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Location
The location of City Hall is 24
eagle street at Maiden Lane in Albany across the street from the New York
State Capital building. It is surrounded by the Court of Appeals, New York State
Education building and the old Albany Boy's Academy.
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History
There were four city
halls. The
first city hall in Albany was built during the 1600's and was a log cabin. The
original structure was small and was replaced in 1741 with a larger building at
the same place. The second was named the Stadt Huys and was built because
the first one was too small. It was not only the site of city and county
government, but it also housed the State government before the State Capitol was
built in 1806-1808. The third city hall was built in 1831 and the old city
hall became the 1st Albany Museum. It was actually a small part of the old state
Capital building. The third building was located where the current one is now.
The building was later demolished after being damaged by a fire. The current
City Hall was finished in 1882. This building is equipped with a fireproof tower
for the safety of future city documents.
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Architecture
The style of City Hall is Richardsonian
Romanesque, named for it’s designer. The term Romanesque was first used in the
nineteenth century to designate buildings completed during the eleventh and
twelfth centuries. Characterized by round arches and blunt, heavy walls that
were supposed to bear some resemblance to ancient Roman architecture. Over it's
two century span of dominance, Romanesque style varied widely, embracing
numerous provincial differences and changes in style. However,
architectural historians now regard it as a single style with common features
evident in the Richardsonian structure featured on this page. The three styles
of city hall are Aquitaine, Norman and Province. City Hall was built to have the
look of a church because during the 11th and 12th centuries churches were the
common public building of the time. A variation of the Romanesque style
was popular in the 1880s and is evident in features on other Albany buildings.
The outside of the building displays
Milford(Rhode Island) granite and the darker stone is made of Longmeadow
(Massachusetts) brownstone. There is a triple arched portal in front of
the building that houses the Common Council chambers. The mayor's
office can be found on the first floor of a 202 foot tower located on the right
side of the building. the upper floors are designed for storage of city
archives and serve as protection in the event of another fire. The
tower is topped by a funtioning carillon installed in 1927 with sixty bells and
was the first city carillon in the United States.
The inside of the building has vaulted
arches, many murals of the state emblem and sandstone was used for the the walls
and mantle pieces. This building has more Romanesque feature's than any other
building that Richardson designed.
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Architect
Henry
Hobson Richardson was born on a Louisiana plantation September 29, 1838. A
descendant on his mother's side of Joseph Priestly, he lived a privlaged early
life in New Orleans. Later, he studied architecture at the E'cole Des
Beaux Arts in Paris and worked with Theodore Labrouste, one of the leading
designers in France. In 1865, at the age of 27, he felt he was ready
to return to the United States and completed his education at Harvard
University. Seven years later, Richardson won a competition for the design
of the Boston's Trinity Church and was completed in 1877. Richardson
designed over sixty buildings, ranging from a small bridge in a park in Boston,
to the Capitol Building in Albany. Before his death, Richardson left
his mark in many public buildings still being used today. Some
examples of these are the Pittsburgh Courthouse and the Crane Memorial Library
in Quincy, Massachusetts. However, one of the more spectacular buildings in this
area he is know for designing the Albany City Hall. Completed in 1882, he
was awarded the design by chance because while he was working on the Capitol,
the previous City Hall had burned to the ground.
Equipped with a fireproof tower and working carrilon, the Ablany City Hall is a
true representation of Romenesque style and funtion. Henry Hobson
Richardson died only four years after its completion but, left an undeniable
mark on the city of Albany.
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Interesting fact
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