Places in Peril 2024

Every five years, Historic Albany Foundation updates its Endangered Historic Resources List. This list guides our advocacy efforts, giving HAF a focal point of high profile buildings to advocate for in addition to our regular technical services and ongoing advocacy efforts. 

This year, we wanted the public's input on what buildings we should put on the list. We had 40 very thoughtful responses. We're sure you will not be surprised to hear that we had several iconic Albany landmarks suggested a number of times.

The Tudors came in number one with the most responses, followed closely by the Church of the Holy Innocents, St. John's on Green Street, and St. Joseph's on Ten Broeck which were tied. Newly added to the list this year are the "Nipper Building" at 991 Broadway, the Hudson River Day Line Ticket Office at 351 Broadway, and the St. Rose Campus.

Other Places in Peril on this year’s list include: Public Bath House No. 2, James Hall Office, E-Commerce Square, 759 Madison Avenue, Rapp Road Community Historic District, and the Kenwood Estate.

We have been working on many of these resources for years as some have been on the list for over a decade, but nonetheless, we have stepped up our efforts on the buildings highlighted on our 2024 list. At any time, our advocacy efforts may call for additional support from our membership and the public. Please look for any updates!  

Holland Avenue Tudors

100-112 Holland Avenue | 1933, 1936-7 | Builder: Jesse Leonard, Designer: Josephine Johnston
Eligible for Listing on the National Register of Historic Places • Nomination for Local Listing In Progress

Owner: Picotte Companies | Assessed Value: between $175,000 - $235,00 (per tentative 2024 assessment)
Last Occupied: approximately 15 years ago as housing

These homes were designed and constructed by prominent Albany builder Jesse H. Leonard between 1933 (100 & 104), 1936 (106, 108, 110) and 1937 (112). New research also links them with designer Josephine Johnston who worked for Leonard Realty from the 1920s until her death in 1958 when she assumed the role of president of the company. What makes these Tudor homes truly unique is the fact that they were planned as a cluster of six houses which would be the beginning of a large development of Tudor homes in University Heights, making them the only planned or constructed residential structures along Holland Avenue and in University Heights. They are also very unique in that they are a ‘development’ of Tudor houses. Throughout Albany is a smattering of Tudor and Tudor-like houses, however, the Holland Avenue homes are the only Tudor style homes intentionally constructed together. 

Current Conditions and Needs

The houses are vacant with broken windows and are overgrown with climbing weeds. The buildings need to be mothballed, closing up any openings/broken windows, and have the vegetation removed.

HAF’s Actions

In September 2024, the City of Albany Historic Resources Commission voted unanimously to recommend HAF’s nomination for the Holland Avenue Tudor Historic District local listing. The listing will next be sent to the Albany Common Council where they will vote on whether to approve the Holland Avenue Tudor Historic District. To read all about the history of the Tudors and their historic and architectural significance, see our nomination. 

HAF has been working with Picotte Realty Companies for more than 10 years to find a new owner who could occupy the buildings on site, who could keep the buildings together and move them to a close location, or multiple owners who could occupy the buildings on a variety of sites near their current location. HAF had the buildings determined eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The listing would make the buildings eligible for NYS and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits as well as various grants.

Learn more about the Tudors!
Watch the October 17, 2024 lecture on the Tudors on YouTube here.
Download the slides here.

How YOU Can Help!

Contact your council member if you live in Albany and encourage them to vote to approve the Holland Avenue Tudor Historic District local listing. If you don’t live in Albany, you can contact any of the council members to express your support. Visit the Albany Common Council Members & Wards page to get the contact information for your councilmember!

Also, we encourage the public to keep an eye on these beautiful homes and note any vandalism, damage, open windows, etc. on See-Click-Fix for attention by the City Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance or contact the Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance directly. https://en.seeclickfix.com/albany_2

You can also write to Common Councilmember Sergio Adams, whose district includes the Tudors, with your concerns and ideas.

Department of Buildings and Regulatory Compliance
200 Henry Johnson Blvd
First Floor | Suite #1
Albany, NY 12210
(518) 434-5995

Common Council Ward 7
Sergio Adams
518-892-2112
sadams@albanyny.gov

Church of the Holy Innocents

275 North Pearl Street | 1849 | Frank Wills • 1866 | William L. Woollett, Jr & Edward Ogden | Individual Landmark

Owner:  275 North Pearl LLC, Patrick Chiou | Assessed Value $25,000
Last Occupied:  1980s as a private residence

This originally Episcopal church was constructed on land donated by William De Witt as a memorial to De Witt’s deceased children. The church still retains it Bolton Brothers stained glass windows and portions of the highly decorative stylized celestial painting on the ceiling.  The building was used as a Russian Orthodox Church and in the 1980s was converted to a private residence.  The chapel was the residence and the sanctuary the owner’s personal library.  The building has been vacant since the late 1990s and suffered from deferred maintenance leading to a partial collapse at the rear in 2015. This project is a part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative Clinton Square project. It is proposed to be stabilized and preserved as an open air artists’ venue and park. This building is eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Condition and Needs

The building has a hole in the roof near the rear of the sanctuary and is in a general state of moderate disrepair. The rear of the building where the sanctuary and chapel are connected needs additional stabilization. The roof needs to be patched at least temporarily and requires additional roof framing shoring.

HAF’s Actions

HAF has been involved with the Church of the Holy Innocents since 2002 when we provided technical assistance to Hope House toward the building’s rehabilitation.  Over the next 8 years, we would bring in a number of experts: structural engineers, architects, stained glass experts, and potential new owners.  From 2010-2012 a working group of stakeholders met, had a team of architects assess the building, and applied for grants to reuse the building as a community center for the Albany Housing Authority’s Ida Yarborough community across the street and a “baby college” following the Harlem Children’s Zone model. Unfortunately, the grants were unsuccessful. When the collapse happened in 2015, we were there with engineers and consultants working to stabilize the building and get a new owner who would rehabilitate it. The building got a new owner in 2016 and we have been in close communication pushing stabilization and weatherization until rehabilitation can happen.

How YOU Can Help

You can follow this project through the Downtown Revitalization Initiative project through charrettes, public meetings, and Capitalize Albany’s media updates. As this project progresses, it will be going before multiple regulatory boards for approvals. You can comment on this project at the public hearings. You can also report any vandalism through See-Click-Fix. https://en.seeclickfix.com/albany_2. You can also write to Common Councilmember Kelly Kimbrough, whose district includes the Church of the Holy Innocents with your concerns and ideas.

Common Council Ward 4
Kelly Kimbrough
518-250-9267
kellykimbrough4@gmail.com

Capitalize Albany
21 Lodge Street
Albany, NY 12207
(518) 434-2535

St. John’s Roman Catholic Church

142 Green Street | 1903-8 | Charles Ogden | Pastures Historic District

Owner: Chiou Development Group, Patrick Chiou | Assessed Value $10,000
Last Occupied: 40+ years ago

This highly visible former Roman Catholic Church is one of the earliest steel frame buildings in Albany.  It was originally designed to be taller and larger, however, already declining congregations made the project smaller in its construction. Though clad with stone, the structure does have a steel frame, which is why despite over 40 years of vacancy and a fire, it still continues to stand. It has been the subject of many projects ranging from apartments to a grocery store to a center for study for former convicts. The many owners it has had have not been able to connect with the community and piece together a successful plan. The building also has a bit of land surrounding it, which would help any redevelopment project. This building is eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Conditions and Needs

All can see the large holes in the roof from Interstate 787. The interior finishes are heavily deteriorated and the flooring has begun to give way. The building is in need of mothballing: roof repairs and boarding up windows to stop the continued damage from exposure to the elements.  Additional conditions assessments and a list of repairs would benefit the building greatly.

HAF’s Actions

HAF worked with the previous owner, World Unity Corporation, initially to guide the rehabilitation after its purchase from the Albany County Foreclosure Auction in 2009, including structural assessments, funding research and assistance, volunteers for work parties, and other technical assistance. When it became apparent that World Unity Corporation could not make the project work, we worked with them to find a new owner. There were a number of interested parties, but few with viable projects or that would meet the exorbitant price tag the owner settled on the building. 

How YOU Can Help

Keep an eye out for this project on the agendas of the Planning Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Historic Resources Commission to see plans for the building and comment at the public meetings. You can also write to Common Councilmember Derek Johnson, whose district includes St. John’s, with your concerns and ideas.

Common Council Ward 2
Derek Johnson
518-720-7118
dejohnson@albanyny.gov

Public Bath House No. 2

96 4th Avenue | 1905 | City Engineer’s Office (William Obenaus, Architect) |
South End-Groesbeckville Historic District | Currently for Sale

Owner:  City of Albany | Assessed Value:  $207,500
Last Occupied:  2010

Bath House No. 2 was constructed as one of three public bath houses in the middle of the public health movement at the beginning of the 20th century when indoor plumbing was just becoming available to the general public. It was used by community members from a number of neighborhoods and surrounding towns until 2010 when it was closed due to the costs of operation, maintenance and repairs that had stacked up from years of minimal maintenance. Sale and adaptive reuse, or reuse as a pool facility again has not been widely considered. The building is near much of the Albany Housing Authority’s investment in the South End neighborhood and can be gently adaptively reused so that it can be occupied and function as a pool once again if desired.

In the fall of 2024, the City of Albany prepared a request for proposals for the purchase of Bath House No. 2 (96 4th Ave.). View the RFP, which includes recent interior images.

This building is eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Condition and Needs

On whole the bath house is still in fair condition with the exception of a roof leak and lack of regular maintenance. Reassessment of the building itself and the pool is recommended with recommendations for regular maintenance and repairs.

HAF’s Actions

We worked with community members and stakeholders to keep the bathhouse open in 2010 because once a building is vacant, maintenance happens less frequently and deterioration occurs more quickly. We have worked with a number of potential new users to evaluate the building for their needs and identify funding and continue to do so.

How YOU Can Help

You can also report any vandalism or problems through See-Click-Fix. https://en.seeclickfix.com/albany_2 Proposals for reuse should be sent to the Department of Planning & Development. You can also write to Common Councilmember Derek Johnson, whose district includes Bath House No. 2, with your concerns and ideas.

Common Council Ward 2
Derek Johnson
518-720-7118
dejohnson@albanyny.gov

Department of Planning & Development
200 Henry Johnson Blvd 
First Floor  |  Suite #3
Albany, NY 12210
518-465-6066

St. Joseph’s Church

38 Ten Broeck Street | 1856 | Patrick Keeley | Arbor Hill/Ten Broeck Triangle Historic District | Currently for Sale

Owner:  City of Albany | Assessed Value $100,000
Last Occupied:  1990s as house of worship

The crown jewel of Patrick Keeley’s over 600 churches, St. Joseph’s is a magnificent example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture even in its vacant and deteriorated state. The building was the subject of much community effort from 2001-2012 when HAF owned the building and did extensive stabilization work with a grant from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and a bridge loan from Albany Local Development Corporation, the precursor to Capitalize Albany. Nearly $1M was raised and spent stabilizing the building so the public could continue to utilize the building as much as possible.

During this time, the building was used as a community space, hosting art shows, concerts, philanthropic events, and even a wedding. The building was open to the public as frequently as possible in the warmer months and was a stop on house tours to promote the architecture of the building. Many potential new owners had been identified, however, no viable plan was produced. With stabilization complete and efforts to find a new owner ongoing, the building was transferred back to the City in 2012. 

The building was resecured to keep wildlife and vagrants out of the building. The interior was cleaned of pidgeon excrement as were the few remaining pews. The pews were given to Historic Albany's Architectural Parts Warehouse to sell and get them back in to the Albany community. They have all found a home. Keep an eye out for annoucements through the Department of Development and Planning.

In 2023, the City of Albany listed St. Joseph’s Church for sale at $100,000. View the listing, where you’ll find many more photos, including several interior views.

This building is eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Condition and Needs

The building is stable, but continues to need repairs and mothballing. Localized roof patching is needed along with the covering of any broken windows. The building suffered a localized collapse at the rear of the sacristy in 2017 and requires masonry repairs. The City has been securing the building against vandalism and break ins, cleaning the pigeon guano, and is working on some interior repairs. They are pursuing a potential state funding that was secured prior to City ownership.

HAF’s Actions

After a decade of ownership and stewardship, stabilizing the building, hosting community events and work parties, Historic Albany continues to discuss the building with potential developers and seek funding sources for its rehabilitation regardless of the owner.

How YOU Can Help

You can keep an eye on Historic Resources Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, and Planning Board Agendas for this project to surface. More information will be available through these applications. Public comment is encouraged through this process.

You can also report any vandalism or problems through See-Click-Fix. https://en.seeclickfix.com/albany_2. Proposals for reuse should be sent to the Department of Planning & Development. You can also write to Common Councilmember Joyce Love, whose district includes St. Joseph’s, with your concerns and ideas.  

Common Council Ward 3
Joyce Love
518-221-6221
jlove@albanyny.gov

Department of Planning & Development
200 Henry Johnson Blvd  First Floor  |  Suite #3
Albany, NY 12210
518-465-6066

James Hall Office

Lincoln Park | 1852 | Andrew Jackson Downing and Calvert Vaux | South End-Groesbeckville Historic District | National Register of Historic Places | National Historic Landmark

Owner:  Future is Bright | Recent Sale Value:  $315,900
Last Occupied:  2011

The Italianate Villa style building, a National Historic Landmark, hidden along the western edge of Lincoln Park was designed for New York State’s first state geologist and paleontologist James Hall in 1852 by prominent American architects Andrew Jackson Downing and his student Calvert Vaux. The building was constructed as the private office and living quarters of Hall, who made numerous groundbreaking discoveries during his appointment as the State Geologist.

While it went through numerous uses and alterations over the last century, including an oversized addition on its southeastern façade in 1977 for a school, the very unique building has been vacant since 2011. Each year the building remains vacant, it will continue to fall deeper into disrepair and is an example of an underutilized resource that is significant at both the local and national level for its architectural and cultural significance.

This building is eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Condition and Needs

The building was sold in April 2024 as part of the larger sale of the former Sunshine School to Future is Bright, LLC.

How YOU Can Help

You can report any vandalism or problems through See-Click-Fix. https://en.seeclickfix.com/albany_2. You can also write to Common Councilmember Derek Johnson with your concerns and ideas.

Common Council Ward 2
Derek Johnson
518-720-7118
dejohnson@albanyny.gov

Department of Planning & Development
200 Henry Johnson Blvd 
First Floor  |  Suite #3
Albany, NY 12210
518-465-6066

E-Commerce Square

2, 3 & 4 E-Commerce Square (324, 338 Broadway, 35 Liberty St), 358 Broadway
Downtown Historic District

2 E-Commerce Square | 1917
Owner:  Capitalize Albany | Assessed Value  $205,880
Last Occupied:  2010

3 E-Commerce Square | before 1909, Fuld & Hatch Knitting Co.
Owner:  Capitalize Albany | Assessed Value  $4,732,500
Last Occupied:  2010

4 E-Commerce Square | 1849
Owner:  Capitalize Albany | Assessed Value $666,800
Last Occupied:  2010

358 Broadway | 1962-3
Owner:  Capitalize Albany | Assessed Value $307,200
Last Occupied: 15+ years ago

These buildings have been vacant since purchased by the Albany Convention Center Authority in 2009. The buildings were occupied prior to their ownership. These buildings have suffered from deferred maintenance for nearly 15 years. Initially the buildings were scheduled to be demolished to make way for a parking garage and hotel. When the Convention Center moved, the plans for the buildings were scrapped and they remained with no budget for maintenance. There was a Request for Proposals for developers to purchase and redevelop parcels including these buildings, however, no viable proposals were submitted.  In 2017 a feasibility study was done for the area calling for their reuse. The properties were transferred in 2020 from the Albany Convention Center Authority to Capitalize Albany.

These buildings are eligible for the New York State and Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits.

Current Conditions and Needs

The buildings suffer from varying states of deterioration with localized problems, but are stable. The buildings need to be properly mothballed and small repairs made to keep them from further deterioration while they await redevelopment.

HAF’s Actions

HAF has advocated for the reuse of these buildings since the Convention Center Authority’s plan to demolish them. We have consistently encouraged the Convention Authority to maintain the buildings while under their ownership and have provided technical assistance to developers interested in the buildings.

How YOU Can Help

You can participate in the charrettes, planning events, etc. that Capitalize Albany and the Department of Development & Planning will be holding. You can also write to Common Councilmember Joyce Love, whose district includes E-Commerce square, with your concerns and ideas.  

Department of Planning & Development
200 Henry Johnson Blvd 
First Floor  |  Suite #3
Albany, NY 12210
518-465-6066

Capitalize Albany
21 Lodge Street
Albany, NY 12207
518-434-2535

Common Council Ward 3
Joyce Love
518-221-6221
jlove@albanyny.gov

759 Madison Avenue 

The Nipper Building

Rapp Road Community Historic District

Kenwood Estate

Hudson River Day Line Ticket Office

The College of Saint Rose Campus