Philip Livingston Magnet Academy

Philip Livingston Junior High School
An ornate brick building with a stone face, four stories high with a large green cupola on top, seen from its left with some parked cars in the foreground.
East (front) elevation of main block, 2015
Philip Livingston Magnet Academy is located in New York
Philip Livingston Magnet Academy
Philip Livingston Magnet Academy is located in the United States
Philip Livingston Magnet Academy
LocationAlbany, NY
Coordinates42°40′06″N 73°45′31″W / 42.66833°N 73.75861°W / 42.66833; -73.75861
Area9.83 acres (3.98 ha)[2]
Built1931 (1931)-1932, 1947, 1967
ArchitectAndrew Delehanty[2]
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Art Deco[2]
NRHP reference No.14000485[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 18, 2014

The former Philip Livingston Magnet Academy is located along Northern Boulevard in the West Hill neighborhood of Albany, New York, United States. It is a large brick building predominantly in the Colonial Revival architectural style, with some Art Deco touches inside, erected during the 1930s. Additions were made in the 1960s. In 2014 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Philip Livingston Junior High School,[1] the only purpose-built public school building in the city so recognized.[a]

During most of its existence, it was one of four middle schools operated by the City School District of Albany, later converted into a magnet school for its final years, during which it declined academically and developed a reputation for crime and violence. It was described as the city's most outstanding school building upon its opening. It also became one of Albany's architectural landmarks due to its location at the main arrival point for travelers arriving from, or passing by, the city's north.[4] Since its closure[5] it has been sold to a private developer and converted to senior housing,[6] a decision some members of the school board have come to regret as the district still has overcrowding issues.

From its inception the school played a role in developing the community, an early center of African American migration into Albany, beyond its educational function. The Albany Symphony Orchestra played its concerts in the building's auditorium for many years. Amelia Earhart spoke at the school, and a 1947 concert by Paul Robeson at the school caused a major local controversy when the city government attempted to block it due to the performer's known sympathies with the Communist Party.

  1. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Listings". Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 8/18/14 through 8/23/14. National Park Service. 2014-08-29.
  2. ^ a b c "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2015-12-01. Note: This includes Brian Knight and William E. Krattinger (October 2013). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Philip Livingston Junior High School" (PDF). Retrieved 2015-12-01. and Accompanying photographs
  3. ^ Opalka, Anthony (1993). Diana Waite (ed.). Albany Architecture: A Guide to the City. Albany, NY: Mount Ida Press. p. 72. ISBN 9780962536816. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "The end of an era for Philip Livingston Magnet Academy" (Press release). Albany, NY. City School District of Albany. June 25, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  5. ^ "Philip Livingston Magnet Academy". City School District of Albany. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  6. ^ "Livingston School Apartments". Livingston School Apartments. 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2016.


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).