Albany City Hall
Encyclopedia
Albany City Hall is the seat of government of the city of Albany
, New York
. It houses the office of the mayor, the Common Council
chamber, the city and traffic
courts, as well as other city services. The current building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson
in his particular Romanesque style
and opened in 1883 at 24 Eagle Street between Corning Place (then Maiden Lane) and Pine Street. It is a rectangular, three-and-a-half-story building with a 202 feet (61.6 m) tall tower at its southwest corner. The tower contains one of the only municipal carillon
s in the country.
Albany's first city hall was the Stadt Huys, built by the Dutch
at the intersection of Broadway and Hudson Avenue probably in the 1660s, though possibly earlier. It was probably replaced around 1740 with a larger building, which continued to be known as the Stadt Huys. In 1754, the Stadt Huys was the location of the Albany Congress
, where Benjamin Franklin
presented the Albany Plan of Union, the first proposal to unite the British American colonies
. In 1797 Albany was declared the state capital of New York and the New York Legislature
made its home in Albany's city hall. In 1809 the Legislature opened the first New York State Capitol
and Albany's government moved in with the Legislature. After purchasing a plot of land at the eastern terminus of Washington Avenue, across Eagle Street from the capitol, the city government moved in to a new city hall designed by Philip Hooker
in 1832.
In 1880 Hooker's city hall was destroyed by fire and a new design was commissioned by Henry Richardson; the building opened in 1883. The new city hall still stands and is a fine example of Richardson's unique Romanesque style. Architectural critics consider the building to have been designed around the high point of Richardson's career. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on September 4, 1972.
for "city hall"; sometimes written Stadt Huis) may have been built as early as 1635. Evidence from the journals of Wouter van Twiller
, Director of New Netherland (1633–1638), suggests that at least some type of punitory building was built on the site during his term in office. George Howell and Jonathan Tenney, in their book Bi-centennial History of Albany, claim that reports from 1646 state the building was a substantial (at least for its time) three-story structure, with the lower floor built of stone and used as a jail. However Albany historian Cuyler Reynolds claims the Stadt Huys was not built until 1673. All sources agree that it stood at the northeast corner of today's Hudson Avenue and Broadway, the current site of the SUNY System Administration Building
. The Stadt Huys officially became city hall when the Dongan Charter
incorporated Albany into a city in 1686. An engraving of a 1695 map of Albany clearly identifies the Stadt Huys at the northeast corner of present-day Hudson Ave and Broadway.
It seems a new city hall was built on the site of the Stadt Huys around 1740; historians at the New York State Museum
(NYSM) claim it was 1741. Growing tired of increasingly cramped space, the city government was able to secure funds from the provincial government
to construct a new city hall on the same site. This building was also commonly known as the Stadt Huys, even though it was a completely new structure and the English had been in control of New York for more than 75 years. The NYSM describes the new Stadt Huys as a three-story brick structure, adding that it was a "more substantial building" than its predecessor. This new building was the third-largest building in Albany, surpassed only by the local Dutch church
(though not the one that stands today) and Fort Albany
. The roof of the new structure was gabled and was topped with a cupola and belfry. Howell and Tenney claim that the original Stadt Huys was in use for at least 160 years (meaning a replacement structure would not have been needed until 1795 at the earliest), which is in disagreement with the idea that a new Stadt Huys was built in the 1740s.
In 1754, the Stadt Huys was the site of the Albany Congress
; Benjamin Franklin
of Pennsylvania
presented the Albany Plan of Union there. This was the first formal proposal to unite the British American colonies
. The Plan of Union's original intention was to unite the colonies in defense against aggressions of the French to the north
; it was not an attempt to become independent from the auspices of the British crown. Although it was never adopted by the British Parliament
, it was an important precursor to the United States Constitution
. A month prior to the meeting, Franklin published his Join, or Die
political cartoon, an infamous graphical representation of the Plan of Union.
During the Revolutionary War
, city hall was home to the Albany Committee of Correspondence
(the political arm of the local revolutionary movement), which took over operation of Albany's government in 1775 and eventually expanded its power to control all of Albany County
(which at that time was the largest county in the colony, extending far past its current borders). Tories
and prisoners of war were often jailed in city hall alongside common criminals. Following the war, city hall was an occasional meeting place of the newly formed New York Legislature
, in addition to being home to the city and county governments, the jail, courts, and local registry.
In 1797 Albany was declared the official capital of the state and the Legislature made city hall its home until the first state capitol was opened in 1809. In an effort to move public buildings away from the bustling and expanding waterfront, the new capitol was located atop the State Street hill, on the same land the current building
now stands. City surveyor Simeon De Witt
, in his 1794 plan of the city, set aside this land as a public square. Also included on this map are depictions of city hall and the new city jail, located at State and Eagle Streets. In 1809, Albany city government moved with the Legislature into the new capitol and remained there until a new city hall was opened in 1832. The old Stadt Huys was eventually demolished after a fire in 1836.
for $10,295.95. The design of the new city hall was done by Albany architect Philip Hooker
. The cornerstone was laid by Mayor John Townsend
amid a Masonic ceremony, however the date of this event is in dispute. The building was completed in 1832 at a cost of about $92,000. The new city hall was a Greek Revival
structure, built of white marble with an entrance porch supported by four Doric columns. On the roof was a gilded dome. The interior was simple, with little ornamentation, though a full-length statue of Alexander Hamilton
stood in the center of the upper hall, between the Court room and the Common Council Chamber. Upon one side of this hall was a bas-relief of DeWitt Clinton
, with a view of a primitive canal-boat
in the distance, and on the opposite wall was a similar figure of Sir Walter Scott. The building was destroyed by fire on February 10, 1880. Plans for a replacement city hall quickly developed.
Following the 1880 fire, Henry Richardson quickly secured the commission for the replacement city hall after a limited competition between six architects and architectural firms. Richardson had been a frequent visitor to Albany over the prior four years, having been one of the lead architects on the state capitol. The budget was limited to $185,000; Richardson's design came in at $184,000. However the appointed public committee upped the price to $204,000 after granite was substituted for brownstone in the design. The new city hall design dates from the period that is typically regarded as Richardson's architectural peak. His design was similar to his other designs done in his unique Romanesque style. Architectural historian Henry-Russell Hitchcock
described city hall as "one of Richardson's most Romanesque designs" and the building's NRHP nomination added: "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."
The building is a load-bearing masonry
design laid out in a rectangle, with a 202 feet (61.6 m) tall, Venetian-style tower on its southwest corner topped with a pyramidal roof. The main structure is three-and-a-half stories tall and the front (west) face is nine bays
wide. The exterior walls are rusticated Milford (Rhode Island) granite with Longmeadow (Massachusetts) brownstone trim. Save for the bold asymmetrical placement of the tower (which is a prime example of Richardson's disregard for architectural correctness and known for being one of his best tower designs), the building is noted for its general simplicity in design. The entranceway is a simple triple-arch loggia
; other design elements on the front façade are limited to its windows and a quadruple-arch balcony off the Common Council chamber. The building is simultaneously noted for its general simplicity and care for small details, especially its intricate carvings. The entranceway is flanked by multiple tiers of relief sculpture and gargoyles. Most of the stone cutters originally brought to Albany to work on the capitol were later hired to do the sculptural details on city hall.
Many elements of the exterior design are representations of interior functionality. Because the Common Council chamber is located on the second floor (above the entrance), that story is the same height as the first-floor entrance hall. The tower is essentially window-less because it was meant to be the city archive; a round staircase extends up the southeast corner of the tower for access. The short tower on the building's southeast corner was originally meant to be the transition between city hall and the (to-be built) jail, complete with a "bridge of sighs" to transport inmates straight from their cells in the jail to the court rooms in city hall.
Due to lack of funds at the time (the building's initial budget doubled, ending up at $325,000 including furnishings), Richardson devoted most of his efforts to the building's exterior. A report from the Times Union states, "There wasn't enough money for Richardson to do the job as thoroughly as he would have liked. He said in his writing that if there wasn't sufficient money, he'd rather do it right on the outside and leave it to a future generation to finish the interior. The interior was finished by city architects a good 30 years after Richardson built it." The interior was redesigned by Ogden and Gander in 1917. The mayor's office is on the first floor of the tower, the Council chamber and offices are on the building's second floor, and the city clerk's office is on the second floor of the tower. The mayor's office contains a painting of the city's first mayor, Pieter Schuyler
.
In 1927 a carillon
was added to the tower; it contained sixty bells (though it could produce only 47 different notes since top notes have double bells) made by John Taylor & Co in England. Financed by public donations (from upwards of 25,000 people), it cost $63,000 and was the first municipal carillon in the United States. In 1986 Mayor Thomas Whalen had the carillon restored, which included replacing 30 bells and adding two notes to its repertoire. The 49 bells weigh 27 short tons (24,494 kg). The largest bell is 5 in 9 in (1.75 m) in diameter and weighs 10953 pounds (4,968.2 kg). The carillon is still in use and plays multiple concerts during the week.
The clock faces on the tower were added in the 1920s, possibly around the time the carillon was added. The 1897 image of the city hall above shows the tower without the clock faces (though the stonework shows obvious intent to have clock faces installed). City hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1972.
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 houses the office of the mayor, the Common Council
City council
A city council or town council is the legislative body that governs a city, town, municipality or local government area.-Australia & NZ:Because of the differences in legislation between the States, the exact definition of a City Council varies...
chamber, the city and traffic
Traffic court
Traffic court is a term that refers to a municipality's specialized judicial process for handling traffic ticket cases. In the United States, a person who is given a citation by a police officer can either plead guilty and pay the indicated fine directly to the court house, by mail, or in some...
courts, as well as other city services. The current building was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
in his particular Romanesque style
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
and opened in 1883 at 24 Eagle Street between Corning Place (then Maiden Lane) and Pine Street. It is a rectangular, three-and-a-half-story building with a 202 feet (61.6 m) tall tower at its southwest corner. The tower contains one of the only municipal carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
s in the country.
Albany's first city hall was the Stadt Huys, built by the Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
at the intersection of Broadway and Hudson Avenue probably in the 1660s, though possibly earlier. It was probably replaced around 1740 with a larger building, which continued to be known as the Stadt Huys. In 1754, the Stadt Huys was the location of the Albany Congress
Albany Congress
The Albany Congress, also known as the Albany Conference and "The Conference of Albany" or "The Conference in Albany", was a meeting of representatives from seven of the thirteen British North American colonies in 1754...
, where Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
presented the Albany Plan of Union, the first proposal to unite the British American colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. In 1797 Albany was declared the state capital of New York and the New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
made its home in Albany's city hall. In 1809 the Legislature opened the first New York State Capitol
New York State Capitol
The New York State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of New York. Housing the New York State Legislature, it is located in the state capital city Albany, on State Street in Capitol Park. The building, completed in 1899 at a cost of $25 million , was the most expensive government...
and Albany's government moved in with the Legislature. After purchasing a plot of land at the eastern terminus of Washington Avenue, across Eagle Street from the capitol, the city government moved in to a new city hall designed by Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker was at one time the leading architect of New York State outside of New York City. He designed Hyde Hall, the facade of the Hamilton College Chapel, The Albany Academy, Albany City Hall, Hart-Cluett Mansion and the original New York State Capitol building. He is believed to have...
in 1832.
In 1880 Hooker's city hall was destroyed by fire and a new design was commissioned by Henry Richardson; the building opened in 1883. The new city hall still stands and is a fine example of Richardson's unique Romanesque style. Architectural critics consider the building to have been designed around the high point of Richardson's career. The building was added to 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...
on September 4, 1972.
Former city halls
Albany has had multiple buildings dedicated to being the seat of city government over its history. However, historians disagree on details of many of the earlier structures, namely, when they were built.Stadt Huys
Albany's original city hall, the Stadt Huys ' onMouseout='HidePop("35816")' href="/topics/Dutch_language">DutchDutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
for "city hall"; sometimes written Stadt Huis) may have been built as early as 1635. Evidence from the journals of Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller
Wouter van Twiller was an employee of the Dutch West India Company and the Director-General of New Netherland from 1633 until 1638...
, Director of New Netherland (1633–1638), suggests that at least some type of punitory building was built on the site during his term in office. George Howell and Jonathan Tenney, in their book Bi-centennial History of Albany, claim that reports from 1646 state the building was a substantial (at least for its time) three-story structure, with the lower floor built of stone and used as a jail. However Albany historian Cuyler Reynolds claims the Stadt Huys was not built until 1673. All sources agree that it stood at the northeast corner of today's Hudson Avenue and Broadway, the current site of the SUNY System Administration Building
SUNY System Administration Building
The SUNY System Administration Building, formerly the Delaware & Hudson Railroad Building, is a public office building located at the intersection of Broadway and State Street in downtown Albany, New York. Locally the building and land it sits on is referred to as State University Plaza, or the D&H...
. The Stadt Huys officially became city hall when the Dongan Charter
Dongan Charter
The Dongan Charter is the 1686 document incorporating Albany, New York as a city. Albany's charter was issued by Governor Thomas Dongan of the Province of New York, a few months after Governor Dongan issued a similarly worded, but less detailed charter for the city of New York. The city of Albany...
incorporated Albany into a city in 1686. An engraving of a 1695 map of Albany clearly identifies the Stadt Huys at the northeast corner of present-day Hudson Ave and Broadway.
It seems a new city hall was built on the site of the Stadt Huys around 1740; historians at the New York State Museum
New York State Museum
The New York State Museum is a research-backed institution in Albany, New York, United States. It is located on Madison Avenue, attached to the south side of the Empire State Plaza, facing onto the plaza and towards the New York State Capitol...
(NYSM) claim it was 1741. Growing tired of increasingly cramped space, the city government was able to secure funds from the provincial government
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
to construct a new city hall on the same site. This building was also commonly known as the Stadt Huys, even though it was a completely new structure and the English had been in control of New York for more than 75 years. The NYSM describes the new Stadt Huys as a three-story brick structure, adding that it was a "more substantial building" than its predecessor. This new building was the third-largest building in Albany, surpassed only by the local Dutch church
First Church in Albany (Reformed)
First Reformed Church in Albany, New York, also known as First Church in Albany or North Dutch Church, was designed by Philip Hooker and built in 1798. It is a member of the Reformed Church in America...
(though not the one that stands today) and Fort Albany
Fort Frederick (Albany)
Fort Frederick was a fort in Albany, New York from 1676-1789. Sitting atop State Street Hill it replaced the earlier decaying Fort Orange along the Hudson River. The fort was named for Frederick Louis, son of King George II. The fort was referred to as Fort Albany in the 1936 novel Drums Along the...
. The roof of the new structure was gabled and was topped with a cupola and belfry. Howell and Tenney claim that the original Stadt Huys was in use for at least 160 years (meaning a replacement structure would not have been needed until 1795 at the earliest), which is in disagreement with the idea that a new Stadt Huys was built in the 1740s.
In 1754, the Stadt Huys was the site of the Albany Congress
Albany Congress
The Albany Congress, also known as the Albany Conference and "The Conference of Albany" or "The Conference in Albany", was a meeting of representatives from seven of the thirteen British North American colonies in 1754...
; Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
of Pennsylvania
Province of Pennsylvania
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as Pennsylvania Colony, was founded in British America by William Penn on March 4, 1681 as dictated in a royal charter granted by King Charles II...
presented the Albany Plan of Union there. This was the first formal proposal to unite the British American colonies
Thirteen Colonies
The Thirteen Colonies were English and later British colonies established on the Atlantic coast of North America between 1607 and 1733. They declared their independence in the American Revolution and formed the United States of America...
. The Plan of Union's original intention was to unite the colonies in defense against aggressions of the French to the north
French colonization of the Americas
The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...
; it was not an attempt to become independent from the auspices of the British crown. Although it was never adopted by the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
, it was an important precursor to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
. A month prior to the meeting, Franklin published his Join, or Die
Join, Or Die
Join or Die is a 2003 album by Amen. It was the first album published by the Refuse Music label and was limited to 2000 copies with the first 1000 copies hand numbered by Casey Chaos in his blood...
political cartoon, an infamous graphical representation of the Plan of Union.
During the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, city hall was home to the Albany Committee of Correspondence
Committee of correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of American Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; by 1773 they had emerged as shadow governments, superseding the colonial legislature...
(the political arm of the local revolutionary movement), which took over operation of Albany's government in 1775 and eventually expanded its power to control all of Albany County
Albany County, New York
Albany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The name is from the title of the Duke of York and Albany, who became James II of England . As of the 2010 census, the population was 304,204...
(which at that time was the largest county in the colony, extending far past its current borders). Tories
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
and prisoners of war were often jailed in city hall alongside common criminals. Following the war, city hall was an occasional meeting place of the newly formed New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
, in addition to being home to the city and county governments, the jail, courts, and local registry.
In 1797 Albany was declared the official capital of the state and the Legislature made city hall its home until the first state capitol was opened in 1809. In an effort to move public buildings away from the bustling and expanding waterfront, the new capitol was located atop the State Street hill, on the same land the current building
New York State Capitol
The New York State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of New York. Housing the New York State Legislature, it is located in the state capital city Albany, on State Street in Capitol Park. The building, completed in 1899 at a cost of $25 million , was the most expensive government...
now stands. City surveyor Simeon De Witt
Simeon De Witt
Simeon De Witt was Geographer and Surveyor General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution and Surveyor General of the State of New York for the fifty years from 1784 until his death.-Life:He was one of fourteen children of physician Dr...
, in his 1794 plan of the city, set aside this land as a public square. Also included on this map are depictions of city hall and the new city jail, located at State and Eagle Streets. In 1809, Albany city government moved with the Legislature into the new capitol and remained there until a new city hall was opened in 1832. The old Stadt Huys was eventually demolished after a fire in 1836.
1832 city hall
In an effort to move city and county government functions out of the state capitol, the city purchased a plot of land to build on in 1832. They chose a spot on the edge of De Witt's public square, along Eagle Street at the eastern terminus of Lion Street (later renamed Washington Avenue); the land was bought from St. Peter's ChurchSt. Peter's Episcopal Church (Albany, New York)
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, also known as St. Peter's Church, in Albany, New York, is a church built in 1859 that was designed by Richard Upjohn and his son Richard M. Upjohn. The architecture is French-style decorated Gothic....
for $10,295.95. The design of the new city hall was done by Albany architect Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker was at one time the leading architect of New York State outside of New York City. He designed Hyde Hall, the facade of the Hamilton College Chapel, The Albany Academy, Albany City Hall, Hart-Cluett Mansion and the original New York State Capitol building. He is believed to have...
. The cornerstone was laid by Mayor John Townsend
John Townsend (Mayor)
John Townsend was a prominent industrialist and politician in the Albany, New York area. He was unanimously elected Mayor of Albany three times and served as the 37th Mayor of the city.-Birth and Family:...
amid a Masonic ceremony, however the date of this event is in dispute. The building was completed in 1832 at a cost of about $92,000. The new city hall was a Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
structure, built of white marble with an entrance porch supported by four Doric columns. On the roof was a gilded dome. The interior was simple, with little ornamentation, though a full-length statue of Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
stood in the center of the upper hall, between the Court room and the Common Council Chamber. Upon one side of this hall was a bas-relief of DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton
DeWitt Clinton was an early American politician and naturalist who served as United States Senator and the sixth Governor of New York. In this last capacity he was largely responsible for the construction of the Erie Canal...
, with a view of a primitive canal-boat
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
in the distance, and on the opposite wall was a similar figure of Sir Walter Scott. The building was destroyed by fire on February 10, 1880. Plans for a replacement city hall quickly developed.
Current city hall
Henry-Russell Hitchcock
Henry-Russell Hitchcock was the leading American architectural historian of his generation. A long-time professor at Smith College and New York University, he is best known for writings that helped to define Modern architecture.-Biography:...
described city hall as "one of Richardson's most Romanesque designs" and the building's NRHP nomination added: "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."
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
design laid out in a rectangle, with a 202 feet (61.6 m) tall, Venetian-style tower on its southwest corner topped with a pyramidal roof. The main structure is three-and-a-half stories tall and the front (west) face is nine bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
wide. The exterior walls are rusticated Milford (Rhode Island) granite with Longmeadow (Massachusetts) brownstone trim. Save for the bold asymmetrical placement of the tower (which is a prime example of Richardson's disregard for architectural correctness and known for being one of his best tower designs), the building is noted for its general simplicity in design. The entranceway is a simple triple-arch loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
; other design elements on the front façade are limited to its windows and a quadruple-arch balcony off the Common Council chamber. The building is simultaneously noted for its general simplicity and care for small details, especially its intricate carvings. The entranceway is flanked by multiple tiers of relief sculpture and gargoyles. Most of the stone cutters originally brought to Albany to work on the capitol were later hired to do the sculptural details on city hall.
Many elements of the exterior design are representations of interior functionality. Because the Common Council chamber is located on the second floor (above the entrance), that story is the same height as the first-floor entrance hall. The tower is essentially window-less because it was meant to be the city archive; a round staircase extends up the southeast corner of the tower for access. The short tower on the building's southeast corner was originally meant to be the transition between city hall and the (to-be built) jail, complete with a "bridge of sighs" to transport inmates straight from their cells in the jail to the court rooms in city hall.
Due to lack of funds at the time (the building's initial budget doubled, ending up at $325,000 including furnishings), Richardson devoted most of his efforts to the building's exterior. A report from the Times Union states, "There wasn't enough money for Richardson to do the job as thoroughly as he would have liked. He said in his writing that if there wasn't sufficient money, he'd rather do it right on the outside and leave it to a future generation to finish the interior. The interior was finished by city architects a good 30 years after Richardson built it." The interior was redesigned by Ogden and Gander in 1917. The mayor's office is on the first floor of the tower, the Council chamber and offices are on the building's second floor, and the city clerk's office is on the second floor of the tower. The mayor's office contains a painting of the city's first mayor, Pieter Schuyler
Pieter Schuyler
Pieter Schuyler was the first mayor of Albany, New York and the head of the Albany Commissioners for Indian Affairs...
.
In 1927 a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
was added to the tower; it contained sixty bells (though it could produce only 47 different notes since top notes have double bells) made by John Taylor & Co in England. Financed by public donations (from upwards of 25,000 people), it cost $63,000 and was the first municipal carillon in the United States. In 1986 Mayor Thomas Whalen had the carillon restored, which included replacing 30 bells and adding two notes to its repertoire. The 49 bells weigh 27 short tons (24,494 kg). The largest bell is 5 in 9 in (1.75 m) in diameter and weighs 10953 pounds (4,968.2 kg). The carillon is still in use and plays multiple concerts during the week.
The clock faces on the tower were added in the 1920s, possibly around the time the carillon was added. The 1897 image of the city hall above shows the tower without the clock faces (though the stonework shows obvious intent to have clock faces installed). City hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 4, 1972.
See also
- City halls in New York
- List of mayors of Albany, New York
- 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...
External links
- Albany City Carillon
- Albany City Hall, hosted by the government of the City of Albany
- Historic American Building Survey entry from 1981, hosted by the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...