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When the South Mall was called the South Hole
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The shot I posted earlier this week of the Corning Tower under construction was hugely popular. Thanks to Marcia and her dad for another long-lost view, this one of the Empire State Plaza under construction in 1967. The winding road in foreground is a little confusing, but I think it’s a detour of Madison…
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Ye Ancient Fire Laws
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According to a history of Albany produced for the bicentennial celebration of its chartering as a city, concern about fire was one of the first things taken up by the new government. On October 26, 1686, the Common Council ordered “That ye fyremasters goe about and visite each respective house in ye city to…
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Albany Union Station
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Once upon a time (and until 1968), passenger trains rolled up the east side of the river and crossed the Maiden Lane Bridge to Albany’s Union Station. “Union” referred to the joining of two or more rail lines, in this case the New York Central and the Delaware and Hudson. (The elaborate headquarters of…
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The Corning Tower, rising
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When the Corning Tower (then just called the Tower Building) and the rest of the Empire State Plaza (then usually called the South Mall) were very much under construction. Probably 1970.
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City Halls
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Nowadays, if you want to put on a special event, a lecture or a dance, your choices are limited to the local hotels or perhaps a school auditorium. Back in 1905, the city of Albany was lousy with public gathering places, as evidenced by this list of buildings and halls. Every fraternal order and…
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Mr. Lincoln in the Collar City
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One hundred and fifty-one years ago, on his way to inauguration as President of a not-very-United States, Abraham Lincoln made a visit to Troy. Arthur J. Weise recounted the visit in “Troy’s One Hundred Years”: “One of the memorable incidents of the year was the passage of Abraham Lincoln through the city, on Tuesday…
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Albany’s Best Grocers’ and Bakers’
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In 1898, J.J. Guiton & Co. wanted to assure us that when we saw that label on a bottle, it was not poison. They also claimed to be Albany’s greatest grocers. In 1870, a Mrs. Catherine Guiton was running a grocery and saloon at 70 Canal Street, which is now Sheridan Avenue. I presume…
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American Seal Paint
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William Connors established a paint factory in 1878 at Hill and Ida streets, close to the Poestenkill in Troy. Eventually called the Troy Paint and Color Works, the firm manufactured American Seal brand paint in “any desired shade or color.” In 1889, “Carpentry & Building” magazine noted that “We have received from William Connors,…
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