Downtown Albany Historic District
|
Downtown Albany Historic District
|
|
View north along North Pearl Street (NY 32), 2009
|
|
 
|
|
| Location | Broadway, State, Pine, Lodge and Columbia Sts., Albany, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°38′57″N 73°45′7″W / 42.64917°N 73.75194°WCoordinates: 42°38′57″N 73°45′7″W / 42.64917°N 73.75194°W |
| Area | 66 acres (27 ha) |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP Reference # | 80002579 |
| Added to NRHP | January 31, 1980 |
The Downtown Albany Historic District is a 19-block, 66-acre (27 ha) area of Albany, New York, United States, centered on the junction of State (New York State Route 5) and North and South Pearl streets (New York State Route 32). It is the oldest settled area of the city, originally planned and settled in the 17th century, and the nucleus of its later development and expansion. In 1980 it was designated a historic district by the city and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Its 160 buildings are a mix of tall commercial buildings on the main streets and small houses on the side. Most were built between 1880 and 1930, the district's period of significance, with some dating to the 1810s. All major streets have a major building as their focal point. Several contributing properties have been listed on the Register in their own right, and one designated a National Historic Landmark. Albany's earliest skyscrapers were built here, including one that was the city's tallest at the time of its completion. The current mix of buildings reflects the city's peak of industrial prosperity in the Gilded Age, with many built by banks, as well as the city's status as New York's state capital.
It has been displaced in the city's skyline by later construction, particularly by the Empire State Plaza, the modernist home of New York's state government. Urban renewal programs of the late 20th century largely bypassed the district for political reasons. As a result, its historic buildings are mostly intact, although some have been compromised through neglect.
The district is an irregular area, shaped like a rough crescent. It is centered along the axes of North and South Pearl (NY 32) and State (NY 5 west of Pearl) streets. A combination of natural features, streets, and legal boundaries serves to delineate it. Downtown is located to the northeast of and downhill from the modernist towers of Empire State Plaza, and east of the state capitol.
...
Wikipedia