Saturday, July 30, 2016

Albany City Hall

The current city hall in Albany was completed in 1883. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, the building reflects his particular Romanesque style of architectural design. Richardson was one of the architects that worked on the state capitol, just across the street.

Looking up at city hall. The tower contains a working 49-bell carillon.

In front of city hall stands a statue of Philip Schuyler, an Albany native, Revolutionary War general, member of the New York State Assembly, then Senate, and ultimately elected to the United States Senate representing New York State.

Major General Philip Schuyler and Albany City Hall.

The statue was made by J. Massey Rhind in 1925, just over 120 years after Schuyler's death. The general's legacy includes his many homes, one being Schuyler Mansion in Albany, and an upstate county and a town that bear his name: Schuyler County in the Finger Lakes region where Watkins Glen is located, and Schuylerville, NY, just outside of Saratoga. The latter was the site of the Schuyler family's country estate.

Schuyler's caped back is to City Hall; he's looking west toward the state capitol.

5 comments:

  1. Interesting history and nice bell tower.

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  2. That first photo is great, Walt :)
    We have at least one H.H. Richardson building still standing in St. Louis, though I believe that we had three at one point. Can't imagine why they'd demolish an H.H. Richardson building!

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  3. I think it s splendid looking building and statue.

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  4. And I remember driving down one street after another with the name Schuyler in it. Great building and great photos!

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  5. chm, the tower was done in the Venetian style, as was Sather Tower on the University of California's Berkeley campus (which also has a carillon).

    judy, thanks! Hard to imagine (these days) anyone taking down a Richardson building!

    michael, :)

    mitch, they were quite an influential family back in the day.

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