Downtown Albany Historic District | |
 View north along North Pearl Street (NY 32), 2009 | |
   | |
| Location | Broadway, State, Pine, Lodge and Columbia Sts., Albany, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°38′57″N 73°45′7″W / 42.64917°N 73.75194°W |
| Area | 66.6 acres (27.0 ha)[2] |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 80002579[1] (original) 100007692 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | January 31, 1980 |
| Boundary increase | May 9, 2022 |
The Downtown Albany Historic District is a 19-block, 66.6-acre (27.0 ha) area of Albany, New York, United States, centered on the junction of State (New York State Route 5) and North and South Pearl streets (New York State Route 32). It is the oldest settled area of the city, originally planned and settled in the 17th century, and the nucleus of its later development and expansion. In 1980 it was designated a historic district by the city and then listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]
Its 164 buildings are a mix of tall commercial buildings on the main streets and small houses on the side. Most were built between 1880 and 1930, the district's period of significance, with some dating to the 1810s.[2] All major streets have a major building as their focal point. Several contributing properties have been listed on the Register in their own right, and one designated a National Historic Landmark. Albany's earliest skyscrapers were built here, including one that was the city's tallest at the time of its completion. The current mix of buildings reflects the city's peak of industrial prosperity in the Gilded Age, with many built by banks, as well as the city's status as New York's state capital.
It has been displaced in the city's skyline by later construction, particularly by the Empire State Plaza, the modernist home of New York's state government. Urban renewal programs of the late 20th century largely bypassed the district for political reasons. As a result, its historic buildings are mostly intact, although some have been compromised through neglect. In 2022 the state proposed some changes that would add some more modern buildings as contributing properties. The amended boundaries were accepted that May.[3]
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ a b John F. Harwood and Austin O'Brien (September 7, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Downtown Albany Historic District". File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: New York, 1964 - 2013. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Weekly List 2022 05 13". U.S. National Park Service. May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 15, 2022.