Albany Academy
a.k.a. Joseph Henry House
Academy Park, Albany, NYThis structure was designed as the Albany Academy by architect Philip Hooker and erected between 1815 and1817. Constructed of brownstone with Classical Revival details, such as the Ionic pilasters and the finely detailed cupola, the structure is considered one of Hooker's finest buildings. The First Reformed Church on North Pearl Street and the Academy are the only surviving examples of Hooker's work in Albany.
The building is now called the Joseph Henry Memorial in honor of Joseph Henry, who in 1826 was appointed to the Chair of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy at the Academy. While at the school he conducted experiments which led to important discoveries in electro-magnetics.He later became Professor of Natural Philosophy at Princeton University.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
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.