Seven to Save Spotlight: Albany's Guild House
Aerial image showing the Guild House in between the State Education building and the Cathedral of All Saints.
Albany’s Guild House, a former immigrant settlement house situated behind the Cathedral of All Saints, has been added to the League’s 2025-2026 Seven to Save list. The building has been vacant for decades, but renewed efforts by local leaders hope to bring it back to active use to serve it’s original purpose of being a center for community support.
“Albany’s Guild House was built to support some of the most vulnerable members of the community, and after 50 years of vacancy, we look forward to seeing it serve that mission again,” said Caitlin Meives, Director of Preservation for the Preservation League of NYS. “The League is excited to partner with local stakeholders who are so invested in making the Guild House a vibrant community asset once again. Its restoration can serve as a model for similar buildings throughout the state, where investing in underutilized buildings directly supports community members in need.”
Reverend Leander Harding, Dean of the Cathedral of All Saints, thanked the League “for this critical recognition of the Guild House’s vulnerable condition and the urgency of saving it for future generations. The Guild House is emblematic of the fragile state of too many of New York’s historic structures. Sitting alongside one of the state’s great Cathedral — and in the shadow of the State Capitol — the Guild House represents the opportunity for renewal and restoration of our historic heritage. We are honored to have it included among the historic places the respected Preservation League of New York State deemed worthy of this special attention.”
Situated behind the Neo-Gothic Cathedral of All Saints, the similarly styled Guild House was built in 1902 as an Immigrant Settlement House and school. Although the Cathedral has been well maintained, the Guild House has fallen into disrepair over the years and now is in dire need of rehabilitation to bring it back to its former glory – and return it to providing space for much-needed social services.
“The Cathedral leadership identified the support of the Preservation League as a key element in elevating public awareness of the Guild House’s fragile state and the imperative of saving it,” said Dean Harding.
Thankfully, along with the Preservation League, the Albany community has recognized the urgency of rescuing the Guild House and reviving the social services mission for which it was originally built. The Cathedral is establishing several programs to assist the surrounding community, including child and adult literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) for recently arrived immigrants, with the intent of hosting these programs in a restored Guild House. “The Cathedral serves an adjacent Arbor Hill neighborhood that is in particular need of the services a restored Guild House will provide,” Dean Harding stated.
Inclusion on the League’s Seven to Save list will enhance community outreach and increase public visibility of the Guild House. Supporting this collaborative effort will visibly demonstrate to legislators and policymakers – who work just a block away at the NYS Capitol – the value of continued investment in historic preservation