48 Hudson Avenue
Encyclopedia
48 Hudson Avenue, also known as the Van Ostrande – Radliff House, is the oldest building in the city of Albany
, New York
. It was believed by Paul Huey in the Albany architectural guide of 1993 to have been built in 1759 by Johannes Radliff when he married Elizabeth Singleton because he believed it was built after the stockade was moved south by one block. Research done by Albany historian John Wolcott proved that it had been occupied by Johannes van Ostrande between 1728 and 1734, and that a mortgage Radliff had on the house referred to it as "formerly van Ostrande". The Lamont-Doherty Earth Sciences
laboratory of Columbia University
performed dendrochronology
on a wood core sample from the building to confirm that the building dated from 1728. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
since January 10, 2008; prior to that it had been a contributing property
to the Downtown Albany Historic District
representing the First Ward, and in the 1750s sold the building to Johannes Radliff, a shoe-maker. During the 19th century the building was the home, and later factory, of Jared Holt. Holt made waxed thread used for sewing leather goods.
. The Albany Convention Center Authority has worked with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
to preserve the structure, mitigate adverse impacts, and recover archaeological resources. The Authority has also spoken with the owner of 48 Hudson Avenue regarding efforts to preserve the building.
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was believed by Paul Huey in the Albany architectural guide of 1993 to have been built in 1759 by Johannes Radliff when he married Elizabeth Singleton because he believed it was built after the stockade was moved south by one block. Research done by Albany historian John Wolcott proved that it had been occupied by Johannes van Ostrande between 1728 and 1734, and that a mortgage Radliff had on the house referred to it as "formerly van Ostrande". The Lamont-Doherty Earth Sciences
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
The Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory is a research unit of Columbia University located on a campus in Palisades, N.Y., north of Manhattan on the Hudson River.- History :...
laboratory of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
performed dendrochronology
Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology or tree-ring dating is the scientific method of dating based on the analysis of patterns of tree-rings. Dendrochronology can date the time at which tree rings were formed, in many types of wood, to the exact calendar year...
on a wood core sample from the building to confirm that the building dated from 1728. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since January 10, 2008; prior to that it had been a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Downtown Albany Historic District
Downtown Albany Historic District
The Downtown Albany Historic District is a 19-block, area of Albany, New York, United States, centered around the junction of State and North and South Pearl streets . It is the oldest settled area of the city, originally planned and settled in the 17th century, and the nucleus of its later...
History
48 Hudson Avenue was built by Johannes van Ostrande in 1728 just outside the stockade walls and a few hundred yards from the old Fort Orange. Van Ostrande was a member of the Albany Common CouncilCommon Council
Common Council may refer to:* The Court of Common Council, an elected body of the City of London Corporation* Buffalo Common Council, the legislative branch of the Buffalo, NY City Government...
representing the First Ward, and in the 1750s sold the building to Johannes Radliff, a shoe-maker. During the 19th century the building was the home, and later factory, of Jared Holt. Holt made waxed thread used for sewing leather goods.
Future
48 Hudson Avenue sits within the core area of the proposed Albany Convention CenterAlbany Convention Center
The Albany Convention Center is a proposed convention center to be located in downtown Albany, New York. The complex was initially proposed by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings in 1994, though no real action was taken until 2002; the project has been controversial from the beginning...
. The Albany Convention Center Authority has worked with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation operates :*168 state parks*35 state historic sites*76 developed beaches*53 water recreational facilities*27 golf courses*39 full service cottages*818 cabins...
to preserve the structure, mitigate adverse impacts, and recover archaeological resources. The Authority has also spoken with the owner of 48 Hudson Avenue regarding efforts to preserve the building.
Structure
As originally built it was a -story building, with a steep gable roof of fifty-four degrees. The house measured 23 by 33 feet with one large first-floor room and two lofts. The first floor was brick, while the top portion was pine shakes. The building has many rare features not often preserved in other buildings from its time, including a molded anchor beam, the outline of a jambless fireplace, wide pine exterior siding, wide floorboards, steeply pitched roof beams, and original brick walls.See also
- History of Albany, New YorkHistory of Albany, New YorkThe history of Albany, New York, begins with the first interaction with native Indian tribes that originally inhabited the area. The area was originally inhabited by Algonquian Indian tribes, namely the Mohican and the Iroquois....
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New YorkNational Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New YorkThe National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany, New York represent the history of Albany from the Dutch colonial era, through the British colonial era, the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and World War II, in addition to various periods of immigration into New York's...
- Quackenbush HouseQuackenbush HouseQuackenbush House is a historic building in Albany, New York. It is a house with a double-pitched gable roof that was built in about 1736. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.-History:...