Seven to Save 2000

Lower State Street is arguably the City of Albany's most historic and architecturally important streetscape. The three-block area stretches uphill between the Gothic style D & H Building (near the Hudson River) to the magnificent State Capitol Building. As a result of recent demolitions and new office construction projects, the five properties which make up the intact row of buildings at 132-140 State Street now represent fully one-sixth of the remaining historic fabric of downtown Albany's most important commercial corridor. Yet, within the shadow of the State Capitol, the five buildings stand vacant and in disrepair. For the past two decades they have been marketed as a single property poised for clearance rather than as landmarks ready for reinvestment. With no response to an ill-conceived strategy meant to attract large-scale development, the historic row's future is precarious.

The five buildings of 132-140 State Street span 1832 to 1923 and reflect downtown Albany's importance as a commercial and governmental center. In the middle of the row is the former Wellington Hotel (#136). Until it closed in the early 1980s, the Wellington was the last of Albany’s historic hotels still in operation. The most architecturally distinguished facades belong to the former Elks Lodge (#138) and the Berkshire Hotel (#140), the latter designed by prominent Albany architect Albert Fuller, responsible for The Albany Institute of History and Art, The University Club and other local landmarks. The oldest building is a rare surviving townhouse of 1832 (#134) designed by James Dakin of Town, Davis and Dakin of New York City. Taken together, the row represents the best of urban commercial design of the past and present; it is human in scale, pedestrian-friendly, ornamental, and, despite disinvestment, inviting.

Beginning in the mid 1980s, Sebba-Rockaway, Ltd., a British developer, began acquiring the five properties of lower State Street. Despite numerous attempts to work through the firm's local representatives, there has been no movement to alter the current unsuccessful marketing strategy, despite the inclusion of the buildings in a local historic district and the National Register of Historic Places. In fact, the owner applied for a demolition permit in January 2000 but was turned down.

Historic Albany Foundation has labored hard over the past two years to increase attention to the importance of the five buildings and the investment opportunity they represent. And in August 2000, the publication Metroland named the Hotel Wellington Albany's "Best Endangered Building," calling it a "once grand edifice" too good to lose for a "bland new building or a parking lot." According to Historic Albany's Executive Director Elizabeth Griffin, "the five threatened buildings are located just below the crest of State Street hill and are minutes from the steps of the New York State Capitol. This location is not only important due to its prominent position and high visibility, but also as a bridge between Capitol Hill and Albany's re-emerging downtown. If put to appropriate reuses, the buildings could help reconnect Albany’s historic neighborhoods to the heart of the city and thereby assist in creating a thriving 24-hour downtown community."

"Albany has such tremendous assets," notes Scott P. Heyl, President of the Preservation League of New York State. "Yet it presents a mixed message to potential investors who are being encouraged to help redevelop downtown. While key properties such as the Albany Pump Station and St. John’s School are being rehabilitated and reused to much acclaim, other buildings, just as important, are being demolished. The inclusion of Albany’s lower State Street in this year’s Seven to Save list underscores the real opportunity that these landmark properties represent. With all of the financial programs available, from Investment Tax Credits to grants, it is inconceivable that the five buildings could not make a strong contribution to the downtown’s economy. The Preservation League has seen historic preservation’s tremendous positive impact on cities from Charleston to Boston to nearby Saratoga Springs. We encourage Albany to add preservation to the city’s current economic development strategies. And what better place to begin than with landmarks one block away from City Hall and the State Capitol."

Contacts:

Elizabeth Griffin, Executive Director, Historic Albany Foundation, 518-465-0876

Scott P. Heyl, President, Preservation League of New York State, 518-462-5658, ext.19

Emily Curtis, Director of Communications, Preservation League of New York State, 518-462-5658, ext.17