Category: Albany

The Taaffe Brothers ran a turning and sawing establishment that, in 1869, was located on Canal Street, now known as Sheridan Avenue. “Turning” refers to turning wood by lathe, if you didn’t know, and in an age when every type of furniture demanded turned pieces, there must have been great demand for a shop…

We’ve noted before that in the 19th century, it was completely ordinary for a furniture maker to also manufacture coffins. After all, it is just a type of cabinet. A very final type of cabinet, but a cabinet nonetheless. John M. Foll listed himself in the 1869 Albany City Directory as an undertaker first,…

In 1869, David W. Shanks ran an upholstering and decorating shop at 30 and 32 Green Street, somewhere in what is now a sea of parking near Beaver Street in the heart of the old city. He kept constantly on hand curtain materials, lace and muslin curtains, cornices, pins, bands, tassels, cords, gold and…

Like so many of the advertisers in the 1869 Albany City Directory, you can be fairly certain that the works and wares of P.H. Wemple’s sash, door and blind factory can be found in many of Albany’s historic buildings. Somewhere tonight on her way upstairs to bed, some Albany resident will put her hand…

B. Brohm was a manufacturer of cast steel files and rasps from the best English cast steel, improved metallic temper. But to judge by the space devoted to it in this ad from the 1869 Albany directory, the real money was in sharpening (re-cutting) files and rasps. Brohm gave an unusually detailed price list…

J.C. Jones, merchant tailor, had removed to a new store at 618 Broadway (all the way from 608 Broadway) in 1869. He always had on hand English, Irish, Scotch, French and German cloths and cassimeres. “Cassimere” was a closely woven twilled fabric, usually wool, for suits. His home was at 53 Jefferson Street, a…

Michael Crummey was a successful bread, pie and cake baker with two locations: Beaver Street at the corner of Lodge (is it possible this building still stands?) and 60 North Pearl, at the corner of Columbia. He made hot rolls every morning, and tea biscuits every afternoon. Not to mention le pain Français every…

John Gavit’s engraving, printing, lithographing, and stationery operation  was smack in the busiest part of the city in 1869, right at 57 State Street (now, sadly, a prominent parking lot). Like many printers of the day, they did a little bit of everything, in a quality that no doubt we would weep over today.…

In 1869, Theodore Van Heusen was a dealer in fine china, glass, earthen ware, kerosene goods, gas fixtures and more. His business was in Marble Hall, at 468 and 470 Broadway. He had a bit of loveliness built at 6 Madison Place, just below the cathedral; it was built in 1848 by David Orr.…