Albany Union Station

Perhaps no other building has been as important to the growth of Albany during the twentieth century as Union Station. It was designed in 1899 by Sheply/Rutan and Coolidge, the successors to the firm of H.H. Richardson and the designers of the newly-completed South Station in Boston and Union Station in Springfield, Massachusetts. The construction was carried out by Norcross Brothers, who were considered to be one of the finest contractors of the period. The superintendent of construction, Mr. Wayland, had previously been a supervisor of construction of the new buildings at Columbia University in New York city. Workman were chosen exclusively from the Albany area Work on the building commenced in the fall of 1899 and ended with the opening of the new station at 5:30 a.m. on December 17, 1900. As much time was allotted to furnishing the building as to erecting the basic structure.

The new station was considered to be one of the most modern in the country and was the pride of the New York Central Railroad. Included in the plan was a complete system of underground walkways called "subways", which provided an all-weather connection between the waiting room and the track side passenger loading platforms. The huge waiting room includes a high, polished granite wainscot, an ornate plaster ceiling suspended from iron brackets, and a mosaic floor. A total of six tall arched windows, three located on the west (front) and three located on the east elevations, flood the room with daylight.

On the west elevation, located under the arched windows, are the three doors which constitute the main entrance of the station. Passengers entering or leaving these portals were protected from the weather by the iron canopy which is supported by the exterior wall and a row ornate cast iron columns. In addition, over the main entrance there is a huge clock flanked by the seal of the State of New York. It took approximately fifteen men three months to carve, and upon its completion it was of compared with the clock on the New York Herald Building, Herald Square in New York City. Each of the four corner piers of the station is topped by a large stone globe surrounded by four stone lions.

On each side of the waiting room were railroad office which were serviced by an elevator. In reference to these offices, the Albany Times-Union of December 11, 1900, proudly reported:

"The New York Central does not do anything by halves and the offices are as finely fitted as any in the state. The furniture is leather covered mahogany and the desks are of oak highly polished."

This same article concluded that the new union depot will "be a magnificent entrance to this grand old city."

However, the architecture of this great masonry structure is only part of its significance to the city of Albany. A great deal of attention was directed in the early 1900's to making Albany the most progressive and prosperous city in New York State. The first step in this move was to erect a new railroad station so the Chamber of Commerce of Albany would:

"have good material to show outside manufacturing concerns that there is no better place to locate, for there will be no greater transportation facilities in the country, than can be found in the Capitol City of the Empire State."

The station not only attracted industry and commerce, but provided an ultra-modern first impression, and for countless more through passengers, the only impression of a booming and prosperous Albany. For individual Albanians the station also represented a great symbol of progress. It was the place where one could catch a long distance train, the escape machine of 60 years ago, for vacation sites throughout the country.

Moreover, the building of Union Station was part of a general rail transportation improvement program throughout the east. In Albany the tracks from Maiden Lane to Colonie were raised from 5 to 13 feet, eliminating two grade crossings, and a new draw bridge was built across the
Hudson. These innovations provided a safe, high speed thoroughfare for passengers and freight through downtown Albany. In addition, the terminal of the United Traction Company was situated next to the providing passengers with rapid public transportation to and from all points in Albany and its environs.

To facilitate the placement of trolley tracks in front of the station, the New York Central paved Broadway between Columbia and Steuben Streets with asphalt. As a result, the merchants on Broadway were all "willing desirous of copying the plan of the Central" in paving the street in front of their establishments. The station provided such an obvious uplift and focal point for the "new Albany" that proposals were made to clear the land around the station in order to make "a park approach" to the depot.

The New York Central and Hudson River Railroad, the Boston and Albany Railroad, and the Delaware and Hudson Railroad all used the station. It was the western terminus of the Boston and Albany and a division head of the New York Central. The station served 96 trains a day in 1900, and the number increased to a record of 121 trains a day during World War II. Famous
personages ranging from William Jennings Bryan to Dwight D. Eisenhower campaigned at Union Station.

Whether it was the homecoming of soldiers from two world wars or the arrivals and departures of thousands of citizens, Union Station was one of the most significant buildings in the day to day lives of the citizens of Albany. Although the station is no longer used as a railroad terminal, it remains as a significant architectural monument as well as one of the key visual elements in the city scape of downtown Albany.