In almost any other structure in the world, this would be a view of a grand, showy staircase. But in the New York State Capitol, it’s the ugly stepsister . . . or at least the plain one. Overshadowed by the Great Western Staircase (also called the Million Dollar Staircase), with its inumerable ornate…

Another gem of a stereoscope from the Robert N. Dennis Collection of Stereoscopic Images at the New York Public Library, this one depicts the new State Capitol building in Albany. Except, of course, that it doesn’t. Not quite. While the image is undated, I’ve got to presume it depicts a model, and one built…

(This article originally appeared at Alloveralbany.com) From petty thief to Lincoln assassination conspirator, if you were a criminal in Washington D.C. in the 1860’s – you were going to be sent up the river. Way up the river. To Albany. The Albany Penitentiary served for decades as the prison for the District of Columbia.…

Here’s a single image from a stereoscope of the Westminster Presbyterian Church on State Street in Albany, one of many we’ll be looking at from the Robert N. Dennis Collection of stereoscopic images held by the New York Public Library. The photo is undated, but the church’s somewhat confusing history page says the church…

I was intrigued some years ago when I came across this gravestone in the Albany Rural Cemetery: CARRIE TURNER wife of John Mack, 1863 – 1897 She was a player, that taking her all in all we shall not look upon her like again.     A contemporary publicity piece said of her: “An…

Writing in 1867, Joel Munsell described the second permanent theater building in Albany: “The next theatre erected exclusively for the representation of legitimate drama, was the edifice in South Pearl street, now occupied for the same purpose, and known under the sugar-coated appellation of Academy of Music. It was erected by a joint stock…

Speaking of the Green Street Theatre, Joel Munsell included the following story from the Albany Evening Times in a footnote: “A most laughable incident is told by a person who was one of the participants. During the first year of its existence, a number of the then wild young fellows, wished to enter the…

Years after writing this initial post, Hoxsie undertook a much more thorough examination of the earliest theater in Albany, associated with the first theater building – you can find that story here. Joel Munsell wrote that the first building in Albany built for the purposes of a theater was a 56 by 110 foot…