#WhereinAlbany - 21 Elk Street

This week's #WhereinAlbany is the beautiful 21 Elk Street! This property was originally built in 1845 as a residence for Henry C. Wheaton, a lawyer who worked for the United States Supreme Court and who later was the United States minister for Denmark and Prussia. Sometime between 1908 and 1932, the building was turned into apartments. In 1973 it was owned by a Mr. Ted Yund who turned the lower portion into a restaurant that later became 21 Elk Street Cafe. The building faces Lafayette Park, a historic plot of land in Albany that houses the State Capitol building. Like several other mid-19th-century historic buildings in the area, it contains gothic decorative elements. The Tudor archway framing the door and the Tudor drip molds surrounding the windows make it a pair with #17. 

17 Elk Street was also built for residential use for Henry C. Wheaton in 1845. However, in 1851 the building was bought by John V. L. Pruyn,a prominent lawyer at the time. Pruyn and his wife added a large dining room and a pantry that overlooked the neighboring garden. By 1973 the building had been made into law offices and the first floor had been completely remodeled.