Abrams Building
55-57 S. Pearl St., Albany, NYThe Abrams Building, constructed in I885, is a fine, largely unaltered example of late nineteenth century commercial architecture. 'The handsome brick structure with its Romanesque style detailing is one of the very few buildings in Albany’s downtown business district with an original first floor storefront. The Abrams Building is significant as a reminder of the architectural taste of the period as well as the prosperity enjoyed by downtown merchants during the late nineteenth century.
Commercial development that occurred in Albany in the early 1800'swas mainly confined to Broadway along the river and to State Street leading to roads west. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 and the later introduction of the railroad, Albany grew rapidly as a commercial center. Many new commercial structures replaced the small residences that were present in the downtown area. Pearl Street became a major commercial axis and extended south from State Street nearly four miles.In 1885 John M. Bigelow, a physician and professor at the Albany Medical College, constructed a four-story brick commercial structure replacing a smaller building owned by his family on the South Pearl Street corner.Although the architect is not known, the building very closely resembles the Old Albany Business College which was built two years later, to the designs of the locally prominent firm of Ogden and Wright.
The structure housed many businesses over the years including a confectionery, drug store, jewelry store, and as early as I89O, a liquor store. The meeting hall on the second floor strongly reflects the social activities of the late nineteenth century when there were over one hundred different clubs and lodges organized in Albany, Some of the different groups that used the hall were the Grand Army of the Republic, the Sons of Temperance (before the opening of the liquor store),and most recently the Elks Club.
The building has survived the neglect and demolition of neighboring structures and is one of the few surviving, unaltered structures that were commonly built in the 1880’s. With the resurgence of downtown Albany as a commercial center, it is the hope of the owner to restore the building to its former prominence.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.