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141-566: The Lafayette Park Historic District is located in central Albany, New York , United States. It includes the park and the combination of large government buildings and small rowhouses on the neighboring streets. In 1978 it was recognized as a historic district and listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Many of its contributing properties are themselves listed on the National Register. One of them,

282-740: A Chabad-Lubavitch synagogue, an Orthodox synagogue, and two Reform synagogues. Albany is also home to one of the few Karaite synagogues outside Israel. As of 2008, the total membership in Albany's synagogues was estimated at 12,000-13,000, with half the members residing outside the city. Since the early 2000s, there has been an increase in Orthodox Jews moving to Albany from the New York Metro area, largely due to cheaper housing prices and closer walking proximity to synagogues. The Islamic community in Albany and its surrounding suburbs

423-558: A fur-trading post and was the first documented European structure in present-day Albany. Commencement of the fur trade provoked hostility from the French colony in Canada and among the natives, all of whom vied to control the trade. In 1618, a flood ruined Fort Nassau, but the Dutch replaced it with Fort Orange on the mainland in 1624. Both forts were named in honor of the leading family of

564-466: A pedestal east of the capitol designed by Lincoln Memorial architect Henry Bacon . In 1925, a J. Massey Rhind statue of another Albany military man, Revolutionary War General Phillip Schuyler , went up in front of City Hall. It was followed two years later by one of Joseph Henry , sculpted by John Flanagan , in front of the Albany Academy. West Capitol Park was expanded threefold from

705-518: A state senator and New York's Attorney General before he became U.S. President , owned 4 Elk Street and lived there for some of the time he was not serving in the latter post. While he was, it was occupied by his son Smith Thompson and his wife, Ellen King James. Among the visitors who came to the house in the later years was Ellen's young nephew Henry . Later in his life, when he had become an accomplished novelist, he wrote that Elk Street had always seemed to him "vaguely portentous, as though beasts of

846-418: A 14-year-old girl enslaved by Volkert P. Douw ; and Bet, a 12-year-old girl enslaved by Philip S. Van Rensselaer . On January 6, 1794, the three were sentenced to death. Governor George Clinton issued a temporary stay of execution, but Dinah and Bet were executed by hanging on March 14, and Pompey on April 11, 1794. In 1797, the state capital was moved permanently to Albany. From statehood to this date,

987-555: A building in the English Gothic mode so idealized by the Oxfordians, using stone for what the bishop called "instant antiquity," even as architects on other projects were experimenting with steel and brick. With Doane's guidance, Gibson modified his design for Albany's harsher winters by narrowing the windows. Foundations were already in place when the cornerstone was laid in summer of 1884. Among those in attendance at

1128-471: A cathedral like those in England, that served not only as the central church of the diocese but anchored a complex to include a convent , cloister , hospital and school. In 1870 he established a girls' school, and then incorporated the cathedral three years later, holding services in a former machine shop. A sisterhood and hospital were formally established in 1874. Erastus Corning donated the land. With

1269-466: A city the size of Albany. One report from 2000 offers religious affiliations for Albany County. According to the data, 59.2% of Albany County residents identified as Christian : 47% are Roman Catholic , 8.4% are mainline Protestants , 2.7% are Evangelical Protestants , and 1.1% are Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Christians. Residents who practice Judaism make up 4.2% of the population and Muslims represent 0.2%. As of April 1, 2020, Albany's population

1410-496: A domed marble Greek Revival building on the present site, which had already been designated for future development as a public square. The next year, the two acres (8,100 m) on the east of the Academy building were formally laid out as Academy Park. It was encircled by an iron fence similar to that which Hooker had designed for nearby Capitol Park. Elk and Columbia streets were the center of development, primarily residential, in

1551-426: A few days' sail from New York City. Albany reported a population of 3,498 in the first national census in 1790, an increase of almost 700% since its chartering. On November 17, 1793, fire broke out at a stable belonging to Leonard Gansevoort , destroying 26 homes on Broadway, Maiden Lane, James Street, and State Street. Three were arrested and charged with arson : Pompey, a man enslaved by Matthew Visscher; Dinah,

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1692-541: A former Episcopal bishop of Albany , served at the Cathedral of All Saints as a Dean's Vicar in the 1980s, and from 2007 to 2021, as its Bishop. The retired bishop The Right Rev. David Standish Ball continued to serve until his death in April 2017. The construction for the cathedral began in 1888, and it remains unfinished, although its slate roof was recently replaced. The altar of the old Saint Alban 's chapel in

1833-658: A local parish being chosen to serve as the church of a bishop, and for that reason, it is also called the Pioneer Cathedral . The church was unable to complete the cathedral and the large planned complex in the early 20th century. Because the commissioner of the State Education Department had his headquarters built on the remainder of the block , the remainder of the cathedral will never be completed. Some foundations for planned expansions remain, however, for instance, for spires. The cathedral

1974-508: A modest plan submitted by the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted in 1898. In keeping with the ideals of the contemporary City Beautiful movement , it was reimagined as a "court of honor", surrounded by the Capitol, SED building and the newer Alfred E. Smith Building , towering over the older ones at the park's west side. Ideas by former state architects Franklin B. Ware and Lewis Pilcher were also incorporated. When it opened in 1930 it framed

2115-452: A mother-church complex would never come to pass. He had been able to buy some of the other lots on the block, but not all of them. While he was on a trip to Europe in 1906, Andrew S. Draper , the state's first Commissioner of Education , bought the other lots on the block fronting along Washington Avenue. He planned to have a headquarters built for his department, regardless of Doane's vision for his complex. Doane had no choice but to sell

2256-505: A plan to have the county pay for the construction and have the state sign a lease-ownership agreement. The state paid off the bonds until 2004. It was Rockefeller's only viable option, and he agreed. Due to the clout Corning gained from the situation, he gained inclusion of the State Museum, a convention center, and a restaurant, back in the plans—ideas which Rockefeller had originally vetoed. The county gained $ 35 million in fees and

2397-532: A polo field on Loudon Road, it moved to Westerlo Island in 1909 and remained there until 1928. The Albany Municipal Airport—jointly owned by the city and county—was moved to its current location in Colonie in 1928. By 1916 Albany's northern and southern borders reached their modern courses; Westerlo Island , to the south, became the second-to-last annexation, which occurred in 1926. Erastus Corning 2nd , arguably Albany's most notable mayor (and great-grandson of

2538-406: A renovation project. There have been no other changes to the building. William Croswell Doane founded the cathedral, and was its first chief clergyman . There followed a number of notable bishops and deans of the cathedral, including some who became national figures. The dean emeritus of the cathedral is The Very Rev. Marshall Vang, who served for a decade as its pastor. William Love ,

2679-515: A roof that used the triforium for support. Louis Hinton, another English immigrant, did the interior stonecarving , which was not finished until 1891. John LaFarge designed the large rose window in the west wall, and the London firm of Clayton and Bell the wall windows. The carved choir stalls were salvaged from a demolished 17th-century church in Bruges, Belgium . The Cathedral of All Saints

2820-552: A state senator. Other houses nearby, and on Columbia, were being renovated, usually by Marcus T. Reynolds . In 1912, the Education Department building was completed, followed four years later by Albany County 's new courthouse and office building next to the Court of Appeals. During the time the district was preparing to receive its distinguishing feature. Starting in 1908, the block between Academy Park and Hawk Street

2961-463: A stone base sets the choir apart from the nave. Some of the clergy stalls in the rear have elaborate carvings . Behind them is a polychrome reredos , its niches filled with sculptures. Bishop William Croswell Doane , the first to head the new Diocese of Albany , began there in 1869. His major project, for many years, was raising funds and managing the building of the Cathedral of All Saints, his major legacy. Up to that point, no Episcopal diocese in

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3102-437: Is credited for an "unparalleled cycle of commercial investment and development" in Albany due to his "aggressive business development programs". Prior to the recession of the 1990s , downtown Albany was home to four Fortune 500 companies. After the death of Corning and the retirement of Congressman Sam Stratton , the political environment changed. Long-term office holders became rare in the 1980s. Local media began following

3243-636: Is home to the oldest Christian congregation in Upstate New York and the Mother Churches of two Christian dioceses . As of June 2010 , eight churches or religious buildings in the city were listed on the National Register of Historic Places , one of which— St. Peter's Episcopal Church on State Street—is a National Historic Landmark . Established in 1642, the congregation of the First Church in Albany (Reformed) , also known as

3384-573: Is located on the south corner of the intersection of Elk and South Swan Streets . The terrain slopes gently toward the Hudson River a half-mile (1 km) to the east, and sharply into Sheridan Hollow and Arbor Hill to the immediate north. The cathedral's 2-acre (8,100 m ) lot is in the northern corner of the Lafayette Park Historic District , at the edge of central Albany's developed area. On three sides

3525-699: Is now the SUNY System Administration Building . In 1853, Erastus Corning , a noted industrialist and Albany's mayor from 1834 to 1837, consolidated ten railroads stretching from Albany to Buffalo into the New York Central Railroad (NYCRR), headquartered in Albany until Cornelius Vanderbilt moved it to New York City in 1867. One of the ten companies that formed the NYCRR was the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad , which

3666-434: Is permanently incomplete. Two foundations for the 210-foot (64 m) eastern spires which Gibson had planned remain on its eastern end. There has been no attempt to build those spires, and most work on the cathedral since the early 20th century has been largely maintenance, save for the occasional memorial stained glass window. In 1948 the standing-seam metal on the original roof was replaced with asphalt shingles. During

3807-732: Is represented by at least four major mosques in the region. The Muslim population increased substantially starting in the late 2000s, with the arrival of many refugees from countries such as Iraq , Syria , and Afghanistan . Exact numbers on religious denominations in Albany are not readily available. Demographic statistics in the United States depend heavily on the United States Census Bureau , which cannot ask about religious affiliation as part of its decennial census . It does compile some national and statewide religious statistics, but these are not representative of

3948-1019: Is significant, totaling 59.4 inches (151 cm) per season, but with less accumulation than the lake effect areas to the north and west, as it is farther from Lake Ontario . However, Albany is close enough to the Atlantic coast to receive heavy snow from Nor'easters and the city occasionally receives Alberta clippers . Winters can be very cold with fluctuating conditions; temperatures drop to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below on nine nights per annum. Summers in Albany can contain stretches of excessive heat and humidity, with temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or hotter on nine days per year. Record temperature extremes range from −28 °F (−33 °C), on January 19, 1971, to 104 °F (40 °C) on July 4, 1911. The neighborhoods of Albany include Arbor Hill ; Center Square, "[an] eclectic mix of residential and commercial [buildings], including bars, night clubs, restaurants, and stores"; Pine Hills ; and

4089-647: Is the capital and oldest city in the U.S. state of New York , and the seat of and most populous city in Albany County . It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River , about 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River . The city is the economic and cultural core of New York State's Capital District , a metropolitan area including the nearby cities and suburbs of Colonie , Troy , Schenectady , and Saratoga Springs . With an estimated population of 1.1 million in 2013,

4230-421: The 1830 and 1840 censuses, Albany was ranked as the ninth-largest urban place in the nation; it dropped back to tenth in 1850 . This was the last time the city was one of the top ten largest urban places in the nation. Albany also has significant history with rail transport , as the location of two major regional railroad headquarters. The Delaware and Hudson Railway was headquartered in Albany at what

4371-576: The Albany City School District . The large government buildings around the park were, like the state capitol, built in the late 19th century. Their architectural styles vary from the capitol's mix of Second Empire and French Renaissance Revival to the Classical Revival stylings of the Court of Appeals and Education Department building. The cathedral adds some Gothic Revival to the mix. The residential areas in

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4512-645: The Albany Pine Bush , an area of pitch pine and scrub oak , and has arid, sandy soil that is a remnant of the ancient Lake Albany . Due to development, the Pine Bush has shrunk from an original 25,000 to 6,000 acres (10,100 to 2,400 ha) today. A preserve was set up by the State Legislature in 1988 and is on the city's western edge, spilling into Guilderland and Colonie; it is the only sizable inland pine barrens sand dune ecosystem in

4653-479: The All-America City Award in both 1991 and 2009. Albany is about 150 miles (240 km) north of New York City on the Hudson River . It has a total area of 21.8 square miles (56 km ), of which 21.4 square miles (55 km ) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km ) (1.8%) is water. The city is bordered on the north by the town of Colonie (along with the village of Menands ), on

4794-752: The Gaelic name for Scotland. The Dutch briefly regained Albany in August 1673 and renamed the city Willemstadt ; the English took permanent possession in 1674 with the Treaty of Westminster . On November 1, 1683, the Province of New York was split into counties, with Albany County being the largest: it included all of present New York State north of Dutchess and Ulster Counties in addition to present-day Bennington County , Vermont, theoretically stretching west to

4935-472: The Legislature had frequently moved the state capital between Albany, Kingston , Poughkeepsie , and the city of New York . Albany is the tenth-oldest state capital in the United States and the second-oldest city that is a state capital, after Santa Fe , New Mexico. Albany has been a center of transportation for much of its history. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Albany saw development of

5076-546: The New York State Capitol , is a National Historic Landmark as well. Other government buildings include City Hall , the building housing Albany County government, the state's highest court and the offices of its Education Department along with the offices of the City School District of Albany . The Episcopal Diocese of Albany 's cathedral is at one corner of the district. While

5217-660: The Port of Albany-Rensselaer opened in 1932. In 1829, while working as a professor at the Albany Academy , Joseph Henry , widely regarded as "the foremost American scientist of the 19th century", built the first electric motor . Three years later, he discovered electromagnetic self-induction (the SI unit for which is now the henry ). He went on to be the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution . In

5358-595: The Scottish title of the Duke of York (later James II of England and Ireland and James VII of Scotland ): the Duke of Albany . The city was officially chartered in 1686 under English rule. It became the capital of New York in 1797 after the formation of the United States. Albany is the oldest surviving settlement of the original British thirteen colonies north of Virginia. In the late 18th century and throughout most of

5499-670: The Ship of Fools website gave the cathedral a rating of "10" f(its highest) for its architecture, preaching, and Anglo-Catholic worship services. The cathedral is famous for its music program, and is affiliated with the American Guild of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music in America. As an Anglo-catholic or High Church house of worship, it makes use of music, choir, and "bells and smells" as important parts of

5640-734: The Stadt Huys became home to the Albany Committee of Correspondence (the political arm of the local revolutionary movement), which took over operation of Albany's government and eventually expanded its power to control all of Albany County . Tories and prisoners of war were often jailed in the Stadt Huys alongside common criminals. In 1776, Albany native Philip Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall in Philadelphia . During and after

5781-547: The State Education Department building to the South Hawk Street intersection. The boundary turns north along the continuation of South Hawk and then turns east again to Columbia Street at the entrance to the top deck of a large parking garage in nearby Sheridan Hollow . At the Eagle Street junction, it turns north to the rear lot line of a building on that side of the street, then along its east line to

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5922-536: The W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus . Albany County Republican Chairman Joseph C. Frangella once quipped, "Governor Rockefeller was the best mayor Albany ever had." Corning, although opposed to the project, was responsible for negotiating the payment plan for the Empire State Plaza . Rockefeller did not want to be limited by the Legislature's power of the purse , so Corning devised

6063-468: The modernist towers of Empire State Plaza rose to the south, dwarfing the older government buildings in the district. Preservation efforts grew. Daniel Barnard's old house at 1 Elk Street was demolished in 1969. At the corner of Elk and Eagle, activists were able to save the facades of three townhouses which were otherwise to have been demolished for another modernist building, James Stewart Polshek 's New York Law Center, which they serve to screen from

6204-406: The open space , including the park that gives the district its name, coming into place in the early decades of the new century. The neighborhood has been home to the centers of power since it was established. In 1809, 12 years after Albany was permanently designated New York's state capital at the end of the 18th century, the first state capitol building in the city was erected on a site adjacent to

6345-523: The turnpike and by 1815, Albany was the turnpike center of the state. The development of Simeon De Witt 's gridded block system in 1794—which renamed streets that had originally named after the British royal family with names of birds and mammals instead —was intersected by these major arterials coming out of Albany, cutting through the city at unexpected angles. The construction of the turnpike, in conjunction with canal and railroad systems, made Albany

6486-478: The "Great Acoustic Spaces for Choral Music (in the) U.S. and Canada ." The cathedral's pipe organ is a 1956 Aeolian-Skinner model designed by G. Donald Harrison , subsequently modified by Austin Organs . One of the practices revived in the Cathedral since Bishop Doane's time, has been the election and crowning of a boy bishop in conjunction with its Medieval Faire, an event which is presently on hiatus. It

6627-735: The "People of the Waters That Are Never Still". The Mohawks, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy , were based in the Mohawk valley and noted for their fur trading and their access to trade between the Iroquois and other nations. The Mohawk became strong trading partners with the Dutch and English. It is likely that the area was visited by European fur traders perhaps as early as 1540, but

6768-702: The 18th and 19th centuries were furs, wheat, meat, and lumber. By 1865, there were almost 4,000 saw mills in the Albany area and the Albany Lumber District was the largest lumber market in the nation. The city was also home to a number of banks. The Bank of Albany (1792–1861) was the second chartered bank in New York. The city was the original home of the Albank (founded in 1820 as the Albany Savings Bank), KeyBank (founded in 1825 as

6909-682: The 1920s. During the 1990s, the State Legislature approved the $ 234 million "Albany Plan", "a building and renovation project [that] was the most ambitious building project to affect the area since the Rockefeller era." Under the Albany Plan, renovation and new building projects were initiated around the downtown area. Many state workers were relocated from the Harriman State Office Campus to downtown, helping its retail businesses and vitality. The first decade of

7050-513: The 1990s, the New York State Legislature approved for the city a US$ 234 million building and renovation plan, which spurred redevelopment downtown. In the early 21st century, Albany's high-technology industry grew, with great strides in nanotechnology . The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Mohican (Mahican), who called it Pempotowwuthut-Muhhcanneuw , meaning "the fireplace of

7191-450: The 19th century. William L. Marcy lived at 2 Elk Street during his first term, and Hamilton Fish made 21 Elk his home after he was elected in 1848. Daniel Barnard , a congressman and later ambassador to Germany , lived at 25 Elk Street and may have owned 1 Elk Street (since demolished). Three governors— Enos T. Throop , Washington Hunt and Horatio Seymour —rented the building from him during their tenure in office. Martin van Buren ,

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7332-676: The 19th, Albany was a center of trade and transportation. The city lies toward the north end of the navigable Hudson River. It was the original eastern terminus of the Erie Canal , connecting to the Great Lakes , and was home to some of the earliest railroads in the world. In the 1920s a powerful political machine controlled by the Democratic Party arose in Albany. In the latter part of the 20th century, Albany's population shrank because of urban sprawl and suburbanization. In

7473-407: The 2010s. The 36-acre (15 ha; 150,000 m) district is rectangular, extending a block to the north and south of Washington Avenue ( New York State Route 5 ), with an irregularly shaped projection at its northeast corner. From its southeast corner, at the intersection of State and Eagle streets, it runs west along State, between the state capitol and the Empire State Plaza office complex to

7614-595: The 21st century saw a real possibility for a long-discussed and controversial Albany Convention Center; it opened in 2017 with the goal of making Albany a viable location for large events hosted by statewide organizations. Albany remains an important location for business presence, given its role as de facto seat of Tech Valley and being home to the state capitol. Fortune 500 companies with offices in Albany include American Express , J.P. Morgan and Chase , Merrill Lynch , General Electric , Verizon , Goldman Sachs , International Paper , and Key Bank . Albany won

7755-546: The Capital District is the third most populous metropolitan region in the state. As of 2023, Albany's population was 101,228. The Hudson River area was originally inhabited by Algonquian -speaking Mohican . The area was settled by Dutch colonists, who built Fort Nassau in 1614 for fur trading and Fort Orange in 1624. In 1664, the English took over the Dutch settlements, renaming the city Albany in honor of

7896-399: The Cathedral of All Saints sings compline periodically, usually the first Friday of each month, which is timed to coordinate with other activities downtown. They also sing the service of Nine Lessons and Carols every Advent season. The cathedral is also a concert venue for both secular and religious music. This is due in no small part to its architecture, and has been cited as one of

8037-586: The Commercial Bank of Albany), and Norstar Bank (founded as the State Bank of Albany in 1803). American Express was founded in Albany in 1850 as an express mail business. In 1871, the northwestern portion of Albany—west from Magazine Street—was annexed to the neighboring town of Guilderland after the town of Watervliet refused annexation of the territory. In return for this loss, portions of Bethlehem and Watervliet were added to Albany. Part of

8178-584: The Corning years, as people moved to newer housing in the suburbs, followed by most of the downtown businesses moving there as well . While cities across the country grappled with similar issues, the problems were magnified in Albany: interference from the Democratic political machine hindered progress considerably. In 1960, the mayor sold the city's stake in the airport to the county, citing budget issues. It

8319-553: The Dutch Revolt, members of the House of Orange-Nassau . Fort Orange and the surrounding area were incorporated as the village of Beverwijck (English: Beaverwick or Beaver District ) in 1652, and the city of Albany in 1686. In these early decades of trade, the Dutch, Mohican, and Mohawk developed relations that reflected differences among their three cultures. Albany is one of the oldest surviving European settlements from

8460-789: The Mohican nation". Based to the west along the Mohawk River , the Iroquoian-speaking Mohawk called it Sche-negh-ta-da , "through the pine woods", referring to the path they took there. According to Hendrick Aupaumut , the Mohicans came to the area from the north and the west. They settled along the Mahicannituck, which is now called the Hudson River, and called themselves the Muh-he-con-neok ,

8601-445: The North Dutch Church (on North Pearl Street), is the second-oldest Reformed Church in America . The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Eagle Street and Madison Avenue, built 1852) is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany , led by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger , and the Cathedral of All Saints (South Swan Street and Elk Street, built 1888) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany . As of 2023,

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8742-428: The Pacific Ocean; Albany became the county seat . Albany was formally chartered as a municipality by provincial Governor Thomas Dongan on July 22, 1686. The Dongan Charter was virtually identical in content to the charter awarded to the city of New York three months earlier. Dongan created Albany as a strip of land 1 mile (1.6 km) wide and 16 miles (26 km) long. Over the years Albany would lose much of

8883-545: The Revolution, Albany's population consisted mostly of ethnic Dutch descendants. Settlers migrating from New England tipped the balance toward British ethnicity in the early 19th century. Jobs on the turnpikes, canals, and railroads attracted floods of Irish immigrants in the early 19th century, especially in the 1840s during the Great Famine , solidifying the city's Irish base. Michael Nolan became Albany's first Irish Catholic mayor in 1878, two years before Boston. Polish and Italian immigrants began arriving in Albany in

9024-432: The Revolutionary War, Albany County saw a great increase in real estate transactions. After Horatio Gates defeated John Burgoyne at Saratoga in 1777, the upper Hudson Valley was generally at peace as the war raged on elsewhere. Prosperity was soon seen all over Upstate New York . Migrants from Vermont and Connecticut began flowing in, noting the advantages of living on the Hudson and trading at Albany, while being only

9165-419: The South End. Historically, Albany's population has been mixed. First dominated by Mohican and Mohawk, then Dutch and Germans, it was overtaken by the British in the early 19th century. Irish immigrants soon outnumbered most other ethnicities by the mid-19th century, and were followed by Italians and Poles . In the mid-to-late 20th century, the African-American population increased with thousands of people from

9306-455: The U.S. had built a true cathedral. Most had simply used the largest existing church in the diocese. Doane's father, George Washington Doane , as second bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey , had commissioned Richard Upjohn to design St. Mary's in Burlington as the cathedral. But that building was not any larger than the English parish churches it was based on. (Upjohn also designed St. Peter's Church in Albany. In Albany, Doane planned

9447-574: The United States, and is home to many endangered species, including the Karner Blue butterfly . Albany is in the humid continental climate zone ( Köppen climate classification : Dfa), and features cold, snowy winters, and hot, humid summers; the city experiences four distinct seasons. Albany is in plant hardiness zone 6a near downtown and along the shore of the Hudson and 5b at its western end. Albany receives 40.7 inches (1,030 mm) of precipitation per year, with 138 days of at least 0.01 in (0.25 mm) of precipitation each year. Snowfall

9588-484: The area as a child during the 1870s and '80s, recalls it as a "wretchedly kept place". It had only one light in the center, was locked at 10 p.m. every night, and even so children were warned not to go into it after dark. The Rev. William Croswell Doane had been appointed bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany in 1867. He lived at 29 Elk Street, and presided over the construction of Cathedral of All Saints , completed in 1888. The young architect Robert W. Gibson won

9729-423: The beginning of construction of the new capitol . Marcus T. Reynolds , an architect who worked in the city through the 1930s, was born at 98 Columbia Street in 1869 and lived there both as a child and an old man. In 1880, Hooker's 1832 City Hall burned down. Henry Hobson Richardson , then in Albany working on the state capitol, designed the current building to replace it, and it was soon completed, in part because

9870-412: The budget and cost overruns did not allow for an interior to match Richardson's ornate Romanesque exterior. In the decade after the war, Elk Street continued to be a residential neighborhood. Reflecting the Gilded Age , most of those who made their homes there were not politicians but some of the city's newly wealthy industrialists. The park was neglected during this time—Huybertie Pruyn, who lived in

10011-458: The buildings that had served as sculptor Erastus Dow Palmer 's studio in the middle of the century, into its offices. Similarly, 105–107 Columbia Street became an apartment building. The early 20th century significantly transformed the district. First, two more large government buildings were added. In 1906 Andrew Sloan Draper , first commissioner of the state's State Education Department (SED), wanted to move his agency into space of its own near

10152-465: The capitol along with the state library and museum . He considered the block on which Cathedral of All Saints stood to be the ideal location; however, the cathedral still owned some of the land and his approaches to the Doane, who had not abandoned his mother church plan, led to animosity between the two. While the bishop was traveling overseas, Draper used his political influence to have the state buy all

10293-489: The capitol's west facade with a tree-lined entrance mall. A replica of Jean-Antoine Houdon 's statue of George Washington , displayed in the rotunda of the Virginia State Capitol , was installed in the park in 1932 to commemorate the first president's bicentennial. The changes in the neighborhood were reflected in its building use. In 1930, the academy moved out of the building it had outgrown; after

10434-437: The cathedral has as its neighbors larger state government buildings, some of them also historic. The neoclassical State Education Department Building , also listed on the National Register, occupies the rest of the block, exceeding the cathedral in height. Beyond it is the state capitol , a contributing property to the Lafayette Park Historic District and designated as a National Historic Landmark . Across South Swan are

10575-423: The cathedral was moved to St. Paul's church in the village of Salem, New York . The cathedral is noted as a tourist destination for its Gothic architecture, and especially for its multi-colored stained glass windows , stone carvings, and 17th-century Belgian Choir stalls. It is richly furnished. Frank Leslie's Weekly issued a whole booklet on the cathedral for tourists of the late 19th century. In 2008,

10716-488: The ceremony were J.P. Morgan , Theodore Roosevelt , Leland Stanford and Grover Cleveland . The first phase of construction proceeded carefully over the next several years. Doane wanted the building to be functionally ready in all ways when opened, unlike the European models Gibson had followed, which were built and opened in stages. The side walls were built to 40 feet (12 m) and a temporary clerestory created in

10857-563: The city bought it eventually became the offices of the Albany City School District . Reynolds, in one of his final projects, supervised the renovation of the interior, a New Deal project funded by the Public Works Administration . The Pruyns had moved out of 17 Elk Street around 1910; their house eventually became the state headquarters of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows . They were followed by most of

10998-480: The city received $ 13 million for lost tax revenue. Having the state offices in the city enabled it to keep good jobs and retain middle-class residents. Another major project of the 1960s and 1970s was the construction of Interstate 787 and the South Mall Arterial . Construction began in the early 1960s. A proposed Mid-Crosstown Arterial never came to fruition. One of the project's main results

11139-439: The city residents was 52.3% white ; 27% black or African American ; 0.06% Native American or Native Alaskan ; 7.4% Asian ; 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander ; .06% from other races; and 3.6% from two or more races. A total of 9.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Non-Hispanic Whites were 52.0% of the population in 2010, compared to 87.0% in 1970. As of 2010, 20.0% of Albany's population

11280-502: The city was home to twelve Catholic churches and four Episcopal churches. Despite its history of Christendom , in 2019 the Albany-Schenectady-Troy MSA was found to be among the most post-Christian cities in the United States in a study by Christian polling firm The Barna Group . A significant Jewish presence has existed in Albany as early as 1658. As of 2010, Albany is home to two Conservative synagogues,

11421-406: The city were African American (27%), Irish (18.1%), Italian (12.4%), German (10.4%), and English (5.2%); (33.1%) of the population reported "other ancestries". Albany is home to a Triqui language -speaking community of Mexican-Americans . Cathedral of All Saints, Albany, New York It was the first Episcopal Cathedral church in the United States to be built expressly as such, rather than

11562-460: The clear conventional glass in the clerestory windows. Its interior is graced by stone and wood carvings and by striking stained glass windows designed by Clayton and Bell of London, LaFarge, and other notable stained glass designers. The wooden floor of the nave gives way to mosaic in the choir, sanctuary and two side chapels . Underneath it is supported by steel beams and brick arches. An intricately decorated iron and brass rood screen on

11703-430: The commission over Richardson with his Gothic Revival design. Doane's original plan was for the block on which the cathedral was located to be an entire campus with a school, hospital and convent, a " mother church " for the diocese, similar to some Anglican cathedrals in England. He was unable to persuade the church's trustees to spend the additional money, which would have an effect on the building later. The same year,

11844-482: The county district attorney , dropped the charges and city officials issued the group a permit to stay in Academy Park, which was under its jurisdiction and not the state's, in return for its cleanup efforts and limitations on its presence. Occupy Albany stayed in the park for another 15 days before the city evicted it as winter came on. The group continues to hold rallies and events in the parks. Six buildings in

11985-498: The district are individually listed on the National Register in addition to being contributing properties to the district. They include the cathedral and all government buildings save the county courthouse. One of those government buildings, the state capitol, is further designated a National Historic Landmark . There are still others that are noteworthy within the context of the district. Albany, New York Albany ( / ˈ ɔː l b ə n i / AWL -bə-nee )

12126-474: The district during this era. On the former, the houses closest to the park, Nos. 2 through 7, were built between 1827 and 1833, among them some considered Albany's finest Greek Revival houses. Columbia Street, where Henry made his home at 107, was developed more modestly. Because of its proximity to the capitol, Elk Street was often a preferred residence of the state's governors during this era, since New York did not erect its governor's mansion until later in

12267-419: The district. The park that gives the district its name was not actually built until the early 20th century, after larger government buildings had begun to dominate the area. In it and the other three parks are statues commemorating George Washington and Albany natives like Civil War general Phillip Sheridan and electromagnet discoverer Joseph Henry . John Quincy Adams Ward and J. Massey Rhind are among

12408-403: The drama surrounding county politics (specifically that of the newly created county executive position); the loss of Corning (and eventually the machine) led to a lack of interest in city politics. The election of Gerald Jennings was a surprise, and he served as mayor from 1994 until his retirement at the end of 2013. His tenure essentially ended the political machine that had been in place since

12549-510: The early years, African-Americans lived together with Italians, Jews, and other immigrants in the South End, where housing was older and less expensive. The black community has grown as a proportion of the population since then; African Americans made up three percent of the city's population in 1950, six percent in 1960, 12 percent in 1970, and 30 percent in 2010. The change in proportion is related mostly to middle-class white families moving to

12690-621: The extent and duration of those visits are unclear. Permanent European claims began when Englishman Henry Hudson , exploring for the Dutch East India Company on the Half Moon ( Dutch : Halve Maen ), reached the area in 1609, claiming it for the United Netherlands . In 1614, Hendrick Christiaensen built Fort Nassau on Castle Island (now called Port of Albany ), in the Hudson River. The fort acted as

12831-475: The first functional electromagnet . For several years in the early 1830s he demonstrated the practical effects of this discovery to his classes by using a magnet to ring a bell at the end of a wire run around the room. Not only was this the prototype for the electric doorbell, it has been considered an important step on the road to the invention of the telegraph two decades later. In 1832, the city government decided it needed its own city hall, and Hooker provided

12972-495: The forests not fully exorcised." The first of the large buildings, mostly governmental edifices, that dominate the district today, the New York State Court of Appeals Building , was designed in 1835 and opened in 1842. Originally "State Hall", housing a number of other state offices before the court moved in following its 1847 creation, Henry Rector's neoclassical structure used all three orders in its design. It

13113-424: The former mayor of the same name), was elected in 1941. Although he was one of the longest-serving mayors of any city in United States history (1942 until his death in 1983), one historian describes Corning's tenure as "long on years, short on accomplishments," citing Corning's preference for maintaining the status quo as a factor that held back potential progress during his tenure. While Corning brought stability to

13254-580: The greatest level of finish. A parking lot is in the southwest corner. At the southeast corner, in the space between the cathedral and the SED building, is a brick chapter house . Inside, the cathedral interior is finished in the same East Longmeadow brownstone as the outside trim. The nave is laid out with two narrow side aisles, separated from the main section by large sets of engaged stone columns as much as 7 feet (2.1 m) wide. Six large stained glass windows provide light, supplemented by sunlight through

13395-543: The hub of transportation for pioneers going to Buffalo and the Michigan Territory in the early and mid-19th century. In 1807, Robert Fulton initiated a steamboat line from New York to Albany, the first successful enterprise of its kind anywhere in the world. By 1810 , with 10,763 people, Albany was the tenth-largest urban place in the nation. The town and village north of Albany known as "the Colonie"

13536-493: The land annexed to Guilderland was ceded back to Albany in 1910, setting up the current western border. The train carrying the body of slain President Abraham Lincoln came through Albany on the way to Illinois and some claim the ghostly image of that train remains. Albany opened one of the first commercial airports in the world, and the first municipal airport in the United States, in 1908. Originally on

13677-450: The land secured, Doane announced that a competition would be held for the design. It took until 1882 for the bishop to announce the winner: Robert W. Gibson . The then-unknown architect's design edged out a widely publicized design by the well-known Henry Hobson Richardson , who had already distinguished himself in Albany with his designs for the early stages of the state capitol and city hall . Richardson had worked hard on his design and

13818-658: The land to the west and annex land to the north and south. At this point, Albany had a population of about 500 people. In 1754, representatives of seven British North American colonies met in the Stadt Huys , Albany's city hall , for the Albany Congress ; Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania presented the Albany Plan of Union there, which was the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. Although it

13959-516: The latest clothing, his fine horses, and his English coachman , who had most recently worked for Lilly Langtry , Prince Edward 's mistress. In 1899, the new state capitol was finally finished. With government so firmly established in the area, some of the old houses nearby began to be adapted into office space for institutions that desired the proximity to the state's elected officials, or subdivided into smaller living spaces. A fire insurers' organization converted 1–2 Columbia Place, including one of

14100-567: The liturgy. In the late 19th century, Bishop Doane created a boy's choir school (now defunct) and the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys. Doane penned " Ancient of Days ", which has become a well-known Anglican hymn, also known by its tune, Albany , while at the Cathedral of All Saints. The Choir sings in a wide variety of languages, including Greek (the Kyrie ), "English, Latin, German, French, Italian, and Russian." The Boys Choir at

14241-420: The location of the current building. The city government used the building as well for meetings and office space. Philip Hooker 's original Albany Academy building, the oldest extant building in the district, was built 1815–17. In the academy building, a dozen years later, one of the school's professors, Joseph Henry , conducted experiments with electricity that proved the existence of inductance and created

14382-454: The mayorship and was reelected twice. He encouraged redevelopment of historic structures and helped attract federal dollars earmarked for that purpose. What Corning had saved from destruction, Whalen refurbished for continued and new uses. The Mayor's Office of Special Events was created in an effort to increase the number of festivals and artistic events in the city, including a year-long Dongan Charter tricentennial celebration in 1986. Whalen

14523-427: The neighborhood from his childhood visits to his aunt as "vaguely portentous, like beasts of the forest not wholly exorcised." Two significant technological accomplishments—the development of the first working electromagnet and the construction of the first cantilevered arch bridge —also took place within it. Henry Hobson Richardson , Philip Hooker and Marcus T. Reynolds are among the architects with buildings in

14664-446: The next decade, the most significant renovation work took place. The original wood in the nave floor was replaced with reinforced concrete , and the heating system was upgraded. A kitchen, multi-purpose room and Sunday school classroom were built in the undercroft . The facade on the west entrance, of Potsdam sandstone with Indiana limestone trim, was built in 1971. The roof shingles were replaced again thirty years later as part of

14805-538: The north and south ends of the city attracted thousands of immigrants to the city for industrial jobs. Intricate wrought-iron details constructed in those years remain visible on what are now historic buildings. The iron industry waned by the 1890s due to increased costs associated with a newly unionized workforce and the opening of mines in the Mesabi Range in Minnesota . Albany's other major exports during

14946-487: The north primarily have two-story brick townhouses dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. There are 35 buildings in the district; all but three are contributing properties The district has an early period corresponding roughly to the 19th century, in which it was noted for the residences of socially prominent residents and politicians. After the completion of the current capitol building at century's end, it began to be dominated by large government buildings, with

15087-454: The office of mayor, it is said even those who admire him greatly cannot come up with a sizable list of "major concrete Corning achievements." Corning is given credit for saving—albeit somewhat unintentionally—much of Albany's historic architecture. During the 1950s and 1960s, a time when federal aid for urban renewal was plentiful, Albany did not have growth in its economy or infrastructure. It lost more than 20 percent of its population during

15228-640: The offices of New York's Department of State. South of it is the 34-story Alfred E. Smith State Office Building , a contributing property to the Center Square/Hudson–Park Historic District . Other than one small group of rowhouses , the space across the Elk is all parking lots. The cathedral was designed in the shape of a modified Greek cross with short transepts and squared ends. It is largely finished in split-cut Potsdam sandstone , with decorative trim in brownstone . The east end has

15369-469: The original Thirteen Colonies and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States. When New Netherland was captured by the English in 1664, the name was changed from Beverwijck to Albany in honor of the Duke of Albany (later James II). Duke of Albany was a Scottish title given since 1398, generally to a younger son of the King of Scots . The name is ultimately derived from Alba ,

15510-518: The other socially prominent families who had called Elk home. The house at 4, where the young Henry James had visited his aunt almost a century before, likewise became home to another fraternal organization , the Moose International . Through the middle of the century the district remained stable, with no significant new buildings, demolitions or other changes. That began to change in the late 1960s as urban renewal touched Albany, and

15651-452: The parking lot behind it. Crossing Pine Street it jogs slightly westward, then turns south and west to Eagle Street, around the back of City Hall . From there it turns south in the middle of Eagle Street and returns to the southeast corner. The terrain slopes gently eastward, toward the nearby Hudson River , becoming slightly steeper in the eastern portion of the district. On the north it drops off more abruptly into Sheridan Hollow. Much of

15792-511: The rear lines of the rowhouses along Columbia Street all the way to Chapel Street. It follows that street south back to Columbia, and turns east again all the way to Lodge Street, again sharing a boundary, this time with the Downtown Albany Historic District . Just before reaching St. Mary's Church , at Steuben Street, the line turns west again, then south, between the New York State Court of Appeals Building and

15933-656: The remaining land on the block. Doane, forced to abandon his longtime plan, succeeded in getting the legislature to limit the SED building to two stories, but Draper retaliated by making sure that those two stories, on Henry Hornbostel 's colonnaded marble Beaux-Arts structure were as tall as possible, blocking the cathedral off from the rest of the city. While it was being built, the district would be home for two years to another resident later to become prominent, future president Franklin Delano Roosevelt . He lived in 4 Elk Street from 1910 to 1912 while serving as

16074-513: The rural South, as part of the Great Migration . As historian (and Albany Assemblyman) John McEneny puts it, Dutch and Yankee, German and Irish, Polish and Italian, black and Chinese—over the centuries Albany's heritage has reflected a succession of immigrant nationalities. Its streets have echoed with a dozen languages, its neighborhoods adapting to the distinctive life-style and changing economic fortunes of each new group. Until after

16215-550: The sculptors represented. Although the district has been affected by modern trends—most of the Elk Street houses are now offices for various organizations that lobby the state government—it has remained mostly intact. It remains a vital part of Albany's public sphere, with the parks having hosted everything from benefit sales for soldiers' medical care during the Civil War to Occupy Albany 's tent encampments and protests during

16356-730: The social turmoil that accompanied the Vietnam War on the home front echoed through the park anew. In October 2011, protesters inspired by Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan set up Occupy Albany, a tent encampment in the parks, to call attention to rising socioeconomic inequality during the Great Recession as their fellow activists downstate had. The state originally instituted a curfew of 11 p.m. for Lafayette Park in order to force them to leave, and police cited several of them for violating it. These plans failed when David Soares ,

16497-556: The south. At South Swan Street, it turns north, with the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building and other contributing properties of the adjacent Center Square/Hudson–Park Historic District on the west. It continues north two blocks , now bordering the Washington Avenue Corridor Historic District , to the Elk Street intersection. Here it runs past Cathedral of All Saints and the back of

16638-402: The southern portion of the district is open space . East and West Capitol parks flank that building. To its northeast, on the block between Elk, Eagle, Hawk and Washington, is one large park that is actually two: Lafayette Park, owned by the state, on the west and city-owned Academy Park on the east. In between them on the north side is the former Albany Academy building, now the main offices of

16779-461: The state capitol building has always been located on its present site, for most of the 19th century the neighborhood was best known for the townhouses on Elk Street, then one of the most desirable addresses in the city. Many politicians, including some of the state's governors and presidents Martin Van Buren and Franklin D. Roosevelt , lived there at different times. Henry James would recall

16920-428: The state his lots. He successfully lobbied the state to limit the number of stories the new building would have, but made an enemy of Draper in the process. The commissioner made sure that the height of each story was as great as he could get away with. When finished in 1913, the state building hid the cathedral from the sight of most of the rest of the city. Doane and Draper both died shortly thereafter. The cathedral

17061-534: The street. The following year, 1970, the Hawk Street viaduct was dismantled. Only its south abutment and a portion of its handrail were left. As Empire State Plaza neared completion in the late 1970s, the state library and museum left the SED building for larger, dedicated space of their own built within the new complex. In 1986, a memorial to Albany County 's dead and missing from the Vietnam War

17202-483: The suburbs and black families remaining within city limits during the same time period. Since 2007, the number of Burmese refugees to Albany has increased. The Burmese refugee community consists mostly of people of Karen ethnicity. An estimated 5,000 Burmese refugees reside in Albany as of January 2015 . Like most cities of comparable age and size, Albany has well-established Orthodox Christian , Roman Catholic , Protestant , and Jewish communities. Albany

17343-770: The thousand-foot (300 m) Hawk Street Viaduct was built, connecting the neighborhoods north of Sheridan Hollow, now home to many of the workers in the industrialized city, with the Lafayette Park area. Since dismantled, it is believed to have been the first cantilevered arch bridge in the world, designed by former state engineer Elnathan Sweet . A segment of the iron railing and its south abutment remain, as contributing properties. Elk Street remained an address known for its high style. In 1897, newly elected Lieutenant Governor Timothy L. Woodruff , who would serve three governors in that position, moved into 5 Elk Street. Albany society took immediate notice of his penchant for

17484-581: The wave of immigration in the latter part of the 19th century. Their numbers were smaller than in many other eastern cities mainly because most had found manufacturing jobs at General Electric in Schenectady. The Jewish community had been established early, with Sephardic Jewish members as part of the Beverwijck community. Its population rose during the late 19th century, when many Ashkenazi Jews immigrated from eastern Europe. In that period, there

17625-485: The west by the town of Guilderland , and on the south by the town of Bethlehem . The former Foxes Creek, Beaver Kill, and Rutten Kill were diverted underground in the 19th century. There are four lakes within city limits: Buckingham Lake ; Rensselaer Lake at the mouth of the Patroon Creek; Tivoli Lake , which was formed as a reservoir and once connected to the Patroon Creek; and Washington Park Lake , which

17766-496: Was 99,224. With a 2013 Census-estimated population of 1.1 million, the eight county Capital District, encompassing Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga, is the third-most populous metropolitan region in the state. As of the 2010 census , Albany's population density was 4,572.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,765.5/km ). There were 46,362 housing units at an average density of 2,166.4 per square mile (836.5/km ); 5,205 of these units (11.2%) were vacant. The racial makeup of

17907-586: Was a widespread practice in Europe and especially in England for nearly 300 years prior to the Reformation, associated with festivals related to St. Nicholas . The synod of Province II took place May 7–8, 2009 in Albany, New York, near the cathedral, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori celebrated eucharist at the Cathedral of All Saints when she visited

18048-608: Was also an influx of Chinese and east Asian immigrants, who settled in the downtown section of the city. Many of their descendants have since moved to suburban areas. Asian immigration all but halted after the Immigration Act of 1924 . Albany saw its last large immigration pattern as part of the Great Migration when many African Americans moved there from the American South before and after World War I to fill industrial positions and find other opportunities. In

18189-475: Was annexed in 1815. In 1825 the Erie Canal was completed, forming a continuous water route from the Great Lakes to New York City. Unlike the current Barge Canal , which ends at nearby Waterford , the original Erie Canal ended at Albany; Lock 1 was north of Colonie Street. The Canal emptied into a 32-acre (13 ha) man-made lagoon called the Albany Basin , which was Albany's main port from 1825 until

18330-540: Was cleared to create Lafayette Park, named for the Marquis de Lafayette , who had stayed in Albany during 1778 and visited the city in the 1820s. In the process more than 30 houses were demolished, including those of Palmer and writer Leonard Kip . With the space opening up, more public statuary was erected. Daniel Chester French arranged for John Quincy Adams Ward 's memorial sculpture to Union Army General Phillip Sheridan , an Albany native, to be posthumously placed on

18471-476: Was commissioned for Lafayette Park. Sculptor Merlin Szosz produced a stele in the classical Greek mode, made of pink Brazilian granite and adorned with the names of those casualties, plus a relief of a soldier holding his fallen comrade amid Southeast Asian vegetation. It is set amid four gas lanterns shaped like lotuses and a circle of bronze benches. It was installed and dedicated in 1992. Two decades later,

18612-594: Was considered one of the finest government buildings of its era. Four years later, 17 Elk Street, the grandest house yet built on that street, was sold to John V. L. Pruyn , an industrialist who later served in the state senate and U.S. House. It was expanded to the east in 1858. After the Civil War , during which a temporary structure was set up in Academy Park as the Army Relief Bazaar to raise money for medical supplies, this change accelerated further with

18753-432: Was dedicated in 1888. The church and the diocese kept using the main building as it was completed. In the early years of the 20th century, the chapter house was completed. By 1909 the ceiling was complete to its intended level, and the permanent clerestory was unveiled. Much of the building was paid for with a gift from Doane's friend, J. Pierpont Morgan . By that time, it had become clear that Doane's original plans for

18894-754: Was formed by damming the Beaver Kill. The highest natural point in Albany is a USGS benchmark near the Loudonville Reservoir off Birch Hill Road, at 378 feet (115 m) above sea level . The lowest point is at the Hudson River—which is still technically an estuary at Albany and is affected by the Atlantic tide —at an average of 2 feet (0.61 m) above sea level at low tide and 4 feet (1.2 m) at high tide. The interior of Albany consists of rolling hills which were once part of

19035-431: Was known from then on as Albany County Airport until a massive upgrade and modernization project between 1996 and 1998, when it was rebranded Albany International Airport . Governor Nelson Rockefeller (1959–1973) ( R ) tried to stimulate the city with new monumental architecture and large, government-sponsored building projects; he drove construction of the Empire State Plaza , SUNY Albany 's uptown campus, and much of

19176-554: Was never adopted by Parliament , it was an important precursor to the United States Constitution . The same year, the French and Indian War , the fourth in a series of wars dating back to 1689, began. It ended in 1763 with French defeat , resolving a situation that had been a constant threat to Albany and held back its growth. In 1775, with the colonies in the midst of the Revolutionary War ,

19317-556: Was reportedly very disappointed that it was not chosen. However, he had apparently ignored most of Doane's requirements. Despite this, some architectural historians have mistakenly assumed the cathedral is his work. Gibson's design was what Doane had wanted. A 29-year-old who had recently immigrated to the US from his native England, Gibson was aware of the Oxford Movement and its influence on Episcopal Church design. He had designed

19458-502: Was separating the city from the Hudson River. Historian Paul Grondahl has described Corning as shortsighted with respect to use of the waterfront, saying the mayor could have used his influence to change the location of I-787, which now cuts the city off from "its whole raison d'être " In 1967, the hamlet of Karlsfeld was the last annexation by the city, sourced from the Town of Bethlehem. When Corning died in 1983, Thomas Whalen assumed

19599-453: Was the first railroad in the state and the first successful steam railroad running regularly scheduled service in the country. While the key to Albany's economic prosperity in the 19th century was transportation, industry and business also played a role. Largely thanks to the city's Dutch and German roots, beer was one of its biggest commodities. Beverwyck Brewery , originally known as Quinn and Nolan ( Nolan being mayor of Albany 1878–1883),

19740-467: Was the last remaining brewer from that time when it closed in 1972. The city's location at the east end of the Erie Canal gave it unparalleled access to both raw products and a captive customer base in the west. Albany was known for its publishing houses, and to some extent, still is. Albany was second only to Boston in the number of books produced for most of the 19th century. Iron foundries in both

19881-427: Was under the age of 18, 19.3% was aged 18 to 24, 29.2% was aged 25 to 44, 18.1% was aged 45 to 64, and 13.4% was aged 65 years or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males. Some 81.3% of the population had completed high school or earned an equivalency diploma. As of the 2000 census , the top five ancestry groups in

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