In 1885, American Architect and Building News named "The Best Ten Buildings in the United States."
Two of those selected were the New York State Capitol and Albany City Hall, before you and to your right. The Capitol was chosen despite the fact that it was still more than a decade away from completion.
By the time it was finished in 1899, the NYS Capitol was the most costly building ever constructed in the United States, and at 32 years, took longer to build than the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
Original 1867 design for the NYS Capitol by architects Thomas Fuller and Arthur D. Gilman.
Note the differences from the finished product, namely the center tower that was never built, owing to both its tremendous weight and cost.
Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886)
Renowned architect H. H. Richardson had a hand in creating both the NYS Capitol and Albany's City Hall. Richardson was one of four prominent architects to contribute to the design of the Capitol, and City Hall was his vision alone. The building is a model of his distinctive style, Richardsonian Romanesque, and was designed at the height of his career.
Albany's Bells
Housed atop City Hall's 202-foot tower are Albany's carillon bells, the first municipal carillon in
the country.
Albany's 49 bells range from a massive 10,953 lbs. to just 27 lbs. The first recital was played on September 18, 1927, to a crowd of more than 50,000.
Today, regular concerts are held during the summer and at noon on most Wednesdays year round.
Comments 0 comments