National Register of Historic Places

Albany Academy

Albany, Albany County, New York
Listed
February 17, 1971
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
71000515

About this property

The old Albany Academy building, known officially as Academy Park by the City School District of Albany, its owner, and formerly known as the Joseph Henry Memorial, is located in downtown Albany, New York, United States. It is a Federal style brownstone building erected in the early 19th century. In 1971, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Later, it was included as a contributing property when the Lafayette Park Historic District was established. At the time it was built it was home to The Albany Academy, established a few years earlier. Architect Philip Hooker's Federal style design is the city's oldest public building, and the less altered of his two intact non-residential buildings in the city. In the 1820s, Joseph Henry co-discovered electrical inductance in experiments conducted in the building, a discovery that was important to the later development of the telegraph and, by extension, the modern telecommunications of the Information Age. A statue of him by John Flanagan was placed out front to commemorate his accomplishment. T. Romeyn Beck wrote his important early works on forensic medicine while serving as the school's principal for three decades. In the 1930s, the Academy moved to a new building in a different section of the city that it still occupies. It sold the building to the city of Albany; in 1986 the city's school district took ownership and began its current use of the building for its main offices. Another Albany architect, Marcus T. Reynolds, supervised renovations to the building's interior. It has otherwise remained intact.

Location

Albany, Albany County, New York
42.65309, -73.75494

Categories

EDUCATIONSCIENCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Lafayette Park Historic
Listed
0 mi
New York State Court of Appeals Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Albany City Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
St. Mary's Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
New York State Capitol
Industrial
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Albany Academy listed on the National Register?

Albany Academy was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 17, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Albany Academy?

Albany Academy is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Albany Academy?

The period of significance for Albany Academy is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Albany Academy?

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