Joseph Henry co-discovered electrical inductance in experiments conducted in the building, a discovery that was important to

86-405: A box cornice, a close or closed cornice, or an open cornice. Box cornices enclose the cornice of the building with what is essentially a long, narrow box. A box cornice may further be divided into either the narrow box cornice or the wide box cornice type. A narrow box cornice is one in which "the projection of the rafter serves as a nailing surface for the soffit board as well as

129-406: A carved panel in the middle of the lintel. Stringcourses between the colossal Ionic pilasters separate the first-story windows from their second-story counterparts, also 15-over-15 but arched and set in a slightly recessed double arch. Slight cornices there form the springline for the arches. The pilasters' Ionic capitals support a molded frieze with an egg-and-dart pattern underneath

172-485: A cornice (from the Italian cornice meaning "ledge" ) is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a pedestal, or along the top of an interior wall. A simple cornice may be formed with a crown, as in crown moulding atop an interior wall or above kitchen cabinets or a bookcase. A projecting cornice on

215-503: A building has the function of throwing rainwater free of its walls. In residential building practice, this function is handled by projecting gable ends, roof eaves , and gutters . However, house eaves may also be called "cornices" if they are finished with decorative moulding. In this sense, while most cornices are also eaves (overhanging the sides of the building), not all eaves are usually considered cornices. Eaves are primarily functional and not necessarily decorative, while cornices have

258-434: A decorative aspect. A building's projecting cornice may appear to be heavy and hence in danger of falling, particularly on commercial buildings, but it often is actually very light and made of pressed metal. In Ancient Greek architecture and its successors using the classical orders in the tradition of classical architecture , the cornice is the topmost element of the entablature , which consists (from top to bottom) of

301-621: A unifying brand effort as "Albany Academy." The Albany Academy is the oldest day school for boys in New York state 's Capital Region . The Academy was chartered in March 1813 to educate the sons of Albany's political elite and rapidly growing merchant class. In the Census three years prior, Albany was the tenth-largest city in the United States, and would remain so through the 1850s due to

344-452: A wire routed around the classroom to make an iron bar ring a small bell. This was not only the prototype of the modern electric doorbell, the stronger electrical signal he was able to send over a wire eventually helped Samuel F.B. Morse develop the first practical telegraph. The same principle continues to make long-distance wired data transmission possible. He would later leave to take a position at Princeton University , and eventually became

387-424: Is rusticated , as it is on the first story of both the three-bay north and south wings. On the main block, the basement windows are set with 10-over-10 double-hung sash windows topped by splayed-stone lintels. Just above them the water table serves as a base for the six fluted Ionic pilasters that rise both stories, forming a colossal order . On the first story they separate 15-over-15 double-hung sash with

430-401: Is a simple return without these features. The term cornice may also be used to describe a form of hard window treatment along the top edge of a window. In this context, a cornice represents a board (usually wood) placed above the window to conceal the mechanism for opening and closing drapes. If covered in a layer of cloth and given padding, it is sometimes called a soft cornice rather than

473-411: Is an architectural term for an eave or cornice that runs along the gable of the roof of a modern residential structure. It may also be called a sloping cornice , a raking cornice . The trim and rafters at this edge are called rakes , rake board , rake fascia , verge-boards , barge-boards or verge- or barge-rafters . It is a sloped timber on the outside facing edge of a roof running between

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516-452: Is an independent college preparatory day school in Albany, New York . It enrolls students from Prekindergaten (age 4) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the city council of Albany. In July 2007, the once separate Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls merged into The Albany Academies . In 2024, the school launched

559-648: Is seen in Syria and ancient Iran , for example at the Tachara palace of Darius I at Persepolis , completed in 486 BC. Inspired by this precedent, it was then revived by Ardashir I (r. 224–41 AD), the founder of the Sasanian dynasty . The cavetto took the place of the cymatium in many Etruscan temples, often painted with vertical "tongue" patterns, and combined with the distinctive "Etruscan round moulding", often painted with scales. A typical example may be seen at

602-436: Is sometimes also known as an "Egyptian cornice", "hollow and roll" or "gorge cornice". It has been suggested to be a reminiscence in stone architecture of the primitive use of bound bunches of reeds as supports for buildings, the weight of the roof bending their tops out. The cavetto cornice, often forming less than a quarter-circle, influenced Egypt's neighbours and as well as appearing in early Ancient Greek architecture , it

645-474: The Great Depression began, the city agreed to buy the school's old building for $ 450,000 ($ 7.99 million in modern dollars). Marcus T. Reynolds , like Hooker the city's most prominent architect in his day, who had designed the new Academy building, supervised the renovation. His changes to the building were primarily on the interior, including a new marble double staircase and modifications to

688-689: The Smithsonian Institution 's first secretary. For the remainder of the 19th century, the school stayed in Hooker's building, keeping it as it had been designed, even as competing private schools were started and the city began to expand from its early neighborhoods close to the river and, like the school, near downtown . By the 1920s, it was clear more space would be needed, and the academy bought 30 acres (12 ha) on Highland Avenue, in Albany's newer, more suburban neighborhoods. Just before

731-416: The modillioned cornice at the roofline. Above it is a balustrade . The gently pitched hipped roof is pierced by two brick chimneys at either end with a copper roofed cupola in the middle. It has keystone -arched louvered vents in its lower stage, separated by pairs of smooth Corinthian columns. They support a broad overhanging modillioned cornice, above which is a frieze decorated with swag . Atop

774-490: The neo-Georgian style , the building incorporates many elements of the Old Academy building, namely the main entryway and cupola. The school stands approximately two miles from the city center. The red-brick Academy building's marble cornerstone was laid by the then-governor of New York and future president Franklin D. Roosevelt . In 2005, The Albany Academy ended its longstanding Army JROTC program. In July 2007,

817-405: The reconstructed Etruscan temple at Villa Giulia . Additional more obscure varieties of cornice include the architrave cornice, bracketed cornice, and modillion cornice. A cornice return is an architectural detail that occurs where a roof's horizontal cornice connects to a gable's rake. It is a short horizontal extension of the cornice that occurs on each side of the gable end of

860-430: The ridge and the eave . On a typical house, any gable will have two rakes, one on each sloped side. The rakes are often supported by a series of lookouts (sometimes also called strong arms ) and may be trimmed with a rake fascia board (which is not a true fascia ) on the outside facing edge and a rake soffit along the bottom. The cornices of a modern residential building will usually be one of three types:

903-549: The Academy, Joseph Henry , to return as a science teacher after he finished his studies at Union College in nearby Schenectady in a year. In addition to teaching science, Henry did research at the school with the help of his assistant and students. In 1827, he began experiments with electromagnetism , a recent discovery. He found ways to increase the strength of an electromagnet, and discovered electrical inductance . Often he would demonstrate these properties to students by using

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946-785: The Old Academy and headquarters of the City School District of Albany, was designed by renowned Albany architect Philip Hooker . The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places . In 1870, in response to a lack of military preparation institutions in the north during the American Civil War , the Albany Academy adopted the Battalion Leadership Program, instructing the "cadets" in military procedure and

989-555: The art of leadership. In 2005, the school ended compulsory involvement in the program in favor of a House-based leadership program commonly found in English preparatory schools . In 1931, the school moved from its original downtown building in present-day Academy Park to its current location on the corner of Hackett Boulevard and Academy Road, in the University Heights section of Albany. Designed by Marcus T. Reynolds in

1032-405: The bays. It, too, has six-over-six double-hung sash, set in singly arched windows that are otherwise similar to their counterparts on the main block. The balustrade continues along the roof of the wings as well; both have the same pairs of chimneys at the end. Although it has been a private school for its entire existence, The Albany Academy was established by the city council in 1813 to educate

1075-658: The board of trustees announced that The Albany Academy and Albany Academy for Girls would merge into The Albany Academies. The Albany Academies are accredited by the New York State Association of Independent Schools and recognized by the Regents of the State of New York. Noted former faculty and administration include inventors, politicians, and seven college presidents , including four presidents of Amherst College : Cornice In architecture ,

1118-481: The boundary with Lafayette Park to the west; it is a contributing property to the associated historic district . The terrain rises gently from the Hudson River a half-mile (800 m) to the east and the ravine of Sheridan Hollow to the north. The Albany County Vietnam War memorial is located a short distance to the west. Many other listed properties, most of them also government buildings that contribute to

1161-453: The building (see picture of Härnösands rådhus with two of these). The two most common types of cornice return are the Greek return and the soffit return (also called a boxed or box soffit return). The former includes a sloped hip shape on the inside of the cornice under the eaves, which is sheathed or shingled like the rest of the roof above it and is considered very attractive; the latter

1204-482: The center hall. On the outside he commissioned a copper replacement for the original wooden cupola that duplicated it exactly. The John Flanagan statue of Henry was placed in the front and the building renamed in his memory. Later in the 1930s, the Albany City School District moved into the building and has used it as its main offices ever since. The Albany Academy Albany Academy

1247-479: The city that it still occupies. It sold the building to the city of Albany; in 1986 the city's school district took ownership and began its current use of the building for its main offices. Another Albany architect, Marcus T. Reynolds , supervised renovations to the building's interior. It has otherwise remained intact. The land historically associated with the building is one of the two acres of Academy Park , located between Eagle, Elk and Hawk streets. It straddles

1290-430: The cornice, the frieze , and the architrave . Where a triangular pediment is above the entablature, the cornice continues all round the triangle, the two sides being "raking cornices". The vertical space below the cornice is typically decorated by dentils (little teeth) or the larger modillions . The soffit , or horizontal space under a projecting cornice, may be elaborately carved with vegetal designs. A rake

1333-434: The cornice. A closed or snub cornice is one in which there is no projection of the rafters beyond the walls of the building and, therefore, no soffit or fascia. This type of cornice is easy to construct but provides little aid in dispersing water away from the building and is sometimes considered to lack aesthetic value. In an open cornice, the shape of the cornice is similar to that of a wide box cornice, except that both

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1376-427: The cupola is a flared domed roof with a weathervane . There are two centrally located entrances on the east. At the top of a pair of sideways stone steps with iron railings is the main entrance, paneled wooden double doors with sidelights and a fanlight . Narrow fluted pilasters flank the doors; the whole entrance is slightly recessed. Below it is a more restrained basement entrance with paneled doors and sidelights in

1419-501: The district, are nearby. Opposite Lafayette Park on Hawk is the monumental Classical Revival New York State Department of Education Building , with Cathedral of All Saints , seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany , concealed at the other end of the block. To the southwest, across Washington Avenue ( New York State Route 5 ), is the state capitol , a National Historic Landmark , between East and West Capitol Park. Opposite

1462-414: The fascia trim." This is possible if the slope of the roof is fairly steep and the width of the eave relatively narrow. A wide box cornice, a common practice on houses with gentle roof slopes and wide eaves, requires lookouts to support it and provide a surface to attach the soffits securely. Box cornices often have ventilation screens laid over openings cut in the soffits to allow air to circulate within

1505-481: The later development of the telegraph and, by extension, the modern telecommunications of the Information Age . A statue of him by John Flanagan was placed out front to commemorate his accomplishment. T. Romeyn Beck wrote his important early works on forensic medicine while serving as the school's principal for three decades. In the 1930s, the Academy moved to a new building in a different section of

1548-421: The lookouts and the soffit are absent. It is a lower-cost treatment that requires fewer materials and may even have no fascia board, but it lacks the finished appearance of a box cornice. Ancient Egyptian architectural tradition made special use of large cavetto mouldings as a cornice, with only a short fillet (plain vertical face) above, and a torus moulding (convex semi-circle) below. This cavetto cornice

1591-556: The park to the east, along Eagle, are the county courthouse, the New York Court of Appeals building , and Albany City Hall . A group of rowhouses , also contributing properties, faces the building from across Elk. The building itself is positioned sideways to Elk Street, with its main entrance on the east (front) facade and its north elevation facing the rowhouses opposite. It has a two-story five- bay main block of Nyack sandstone with an exposed basement. The stone there

1634-594: The prominence of the Erie Canal . Classes began within months after the charter was granted, offering a college preparatory track (including intensive study of Ancient Greek, and Latin) and an arithmetic-based track to prepare young men for Albany's role as a center of commerce. Two years later, in 1815, a purpose-built building was completed in present-day Academy Park, adjacent to the New York State Capitol . The Federal-style building, now known as

1677-411: The school profoundly. Not only did he distinguish himself as an administrator , he also made an important contribution to American medicine with Elements of Medical Jurisprudence . Published in 1823, it was the first significant work on forensic medicine . Outside of that field, he was instrumental in establishing the state's geological survey and library . Beck also hired a talented early graduate of

1720-458: The school's building committee. He had at that point already designed the nearby City Hall and State Capitol buildings (both since replaced), and pointed to his years of experience and his "close application in the research of ancient and modern architecture." Mayor Philip S. Van Rensselaer laid the building's cornerstone after Hooker got the commission. Hooker's Federal style design, with extensive classically-inspired decoration , echoed

1763-411: The school's original curricular focus. It shows the influence of New York City Hall by Joseph Francois Mangin and John McComb, Jr. , also a new building at that time. Hooker's design included the chapel on the second floor, which survives intact. The new building was matched with a new school principal when it was opened in 1817. T. Romeyn Beck . He would serve in that position until 1848, shaping

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1806-477: The sons of the city's most prosperous citizens in classics , math and science. Classes began soon after the state granted the school's charter. Starting in 1815 they were held in a building rented from Killian K. Van Rensselaer , a member of one of the city's most prominent families , who had served several terms in Congress. That same year Philip Hooker , then Albany's most prominent architect, appeared before

1849-403: The stone. In front of it is a statue of Joseph Henry on a gray granite pedestal with text explaining his accomplishments. The two wings are more restrained. The first story rather than the basement has the rustication. Its six-over-six double-hung sash is set in slightly recessed arches. The stringcourse, continuous here, separates it from the second story. There, smooth Ionic pilasters divide

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