ALBANY, NY
OLD ALBANY ACADEMY Joseph Henry memorial building
COMPLETED
The original home of Albany Academy, the red sandstone building constructed in 1815 follows the designs of Philip Hooker, one of the most important architects in the United States at the time. Considered one of the most important Federal-‐style buildings in the United States, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and later became a contributing member of the Lafayette Park Historic District.
The Albany Academy occupied the building from its initial construction until 1935, when it was renovated following designs by another venerable Albany architect, Marcus T. Reynolds, for its current use as the City of Albany School District Administrative Offices. Reynolds wrote extensively of his respect and admiration for Hooker’s work, so much so, that he precisely duplicated several original details in the new building he designed for Albany Academy.
TRW was contracted to carefully survey and document the problems of repair for the windows and general masonry construction. This was followed by a detailed analysis and development of recommendations and construction cost estimates for both restoration and replication for the existing windows.
Through archival and existing conditions analysis it was determined that the windows are almost exact replicas of the original windows, but installed during the Reynolds renovation campaign in 1935.
Thaler Reilly Wilson Architecture & Preservation LLP, prepared construction documents for the restoration of the envelope, and construction was completed in December 2016.