Wellington Row
Encyclopedia
Wellington Row is a row of buildings along the south side of State Street in Albany
, New York
. It spans from 132 to 140 State Street and includes the Wellington Hotel, its namesake, the former Elks Lodge No. 49, former Berkshire Hotel, and a couple of row houses south of the Wellington Hotel (132 and 134 State Street). The Wellington Hotel includes a second building called the Wellington Annex on Howard Street with an attached garage both facing towards the back of Wellington Row, the garage is the only remaining portion still in use. The row was placed on the Preservation League of New York State's Seven to Save list for the year 2000. The entire row is part of the Downtown Albany Historic District
.
house for Cooper, of the family that founded Cooperstown, New York
. Christian Brothers Academy
occupied 132 State Street. The Wellington Hotel was built in 1905 as a 17 room hotel, then in 1911 it was purchased by Claude J. Holder who expanded the building to over 400 rooms. At 138 State Street, west of the Wellington, the Elks Lodge No. 49 was built between 1911–13 and dedicated in 1914. In 1959 Carter Hotels bought the building from Holder's heirs for $1.5 million with the stipulation that they put televisions and air conditioning in every room. Governor of New York
Mario Cuomo
first moved into the Wellington in 1956 when he was a law clerk, and then again in the 1980s as Lieutenant Governor of New York
. Cuomo's successor as governor, George Pataki
, also stayed at the hotel while he was an assemblyman in the New York Legislature
. In 1975 Albany Savings Bank after foreclosing
on the building gave the Wellington to the city, which continued to run the building as a hotel and the annex on Howard Street as a dormitory
for students at the University at Albany
until 1984. In 1984 MABS Diversified Investments purchased the building from the city and also bought the neighboring Elks Lodge and former Berkshire Hotel, MABS continued the hotel and student housing until 1986. Seeba Rockaway Ltd. purchased the Wellington, Berkshire, and Elks Lodge in 1987 and then also neighboring 134 State Street in 1994 and 132 State Street in 1998.
On August 17, 2004 the ornate cornice atop the building was seen leaning perilously over State Street and emergency workers had to remove it. Instead of demolition the city decided to wrap the rest of the building in protective sheathing. The city took Seeba Rockaway to court for 17 code violations. City court in December, 2004 fined the company $480,000 for a dozen code violations and dismissed five. The city in 2005 sued Sebba Rockaway for $25 million in punitive damages and tacked $513,000 onto the property tax bill for the Wellington Hotel. Sebba Rockaway then put all its property on Wellington Row including the Wellington, Berkshire, Elks Lodge and adjoining buildings for sale for $5 million. The entire site was sold in 2006 to Columbia Development, a locally owned company, for $925,000, which originally wanting to destroy most of the buildings and save only a few facades. After meeting some opposition Columbia revised their proposal with saving more of the original streetscape though most will still be new construction. The proposal received praises for the inclusion of apartments along with office space as this has been a goal of the city of Albany for quite some time. The two buildings east of the Wellington Hotel along with the Berkshire Hotel and Elks Lodge west of the Wellington will be saved as retail and residential uses, but the Wellington Hotel itself will be demolished and rebuilt with just its facade
as the entrance to a new 14-story 405000 square feet (37,625.7 m²) office building that will span behind the entire row, which was renamed Wellington Place.
s, many of whom had never had contact with humans. The vast majority are of the black and white "tuxedo" variety. The organization Spaying Capital Region Unowned Feral Felines (Scruff) captured, neuter
ed/spayed, vaccinated them, and then released them back into downtown with locals either willing to keep an eye on them or adopt them. Many of the cats were given names with the surname
of Wellington, such as Mario Wellington (named for former governor Mario Cuomo), and Claude Wellington.
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 spans from 132 to 140 State Street and includes the Wellington Hotel, its namesake, the former Elks Lodge No. 49, former Berkshire Hotel, and a couple of row houses south of the Wellington Hotel (132 and 134 State Street). The Wellington Hotel includes a second building called the Wellington Annex on Howard Street with an attached garage both facing towards the back of Wellington Row, the garage is the only remaining portion still in use. The row was placed on the Preservation League of New York State's Seven to Save list for the year 2000. The entire row is part of 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
The oldest building in Wellington Row, and possibly all of State Street, is the John Taylor Cooper House at 134 State Street. The house was built in the 1820s and remodeled into a Greek RevivalGreek 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...
house for Cooper, of the family that founded Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
. Christian Brothers Academy
Christian Brothers Academy (Albany, New York)
Christian Brothers Academy is a Catholic college preparatory junior and senior high school for boys founded in 1859 by the De La Salle Christian Brothers . Located within the Colonie School District and the school is located in the town of Colonie, New York near the Albany International Airport on...
occupied 132 State Street. The Wellington Hotel was built in 1905 as a 17 room hotel, then in 1911 it was purchased by Claude J. Holder who expanded the building to over 400 rooms. At 138 State Street, west of the Wellington, the Elks Lodge No. 49 was built between 1911–13 and dedicated in 1914. In 1959 Carter Hotels bought the building from Holder's heirs for $1.5 million with the stipulation that they put televisions and air conditioning in every room. Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...
first moved into the Wellington in 1956 when he was a law clerk, and then again in the 1980s as Lieutenant Governor of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
. Cuomo's successor as governor, George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...
, also stayed at the hotel while he was an assemblyman in 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...
. In 1975 Albany Savings Bank after foreclosing
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
on the building gave the Wellington to the city, which continued to run the building as a hotel and the annex on Howard Street as a dormitory
Dormitory
A dormitory, often shortened to dorm, in the United States is a residence hall consisting of sleeping quarters or entire buildings primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people, often boarding school, college or university students...
for students at the University at Albany
University at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, also known as University at Albany, State University of New York, SUNY Albany or simply UAlbany, is a public university located in Albany, Guilderland, and East Greenbush, New York, United States; is the senior campus of the State University of New York ...
until 1984. In 1984 MABS Diversified Investments purchased the building from the city and also bought the neighboring Elks Lodge and former Berkshire Hotel, MABS continued the hotel and student housing until 1986. Seeba Rockaway Ltd. purchased the Wellington, Berkshire, and Elks Lodge in 1987 and then also neighboring 134 State Street in 1994 and 132 State Street in 1998.
On August 17, 2004 the ornate cornice atop the building was seen leaning perilously over State Street and emergency workers had to remove it. Instead of demolition the city decided to wrap the rest of the building in protective sheathing. The city took Seeba Rockaway to court for 17 code violations. City court in December, 2004 fined the company $480,000 for a dozen code violations and dismissed five. The city in 2005 sued Sebba Rockaway for $25 million in punitive damages and tacked $513,000 onto the property tax bill for the Wellington Hotel. Sebba Rockaway then put all its property on Wellington Row including the Wellington, Berkshire, Elks Lodge and adjoining buildings for sale for $5 million. The entire site was sold in 2006 to Columbia Development, a locally owned company, for $925,000, which originally wanting to destroy most of the buildings and save only a few facades. After meeting some opposition Columbia revised their proposal with saving more of the original streetscape though most will still be new construction. The proposal received praises for the inclusion of apartments along with office space as this has been a goal of the city of Albany for quite some time. The two buildings east of the Wellington Hotel along with the Berkshire Hotel and Elks Lodge west of the Wellington will be saved as retail and residential uses, but the Wellington Hotel itself will be demolished and rebuilt with just its facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
as the entrance to a new 14-story 405000 square feet (37,625.7 m²) office building that will span behind the entire row, which was renamed Wellington Place.
Wellies
The Wellington Hotel prior to the start of demolition was home to feral catFeral cat
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...
s, many of whom had never had contact with humans. The vast majority are of the black and white "tuxedo" variety. The organization Spaying Capital Region Unowned Feral Felines (Scruff) captured, neuter
Neuter
Neuter is a Latin adjective meaning "neither", and can refer to:* Neutering, the sterilization of an animal* The neuter grammatical gender-See also:*Trap-Neuter-Return , an alternative to euthanasia for managing feral cat and dog populations...
ed/spayed, vaccinated them, and then released them back into downtown with locals either willing to keep an eye on them or adopt them. Many of the cats were given names with the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
of Wellington, such as Mario Wellington (named for former governor Mario Cuomo), and Claude Wellington.
External links
- Hotel Wellington Facebook Group
- Wellington Student Annex FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
forum about the UAlbany student housing at the hotel annex.