Albany City Hall
Eagle St. at Maiden Lane, Albany, NYA fine example of Henry H. Richardson's mature style, the Albany City Hall is a key landmark in a visually compelling and architecturally sophisticated urban environment.
The building was commissioned in 1880 to replace the old City Hall that had been destroyed by fire and therefore it dates from a period (18781883) generally considered Richardson's architectural peak. Henry-Russell Hitchcock describes the building as "one of Richardson's most Romanesque designs," but also emphasizes Richardson's wide range of sources and disregard for "archeological correctness. Thus Richardson's buildings are better described in terms of a personal style, and the Albany City Hall's banded arches, rhythmic fenestration, bold expression of materials and corner placement of the tower are characteristic features of Richardson's work often to be repeated by his followers. At the corner of the massive main structure, the two hundred foot archive tower is a harbinger of "modern architecture" in scale and verticality.
Within clear view from the City Hall steps are many of Albany's finest government and institutional buildings. On a diagonal to the northwest of City Hall looms the huge and yet whimsical State Capitol which combines as many architectural styles as architects (including Richardson) collaborated in its long term construction. The juxtaposition of the State Capitol and the City Hall affords a special opportunity to see the progression of Richardson's style from the 1870's to the 1880's. Different though the City Hall and State Capitol are in architectural styles, the exterior stone details show remarkable similarity as the same crew of stone cutters who originally came to Albany to work on the State Capitol were later hired for the sculptural details of the City Hall. Other distinguished buildings, all of which are listed on the National Register, surrounding the City Hall are the State Education Building, the old Albany Academy, the Elk Street houses and the Court of Appeals.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1972.
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.